Suzy Cohen, R. Ph., is a licensed pharmacist with nearly 20 years of clinical experience. The author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist (HarperCollins, July '07), she is "America's Most Trusted Pharmacist," and has helped millions of patients in various clinical settings, such as retail, hospital, nursing home pharmacies, and through her nationally syndicated column, "Dear Pharmacist."  A former spokesperson for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Suzy Cohen is a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine, The Association of Natural Medicine Pharmacists and The American Pharmacists Association.  You can subscribe to Suzy's free weekly newsletter or ask her a question at her DearPharmacist website.

Guest Blogger Suzy Cohen--

QUESTION: Please settle this argument. My husband says that I have put on 40 pounds because I don’t like to work out at the gym with him but I think the weight has something to do with my medicine, since it happened after I started taking birth control pills. Who is right? – B.H., Nashville, Tennessee

ANSWER: You’re both right. If you don’t exercise, you’ll lose that slim figure. And your birth control pills contain estrogen, which is known to pack on the pounds. Other medications that can cause weight gain include:

Acid blockers

Hormones

Ibuprofen

Insulin

Lithium

Metformin

Mirtazapine

Prednisone

Psychiatric drugs (Zyprexa, Risperdal)

Raloxifene

You should definitely exercise, especially if you take an estrogen drug which sparks weight gain and also happens to leave you prone to depression and anxiety—thanks to the drug mugging effect and depletion of vitamin C, the Bs and thyroid hormone. Certainly, dietary supplements can help replenish your vital stores. But it doesn’t take the place of exercising, which really offsets the damage done by estrogen. Exercising burns fat, tones you up, and improves mood by raising feel-good hormones and lowering stressful cortisol levels.

I understand that you don’t want to go to the gym. I force myself to go three times a week. One night I saw a friend running on the treadmill at top speed for 30 minutes straight, never slowing down. When I popped over to say hello, he naively asked me if I was going to get on a treadmill and do some cardio myself. Hellooooh?! I only wear these gym clothes with a headband so I look good while ordering a smoothie at the health bar! If you want me to walk a mile, drop me off at the mall. A clearance sale sign will get an extra 400 feet out of me, even if I’m panting and blue in the face.

If you find yourself procrastinating about exercise, try something new. Walk in nature. Try yoga, Pilates or jazzercise. Use a Stairmaster or belly dance. Whatever you do, get moving. If you don’t believe me or your husband, consider the results from some well-designed clinical trials:

A brand new study found that women who exercise 30 minutes a day had a 50–70 % lower risk for developing breast cancer.

Pregnant moms who exercise give their developing babies a head start. Studies confirm a lower heart rate in babies born to moms who exercise.

Your risk for diabetes goes down by almost 60% if you exercise just 30 minutes a day and reduce your weight 5 to 10 percent.
Exercising reduces back pain by stretching and conditioning the muscles in your back.

People who exercise routinely—especially men—can increase circulation to the Southern regions and improve sex drive and stamina. A Johns Hopkins study found that even seniors improve their heart health if they exercise and reduce belly fat.

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