ned@SCIRTP.UUCP (Ned Robie) (07/24/85)
> Is it really advantageous to > use there products or is it just another health-food scam (ie, you'd be > better off eating a balanced diet)? Do they conduct there business ethically > or is it headed for trouble ala Amway? > > Mike Clifford I saw parts of a congressional hearing concerning Herbalife on C-SPAN a while ago. My impressions are that while the ingredients of their products are not dangerous, they have questionable weight-reduction value. Claims that many people have lost weight on the program are true, but the weight reduction is proabably more attributable to the changed mental attitudes of the participants with respect to eating habits, exercise, etc. That is, the PROGRAM appears to help people lose weight while the products (formulas) do little in and of themselves. The Herbalife products contain *natural* ingredients such as herbs and vitamin supplements. It was found that the formula that *revitalized* contained a hefty amount of caffeine as well. Generally, the formulas have a diuretic and laxative effect which may indeed make some people feel better, but they don't offer any new breakthroughs in weight control. It's the program that seems to work, which is stressed by Herbalife when confronted. In my opinion, Herbalife is like Overeaters Anonymous with the added twist of a strong and effective motivating force derived from the comraderie, peer pressure, competitiveness, and success surrounding the sales of its products. I don't see anything wrong with that -- if it works, it works. And it does seem to work. Also, the formalas do not contain any known dangerous ingredients. Herbalife admits that previous formulas contained questionable ingredients, but they were promptly removed when the FDA reported their dangers. I believe the only complaints that can be made against Herbalife are the use of misleading advertising, the lack of scientific clinical tests of their products, and the high cost of their products. Herbalife claims that that they are addressing the first two problems. Of course, they feel that their formulas are worth every penny. To some people, I guess they are. Before I get flamed for all of this, let me say that I am NOT an Herbalifer and never would be no matter how overweight I became. That kind of thing is just not for me. But it may be just the ticket for someone else. It was clear to me from the congressional hearings that much of the negative publicity surrounding Herbalife was centered on their bogus weight reduction formulas. But after hearing alot of testimony, both pro and con, it appears that there's more to Herbalife than the products. The fact that many people have lost weight under the program with no statistically significant adverse effects must be taken into consideration. -- Ned Robie