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From: tjs@cbdkc1.UUCP ( Tom Stanions)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.consumers
Subject: Re: Herbalife International diet drugs attacked.
Message-ID: <1015@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 13:26:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbdkc1.1015
Posted: Wed Jun 26 13:26:13 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 07:25:16 EDT
References: <1759@aecom.UUCP> <11327@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: tjs@dkc1.UUCP ( Tom Stanions)
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
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Xref: watmath net.med:1654 net.consumers:2441

>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