werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (06/13/85)
From American Medical News, June 7 "Scientists seek research proof on diet drugs" Manufacturers of non-prescription diet drugs should be required to prove that their products are effective, scientists urged legistlators at a recent congressional hearing. "I do not believe that the makers of herbal medicines should be treated any differently than the makers of medicines of other kinds," said Varro E. Tyler, PhD, dean of Purdue U. School of Pharmacy and an authority on herbal medicine. Under current law, the government has the burden of proving that a diet scheme does not work as advertised. : The claims made for Herbalife products are false and deceptive. Even if the herbs had such effect, the Herbalife doses are too small to have any impact. Moreover, the products may be tosic to consumers. Those products under fire: * Slim and Trim Formulas 1,2,3,4 "They are unlikely to 'cleanse the system' and have been linked with several deaths and near-deaths." They are not nutitrionally complete or balanced. * Cell-U-Loss The product said to eliminate Cellulite and eliminate excess fluids is a mild diuretic. There is no evidence that diuretics can reduce flabbiness or depress appetite. * Herbal-aloe Two of its three herbs: comfrey and chaparral, are known to cause malignant tumors and kidney damage in rats. * NRG (Nature's Raw Guarana) Contains as much Caffeine as a strong cup of coffee, although this is not indicated on the label. As a result, could cause complications in unsuspecting people who are caffeine sensitive (muscle tremors, and heart problems.) * Schizadra Plus Billed as an "adaptogen, " reported to combat premature aging. Two tablets contain 180 mg. Even if effective, physicians report it would take a 1/4 lb (550,000mg) to have any effect. * Tang Kuei Sold as an aid to regualr menstruation and "herbal nutrition." Made from chinese plant Angelica Polymorpha. There are no acceptable clinical studies of the drug. Moreover, Herbalife doses are only 1/5-1/25 of those recommended in Chinese recipes. -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"
ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (06/21/85)
> From American Medical News, June 7 > "Scientists seek research proof on diet drugs" > > The claims made for Herbalife products are false and deceptive. > Even if the herbs had such effect, the Herbalife doses are too small to > have any impact. Moreover, the products may be tosic to consumers. > > "They are unlikely to 'cleanse the system' and have been linked with > several deaths and near-deaths." They are not nutitrionally complete or > balanced. > I was reading a medical magazine that pointed out that most of these Herbal diet aids functioned mostly as laxatives. I guess that does count as "cleansing the system" is some strange way. -Ron
werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (06/25/85)
> > "They are unlikely to 'cleanse the system' and have been linked with > > several deaths and near-deaths." They are not nutitrionally complete or > > balanced. > > I was reading a medical magazine that pointed out that most of these Herbal > diet aids functioned mostly as laxatives. I guess that does count as > "cleansing the system" is some strange way. Ron does have a point, and since I didn't type in the whole paragraph - the following full sentence from the unabridged article should clarify the situation: "Formula 1 is a high-protein powder that is unlikely to curb the appetite or 'cleanse the system' any more than an equivalent amount of protein from meats, nuts, or other foods." -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"
tjs@cbdkc1.UUCP ( Tom Stanions) (06/26/85)
>I was reading a medical magazine that pointed out that most of these Herbal >diet aids functioned mostly as laxatives. I guess that does count as >"cleansing the system" is some strange way. I frequently use and recommend herbal remedies for almost any ailment. The use of herbal laxitives to reduce weight is of course questionable. It is also true that most people are constipated and are unaware of the importance of bowel management (most doctors included). Weight is often a symptom of other problems and a return to a natural diet would probably bring most people back to their proper weight. Leading a non-sedate lifestyle is also important (I question regimented exercise with the exception of rebounding). There is also food mixing, proper mastication and frequency/timing to consider when eating. The point is that herbal remedies used properly are of tremendous value in helping people. However, companies like Herbalife seem to be fast buck companies with questionable scruples. There are some excellent herb companies with high standards and these should be praised in order to remind people that segmenting out one group does not ruin the whole bunch (we have all admitted their are bad doctors). Herbal methods have been very succesful in weight loss for those who spent the time to learn and decided that their life was worth more than getting another soda. My family gets herbs from the Nature's Sunshine company and we have been very pleased. As a point of history Herbalife was started by a man who claims that his mother died as a result of malnutrition while taking the Cambridge Diet. His qualifications to produce herbs is questionable and their constant drive to "Lose weight Now ask me how" indicates that weight loss is of more importance than health, not a very wholistic viewpoint. Don't use Herbalife as an example unless you state that they are a bad example. None of their distributers has ever explained to me how they can put a herb in tablet form without corrupting it. {allegra|ihnp4}!cbdkc1!tjs
ix21@sdcc6.UUCP (David Whiteman) (07/02/85)
What the herbalife people dont mention is that more people have died from the herbalife diet than have died from the Cambridge Plan (Source: this months FDA newsletter) -- ---- David Whiteman, University of California, San Diego