The popularity of agave syrup, also called agave nectar, is on a meteoric rise -- thanks in large part to clever marketing which positions the product as a healthy alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Parents are starting to realize how dangerous ADHD drugs can be—Adderall may cause a pounding or uneven heartbeat and hallucinations, and Ritalin (which may be habit- forming) may cause aggressive behavior and dangerously high blood pressure. And that's just the tip of the iceberg on both drugs.

So, increasingly, parents have been turning to alternative treatments for their children. Which is great.

But it left Big Pharma scrambling for a new target.

Q: I've been bringing frozen “diet” lunches to work for weeks, but an hour after eating, I'm starving. I've even started stealing coworkers' snacks from the refrigerator! The other day I heard somebody mention the “kitchen thief,” and I wanted to crawl under my desk. I'm afraid I'm just too lazy to lose! What can I do?

In a startling moment of honesty, an FDA spokesperson recently made this announcement: "The FDA obviously has a friendly relationship with drug companies compared to our relatively cool relationship with supplement makers. So of course we're likely to apply more lenient standards to drug companies while pretty much sticking it to supplement companies."

Reports about what to do about obesity in adults and children are coming out one after another...

On Monday, a friend sent me this link to an article about the role of exercise is weight loss. Basically, the article says it doesn’t work. I agree. I’m sure it may work for the odd individual, but overall, it’s a pretty hopeless.

I mentioned this to a patient yesterday who was seeking to shed some unwanted pounds. His reply was that while he was surprised that such a common notion (exercises helps weight loss) is wrong, it utterly mirrors his experience in real life – it doesn’t matter how much he exercises, his weight stays stubbornly the same.

Dear Pharmacist,

I really need your help because I am now up to 14 medications for the following problems:  High cholesterol, heart disease, pre-diabetes, cataracts, arrhythmias, allergies, memory problems and enlarged prostate (BPH).  The medications make me sick and sleepy.  The reason I am writing to you is because you always have a fresh perspective.  Can you help me get off these medications?  

-- C.P.  Kansas City, Kansas

Sugar has been blamed for nearly every known disease and even for the fall of several empires. While those accusations may sound like exaggerations, they probably are closer to the truth than you realize.

Sweating at the gym may do little more for your image than giving you an excuse to wear lycra, if a recent article in Time Magazine is to be believed. The article says the idea that exercise leads to weight loss may be wildly overblown.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which, once consumed, breaks down into three components – aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Aspartame has been passed as fit to consume by more than 100 countries around the World, but there is evidence that each of aspartame’s chemical components can have toxic effects on health.