Conference turris::womannotes-v1

>    Here's a great new product: Herbal Care (not to be confused
>    with Herbalife). It's totally different. Medically
>    formulated, gentle, all natural,  no side-effects, 
>    non addictive. Strictly wholesome herbs and nutrition. 
>    And works! (One of the ingredients in their Stress Care is 
>    "nature's Vallium". All the benefits, none of the side effects.)
>    Bathes your entire system with nervines and genle relaxers,
>    fortifiers. Helps with stress, PMS, mood swings, depression, 
>    energy peaks and valleys, sore tight muscles, etc. 

I dunno, Heather.  Valium is Valium, whether it's natural or manmade.
Life's no bed of roses, but the average person should be able to make it
thru the day without drugs, natural or otherwise. 

I prefer to take my little stresses and either let them pass without
giving them credence or to stand up to them and go a few rounds.  I
sometimes come out of it battered and bruised, but eventually that
particular stress knuckles under and I win.

I think I'd rather eliminate the cause rather than gloss over the symptom.
I've had enough of using Valium to "get me thru the day".

I can see it being useful for those of us suffering from PMS, tho'.
That we have little control over.  I guess I'm lucky that when I get
his with the rattled nerves, I can merely acknowledge that it's PMS
and I'm less likely to need something (other than Tylenol, of course).

Bugsy

    Sounds like a TV commercial to me!!  I would rather jump into a nice
    hot tub and take a good look at what's causing my stress.  If it's
    something I can change I change it otherwise acceptance works wonders.
    Speaking of change a good diet can help with the mood swings that
    go along with PMS.
    

	    What herbs are used in this product?  It's not wise to use
	a product just because it's herbal; it's better to know what's
	in it, and what it does.
	    Depression and stress are your body's way of telling you
	something isn't going right.  Masking the feelings with chemi-
	cals is *not* natural, no matter how natural the chemicals are.
	(I will acknowledge that a chemical intervention can work won-
	ders on breaking a bout of depression that feeds itself in a
	cycle; but taking something on a regular basis to ward away
	depression isn't the same thing at all.)
			<_Jym_>
	P.S.:  I'm no enemy of herbs.  Indeed, as I write this I am
	drinking tea made with a tincture of valerian to relax my
	neck muscles (which were stretched in a car accident).

   .3
    
    Just good natural nutritional supplements like oyster shell
    calcium, a range of B-vitamins, and minerals. Also herbs
    like valerian root, tang keui (Chinese), scull cap, camomile,
    others. Same idea as the "Stress Tabs" you can get from
    retail health food outlets, but with other things added.
    It doesn't mask anything, as a chemical would, but makes
    a person more effective and productive in spite of their
    stress (and, we all have stress.) It's certainly better
    than "relaxing" with a drink...or using drugs (prescribed
    or otherwise).  It's sad the way so many are not able
    to cope.
    
    The vitamins, minerals and herbs, nourish the nervous system, 
    and the herbs are known to reduce cramps abd muscle spasms, 
    that produce discomfort, pain, headaches, etc. I understand
    it's really designed to combat the harmful effects of stress...
    those things going on inside of us that can lead to physical
    problems.
    
    I'm very careful about what I take. I don't even like aspirin.
    I know medicines have their place and if I need them I wouldn't
    want to be without them. But, I'd much rather prevent the need
    in the first place, if I can.
    
    Take care, noters. For those interested in nutrition and health,
    check out the HYDRA::HOLISTIC conference.
    
    
    

	> Just good natural nutritional supplements like oyster shell
	> calcium, . . .

	    Calcium supplements are completely worthless.  Ingesting
	increased amounts of calcium does not result in increased
	amounts of calcium used by the body; the intestine regulates
	the amount of calcium absorbed in accordance with the body's
	needs.  [1]
	    I think women should be made aware of this, especially
	since manufacturers are pitching calcium supplements to women
       	as a way to prevent osteoporosis.  The real culprit is the
	excess amounts of protein in the typical American diet, which
	breaks down into a diuretic that causes excessive amounts of
	water to be eliminated by urination (rather than by respiration,
	perspiration, etc.).  This water takes minerals, including
	calcium, with it; the net calcium imbalance is made up by
	robbing calcium from the bones.  That's osteoporsis.  [2]

	> . . . a range of B-vitamins, and minerals.

	    B-vitamins and minerals should be gotten from foods, not
	supplements.  When processed into supplements, they break down
	into compounds that thwart vitamin B-12 and may actually cause
	a B-12 deficiency!  [3]

	> Also herbs like valerian root, tang keui . . ., [scullcap],
	> camomile, others.
	>				* * *
	> It's certainly better than "relaxing" with a drink . . . or
	> using drugs (prescribed or otherwise).

	    Medicinal herbs *are* drugs.  Valerian root is a relaxant
	of the nervous system.  Scullcap is an even *stronger* relaxant
	of the nervous system (and also a diuretic).  Camomile has a
	variety of effects, but is generally harmless.  I don't know
	what tang keui is.

	> It doesn't mask anything, as a chemical would, but makes a
	> person more effective and productive in spite of their
	> stress (and we all have stress).
	>				* * *
	> [T]he herbs are known to reduce cramps and muscle spasms
	> that produce discomfort, pain, headaches, etc.

