Could you unknowingly take a prescription male enhancement drug?

Sales of non-drug dietary supplement male performance products have reached an astounding $480 million, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. Demand is expected to grow by at least 25 percent annually. With so many new products hitting the market, it is imperative that you understand which natural products are safe and effective.

Recently, the safety of a number of non-pharmaceutical products was called into question. Lab analyses found that they were either spiked with pharmaceutical ingredients or with the chemical analogs of the active ingredients found in pharmaceutical drugs. Those unwanted ingredients were not listed on the labels.

You can be assured that Tenaga is produced in accordance with rigorous purity standards. It has been researched for safety, purity and efficacy, and contains no undisclosed ingredients.

Tenaga is available online, and at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and other independent retailers.

Get Empowered About Your Health

The New York Times’ "Well" blog recently featured a Q&A with Elizabeth Cohen, a longtime CNN medical correspondent and patient who wrote a new book called, “The Empowered Patient.” In the Q&A, Cohen talks about her experiences with the health care system, and answers questions such as, “Do patients really have the power to take their health into their own hands?” Becoming an “empowered patient” might mean asking difficult questions or being “a bad patient,” according to Cohen. But it could also mean insisting on a second opinion or seeking out alternative therapies or holistic remedies.

Many patients today are turning to alternative treatments, which are typically defined as “any form of therapy not taught widely in medical schools” or that “have evolved apart from and earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the U.S.,” according to WebMD. In 2007, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, or CAM, reported that approximately 38 percent of adults used CAM. Last year, the American Medical Association  also reported that nearly 40 percent of adults and 12 percent of children in the U.S. use herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic services or acupuncture. What these numbers seem to indicate is that 1) an increasing number of patients are more than willing to take charge of their health and become informed consumers of health products, and 2) people are looking for natural wellness solutions that have historical, cultural and scientific basis.

With so many alternative therapies and herbal solutions available today, how do you get empowered about your health? The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine offers several suggestions as a starting point, but there are other ways to take charge of your own healing. In what ways have you become an empowered patient this year?