Dear Pharmacist,

I am constantly fatigued, my hair is thinning, and I am gaining weight. My doctor says that I have hypothyroidism and prescribed Synthroid. Can you give me more information about thyroid medications and natural ways to help myself? 

--G.A. Albany, New York

Recently a couple of blogs have focused on the potential role that vitamin D may play in the regulation of body weight (see here and here). One of these blogs concerns a study which found that low. Levels of vitamin D were associated with increased body weight and waist circumference.

Have you ever looked at your stomach and thought I feel fat? You try to eat better, and get more exercise, but you still have days where your belly looks and feels huge? What if that bulge (or at least some of it) is actually bloating and not fat? That's what I discovered about 2 years ago.

I see them in my office every week…patients who are overweight and suffering the consequences, but who feel totally helpless to do anything about it. They all say the same thing—“But, doc, I’ve tried everything!”

Usually, they have tried quite a bit. They’ve been on every diet from Zone to Grapefruit, and maybe added a little exercise into the mix. The problem is, there’s so much terrible diet advice out there, most folks who follow it end up spinning their wheels.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to lose weight, let me share with you 10 things you might not have tried.

The FDA loves a good fist fight with the supplement industry. It gives everyone the impression that they are the “good guys” out to protect the consumer against “dangerous” all-natural products.

And last month, the FDA struck a knock-out. The all-natural dietary supplement Hydroxycut has been voluntarily yanked off the market following reports of liver damage, including one person who needed a liver transplant, and one related death.

Plenty of people will admit they're sick of their jobs. But what many people don't realize is that their jobs may be ruining their health.

A new study has found a link between office work and the obesity epidemic.

Q: A friend who had 100 pounds to lose started following a strict 1,200-calorie diet devised by a nutritionist, and she dropped 8 pounds in two weeks. I want to lose 30 pounds, so l began the same diet but in two weeks I’ve lost only 1 pound.

Why isn’t it working for me?

Do you have a sweet tooth? You aren't the only one. Millions of Americans consume tons of sugar on a yearly basis. The average American consumes 135 pounds of sugar in a year. At the beginning of the last century, the average American consumed only 5 pounds of sugar per year.

The use of Stevia is rising and for good reason, but let's look at the problems associated with sugar and artificial sweeteners first.