	    We all have stress, but drugs (those herbs) taken on a
	regular basis are emphatically *not* the way to deal with it.
	    Herbs that alleviate the symptoms you list, if used at all,
	should be used if the symptoms arise; they are often better
	than many of the drugs your doctor would prescribe.  I would
	also suspect that using the herbs in their normal fashion - in
	a tea, for example - would be a lot less expensive than taking
	them in supplements.
	    The herbs do nothing to prevent the symptoms.  I suspect
	the agents which claim to that are the vitamins and minerals:

    	> I understand it's really designed to combat the harmful ef-
    	> fects of stress . . . those things going on inside of us that
	> can lead to physical problems.
	>				* * *
	> I know medicines have their place and if I need them I
	> wouldn't want to be without them.  But, I'd much rather
	> prevent the need in the first place, if I can.

	    This "preventative" effect sounds like the role of the
	vitamin and mineral supplements.  As explained above, supple-
	ments are the wrong way to try to get these things.  There is
	no substitute for a good diet.

	    Basically, these sound like products that can be sold as
 	"vitamins and minerals that prevent problems" and "herbs to
	handle the symptoms" all rolled into one convenient product.
	But since supplements are a poor way to get vitamins and min-
	erals, and since those "relaxing" herbs are not wise to use
	on a day-to-day basis, it would appear that the product isn't
	very convenient after all.
			<_Jym_>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] A. Walker, "The Human Requirement for Calcium:  Should Low Intakes Be Supp-
lemented?" _American_Journal_of_Clinical_Nutrition_ 25 (1978), 518. * "Symposi-
um on Human Calcium Requirements" _Journal_of_the_American_Medical_Association_
185 (1963), 588. * H. Spencer, "Influence of Dietary Calcium Intake on Ca(47)
Absorption in Man [sic]"  _American_Journal_of_Medicine_ 46 (1969), 197.

[2] S. Margen, "Studies in Calcium Metabolism, the Calciuretic Effect of Dietary
Protein" _American_Journal_of_Clinical_Nutrition_ 27 (1974), 584. * C. Anand,
"Effect of Protein Intake on Calcium Balance of Young Men Given 500mg Calcium
Daily" _Journal_of_Nutrition_ 104 (1974), 695. * J. Cummings, "The Effect of
Meat Protein and Dietary Fiber on Colonic Function and Metabolism, Changes in
Bowel Habit, Bile Acid Excretion, and Calcium Absorption" _American_Journal_of_
_Clinical_Nutrition_ 32 (1979), 2086. * L. Allen, "Protein-Induced Hypercalcur-
ia: A Long-Term Study" _American_Journal_of_Clinical_Nutrition (1979), 741.

[3] V. Herbert, "Multivitamin/Mineral Food Supplements Containing Vitamin B-12
May Also Contain Analogues of Vitamin B-12" _New_England_Journal_of_Medicine_
307 (1982), 255. * "Harmful B-12 Breakdown Products in Multivitamins?" _Medical_
_World_News_ (28-Sep-1981), 12.

    re: .5
    
    Sorry, I'm not an expert, but I could probably quote you just
    as many references to support my position. But it's not my
    purpose to convince or convert anyone. 
    
    I just know what works, without unpleasant side-effects, and
    I wanted to share it. 
    
    It's a problem that appears to hit women harder. The current NH 
    Times has a good article on stress, reports studies show women are 
    affected more by stress than men, and discusses particular stress 
    inducers in a woman's life. Things like role conflicts, fatigue, time
    pressures. It also reports on studies pointing to a possible link 
    between stress and lung cancer.  
    
    The associated director of Brookside is suggesting a connection 
    between stress related immune problems that can lead to things 
    like cancer.
    
    "I think you have to have a sort of holistic view," Dr. Fiester
    of Brookside, was quoted as saying. She said generalizations about
    stress are "too simplistic" when so many factors come into play.
    Only some of these factors are clearly understood in either medicine
    or psyciatry.  However, "it's safe to say that modern society is
    very stressful, and that women are under a great deal of stress
    these days." Don't we kow it! 
    
    If exercise works for you as a stress reducer, take it up. If 
    bio-feedback works, do it. If meditation is the answer, by all 
    means practice it. But, whatever you do, improve your nutrition too.
    
    Take care.
    
    Irena
    
    
    
    It's an issue. We all have to decide how to cope with it that's
    best for us, our families and society. One thing's for sure:
    stress won't go away.

	    I am entering my response in HYDRA::HOLISTIC Topic #65,
	where a parallel discussion is going on.  It is a more appro-
	priate forum for this discussion.
	    I would recommend that any participants in this conference
	who are interested in these products read Topic #65 in that
	conference.  I honestly feel that the products are at best use-
	less and at worst dangerous, and my previous note explains why.
	    Women have suffered the most from dubious approaches to
	medical problems.  The calcium supplements that are sold today
	(as well as absurdities like "TAB with added calcium") are just
	the latest in a series.
			<_Jym_>

        My new Discman and a dozen classical, new age, and jazz discs
        have done marvelous things to my stress levels.
        
        JimB.