In the "wonderland" of diets there are some who still believe that an enviable body line can be achieved by means of miracles caused by chemicals. So, the fairy-tale industry that promises to work wonders on our weight has become hugely popular and made some people very rich.

Diet aids range from electronic devices, such as muscle stimulators, to appetite suppressants, fat-burning pills, diet products such as milk shakes, juices, candy bars or any kind of chemical patch or dietary supplements.

The tremendous success of such unconvincing stories is easily explained. Following a diet requires patience, willpower, time and exercise in order to maintain the diet for long-time results. People do not usually have all of these. Giving in to the wish to see rapid results, or to the temptation of cheating on a diet, most people will choose to "help" their body to rid itself of the extra weight and waste a large amount of money. Very few of these "helpers" are really helpful. Even worse, when they do help, they tend to damage health.

The only harmless device is exercise equipment for the abdomen. It will not help, but at least it will not hurt. You lose money rather than weight. The truth about such devices is that they are useless. The only effective exercises for the abdomen do not involve equipment.

As far as electronic muscle stimulators are concerned, you will waste money in the belief that you will look like a fashion model. But those models owe their looks to a balanced diet and regular hard exercise. Not once have they said they do not use the products they promote. It has been proven that muscle contractions produced by electronic muscle stimulators are minor. Stimulators cannot noticeably improve your strength or your looks. Besides, when used incorrectly, they can be dangerous, causing burns or electrical shocks.

On the other hand, some facts about diet aids might make you think twice before using them.

• Many contain diuretics or laxatives and will cause major water loss. They may enhance dehydration. The weight loss will return rapidly.
• The stimulants they contain will cause heart and blood vessels to constrict and raise blood pressure and heart rate to dangerous levels. This is especially true for those based on alkaloid ephedra, a substance banned by the FDA in 2003 because of its disastrous effects on health.
• Diet pills can be addictive, as they contain phentermine, a chemical equivalent of amphetamine.
• Weight-loss patches have not been proven to actually help in losing weight.
• Pills that prevent fat absorption can cause intestinal discomfort, cramps, diarrhea and flatulence.
• They can also make people restless and cranky. Pills can be the cause of insomnia, drowsiness depression.

As long as a diet helper still motivates you, it can really help, on condition that it is healthy. That is, most of the time, while a diet helper may not help, it will not hurt either, provided you have medical advice and the helper is administered under medical supervision.