Q: These days there are a lot of advertisements on sauna belt on television. I would like to know if this is safe for losing abdominal fat. Does it have any side effects?

A:The best way to keep in good health is to follow a healthy nutritious diet (with your age, conditions and activity levels in mind) and a balanced workout(including any aerobic activity, muscle work and stretches). Without wanting to comment on the efficacy of these slimming machines / institutes, considering there are no guidelines they follow, one would be suspect to the success of the process or the safety of the outcome. And from what is understood, they would make you follow a restricted diet and some amount of exercise also. There has been one study, published in the medical journals regarding the efficacy of these machines. Initially they were used as part of physiotherapy but are now marketed as miracle machines to help lose weight. The study suggested some difference when the machine was regularly used on the muscles in the abdomen but overall the amount of time taken to put the pads on, sit with the machine on and for the results to show, did not warrant its efficacy. In conclusion, there really can not be any replacement to regular, consistent exercise and a healthy diet as ways to maintain ideal body weight.