supplement

There is no shortage of crash diets and diet pills when it comes to losing weight fast and easy. Companies are even pushing natural supplements that they claim will help melt away pounds, like this one called Glucomannan. It's a water-soluble dietary fiber made from the corm (underground stem) of the Asian plant known as konjac. People take it because it slows down digestion and delays the absorption of glucose from the intestines. This supplement also absorbs a lot of water so it swells in your stomach, giving you a full feeling. Since it's natural, people think it's healthy and safe.

It's true that fiber is great to include in your diet, because it helps with constipation, and can lower total levels of cholesterol in the body, but is adding fiber in the form of glucomannan a good idea? To find out read more

Lack of sleep getting you down? It seems like a fair amount of you don't feel like you get enough sleep. That is a bit worrisome since a good night's sleep is a vital ingredient for good health. So if you're plagued by insomnia, you might want to know about melatonin. It is a hormone that helps to control the sleep wake cycle, and it is derived from the amino acid we most commonly associate with sleep, tryptophan. Since darkness triggers the release of melatonin, natural levels of the hormone are highest just before bedtime. While melatonin has been proven only mildly effective as a sleep aid for insomniacs, it may play a stronger role in overcoming jet lag.

Melatonin comes in a synthetic supplement form, however, it can cause a few side effects, which can include: daytime sleepiness, dizziness, headaches and abdominal discomfort. The optimal dose of melatonin has not been determined, and its long term effects have not been tested either. I did find the sleep aid drink Dreamerz, which contains melatonin, tasty and effective.

Fit's Tip: If you are using melatonin to fight jet lag, you should take it on the first day of travel close to the bedtime of your destination. You must take it every 24 hours for several days for it to help alleviate the symptoms of jet lag.

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You know how you can go to Walgreens, and the bottom of the shelf has a bunch of unusual products you've never heard of? Well, I saw Nature's Cure Acne Treatment ($9.99), a homeopathic remedy for acne, and thought it sounded a bit quacky. After all, I'd had bad luck with a previous fling with supplements. At the same time, though, I was curious, so I did a little online research and found lots of rave reviews. Sold!

Nature's Cure claims to "tackle internal causes by stimulating your body's natural defenses to help stop acne where it starts." The homeopathic pills include English walnut, yeast, cone flower, wild rosemary, vegetable carbon and frost weed—all in micro-doses which aim to clear up skin. You take two pills a day (one in the morning, one at night) and apply the included benzoyl peroxide cream on zits. Simple. The box promised "results within two weeks," and boy, did I get them. To find out what happened, read more

It's silly, but any product with the word "perfect" in its name is bound to get my attention. Vitabiotics Perfectil ($16.99), already popular in Europe and Britain, is a vitamin supplement that promises to improve hair, skin and nails by providing 22 necessary nutrients. For instance, it contains grape seed extract to fight aging, copper to strengthen hair, and vitamin E to improve hair's strength and shine.

Perfectil is available now, and if I hadn't just started another vitamin-based skincare treatment (which I'll fill you in on shortly) I would probably give it a whirl. What do you think? Is this gimmicky or genius? Finally, thanks to KBella for pointing this out!

I feel like it's my duty to tell you guys when there is something I don't love just as much as it is to tell you about something I do love. I have thin hair and I bite my nails, so when I saw these Phytophanere Dietary Supplement for Hair & Nails, $50, I was convinced that this was going to help me out in a big way. Lots of my pregnant girlfriends swear that vitamin supplements have significantly sped up the growth process of their hair and nails and additionally improved their strength. (I'm sure hormones played a part too.)

I began my regimen and started taking these pills for two months. My nails did grow a little faster than usual, but I also began to break out. Little bumpy red zits appeared all over my face!

I decided to call my dermatologist and she told me that I could be having a reaction to these supplements. I immediately stopped taking them and my skin cleared up some. I am not saying they don't work - or that you will break out from them, but this was just my experience.

I thought I'd open this up for discussion. Has anything like this happened to anyone else? Do you care to share any stories where you've reacted strangely to a beauty product? I'd love to know!