Weightloss Supplements and The Senna Tea. GOOD or BAD?

We all know that exercise makes our body sore, if lucky just overnight, but it can stay for a week.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

So, we tend to find another way around to lose weight. We ask friends, search the internet, seek for advice, and most of us end up taking pills, drinking teas, weight loss juice, and doing different diets. I have experienced this. I tried to exercise regularly as much as possible and do some bizarre diets. I also tried potato diet, but I couldn't keep up with it. So, I seek ways of losing weight fast, and easy. I tried a slimming tea which is "BioFiTea" and found it pretty effective in cleansing my colon for unwanted fats and constipation (effective for me, I'm not sure for others. I lost an inch or two on my waist line.). The thing is, it will cause tummy aches, especially at mornings, for this is taken before bedtime. I go to the bathroom many times to bowel, that's why I only drink this on weekends because I have classes on weekdays.


So it made me think, is this really safe? It's effective, yes, but will it not damage my colon? what about colon cancer?


The idea of losing weight fast is really great. But do weight loss pills and teas will be surely effective? Won't it be just a big hole in the pocket? And are they the only safe option for losing weight fast? Here are some OTC pills that can be bought at your local drugstore, the effectiveness, and possible side effects:

Product	Claim	Effectiveness	Side effects
Alli — OTC version of prescription drug orlistat (Xenical)	Decreases absorption of dietary fat	Effective; but weight loss is even more modest than that with Xenical	Loose stools, oily spotting, frequent or hard-to-control bowel movements; reports of rare, but serious liver injury
Bitter orange	Increases calories burned	Probably ineffective	Similar to ephedra: raised blood pressure and heart rate
Chitosan	Blocks absorption of dietary fat	Probably ineffective	Uncommon: upset stomach, nausea, gas, increased stool bulk, constipation
Chromium	Decreases appetite and increases calories burned	Probably ineffective	Uncommon: headache, insomnia, irritability, mood changes, cognitive dysfunction
Conjugated linoleic acid	Reduces body fat	Possibly effective	Upset stomach, nausea, loose stools
Green tea extract	Decreases appetite, and increases calorie and fat metabolism	Insufficient evidence to evaluate	Dizziness, insomnia, agitation, nausea, vomiting, bloating, gas, diarrhea
Guar gum	Blocks absorption of dietary fat and increases feeling of fullness	Possibly ineffective	Abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea
Hoodia	Decreases appetite	Insufficient evidence to evaluate	Insufficient information available

THE SENNA TEA

Drinking senna tea is very effective and natural way to deal with constipation. The popular senna plant (the main ingredient of BioFiTea) is a herbal laxative used to relieve constipation it has anthraquinones which is a very strong laxative.  The problem here is that there are dangers associated with consuming senna tea.

Allergies

• Some people have allergic reaction to senna plant. They have experienced serious allergic reactions when they drink senna tea. Always be precarious when drinking something you are not really familiar with. Take little by little and observe if you are having allergic reactions such as swelling of any part of your body, but mostly it's the tongue, and/or followed by difficulty breathing and swallowing.

Digestive Issues

• Instead of improving our digestive system, it intends to worsen. It is when we tend to overuse it. Chronic diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps can occur when this happens. This can lead to dehydration and an electrolyte balance disturbance, which can be fatal.

Laxative Dependency

• The overuse of senna tea can damage the colon and rectum as they become desensitized (To render insensitive or less sensitive.) to the need to defecate (To void feces from the bowels.). This will cause a strong dependency of more laxatives and cause a recurring long-term issue.

Finger and Toe Enlargement

• Yes, the fingers and toes will enlarge and will become clubbed. This is very noticable in people with anorexia (being too thin, as in skin and bones.) who abuse the herb. Discontinue the use if suspected to have this side effect.

Organ Injury

• Any thing that we take more than the average or too much is never a good thing. Drinking too much senna tea can cause Pseudomelanosis coli, a condition that turns the intestines black. This can cause colon cancer. It may cause liver enzyme altercation, chronic liver disease and liver failure. Senna tea can also damage the kidneys and cause renal failure.

Drug Interactions

• Anyone who senna tea must inform their doctor to avoid dangerous drug interactions. There are at lease 123 drugs that cause bad reactions when mixed used with senna tea. Some common drugs that react with senna tea are aspirin, Lasix, Lexapro, Milk of Magnesia, Prilosec and Tylenol. Vitamins C and D may also cause adverse drug interactions when taken with senna tea.

Pregnancy

• Pregnant women should not take senna tea because it can cause premature contractions and miscarrage. Lactating mothers should also avoid it to prevent it from causing a laxative effect in the baby's digestive system.

  
  

  
  

  (The following information above was compiled and rephrased for much easier understanding of the readers; to make sure that the readers of any age will be able to understand and to have information and knowledge about the topic being discussed. The reference of each site that I used here is linked below. )

  
  

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  References: http://www.ehow.com/about_5402360_dangers-senna-tea.html

  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/defecate

  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/desensitization 

  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/HQ01160; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2011; Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2011