Open up a magazine, turn on the television, or even take a glimpse at your annoying internet pop-ups -- thinness is the accepted norm of beauty in American society. Not just Hollywood stars like Lara Flynn Boyle obsess over their weight and strive to look like living skeletons; Americans in general are obsessed with weight. The pressure is not just directed towards women to be that perfect size zero -- men should be cut, without an ounce of fat. In our minds, being skinny is a major component of being beautiful. However, if we take a look at ourselves, our statistics tell us another story.

According to the Mayoclinic.com [1], approximately two-thirds of Americans are overweight despite our obsession for being thin. Even worse, one out of every three Americans is considered obese. By definition, a person is considered obese if his or her body mass index, or BMI, is over 30. Body mass index is a specific formula that uses height and weight to estimate body fat percentage and the health risks, which can be easily calculated on one of the many health websites online.

One well-known solution to obesity is a healthy and well-balanced diet accompanied by regular exercise; however, this "old-fashioned" way of losing weight is not appealing to people because it is a long-term process. The results are not seen overnight nor within days. This steady and gradual process delivers the goods, but people find it hard to change their habits. It would be so much easier to take a pill or two that would do the job, as opposed to going for a twenty-minute jog and avoiding our favorite frappuccinos (one frappuccino contains approximately 400-600 calories depending on size and variety). The obvious advantages of diet pills are that they save time, effort, and work. But don't they sound too good to be true?

Ephedra is an ingredient that recently was thrust into the spotlight of the diet pill world. Its other alias name is Ma Huang, and it is an herb whose primary active component is ephedrine. Originally the herb was used to treat respiratory ailments in traditional Chinese medicine. Today, ephedra is an FDA-banned drug once a part of some asthma medicines. Ephedra is considered a stimulant that affects the central nervous system and the heart. Although ephedrine is a naturally occurring material, the Food and Drug Administration had issued a warning that any diet pills containing ephedra may cause health risks and injuries "especially under conditions of strenuous exercise and in combination with other stimulants, including caffeine." [2] Do not be tricked by corporate slogans like "all natural" and "natural herbal weight loss system." Just because it's natural does not mean it can't harm or even kill you. Also beware of false claims. For example, some brands of diet pills containing ephedrine claim that their product can enhance sports performance. There is no scientific evidence to substantiate that far-fetched claim.

From recent studies performed, ephedrine is associated with heart palpitations, psychiatric effects, gastrointestinal effects, involuntary tremors, and insomnia. Out of 16,000 reviewed cases of adverse effects, two deaths have been recorded, along with four heart attacks, nine strokes, one seizure, and five psychiatric cases. Even scarier is the fact that the FDA does not assess diet pills for safety and effectiveness before they are put out on the market, thus allowing consumers to take them at their own risk, essentially placing them in the role of guinea pig. Instead, the law permits the FDA to ban the sale of specific dietary supplement if it "presents a significant or unreasonable risk of injury (FDA 2003)."

Consumers absolutely must read labels and know the exact contents and effects of any type of dietary supplement. For instance, Metabolife 356 ®, Xenadrine RFA-1®, and MetaboLift are some of the innumerable products that contain the ephedra ingredient. Some good advice is to stay away from diet pills, period. If it messes with your heart, forget about it. Go out for a run instead.