Revisiting two recent e-Alerts

Two recent e-Alerts have generated quite a few responses, so I wanted to share a couple of e-mails from HSI members who offered insights from their own experiences.

First, from a member named Dan commenting on “Who’s on first” (8/22/02), an e-Alert about testosterone replacement therapy(TRT), and specifically about Androgel, currently the most popular TRT:

“I have used the Androgel. It is great for growing body hair, but that was all the effect I could detect, and it is indeed expensive.

As I noted in that e-Alert, Androgel can cost as much as $250 per month. A pretty steep bill for growing body hair.

And this past Monday’s e-Alert (“No Thanks for the Memories” 8/26/02) about ginkgo biloba’s rough handling in the press last week brought this show of support from a member named Hobart who suffers from intermittent claudication – an aching or burning sensation in the legs:

“I use (ginkgo biloba) for intermittent claudication. When local info gave only partial relief with Celebrex, I checked the German Medical Society and increased my intake of ginkgo to minimum 240/day and have had no attack of claudication in two years. When I feel it threatening, I take an additional 120 as a precaution. I have been on ‘studied’ regimen of herbs and supplements for 25 years. And they work if taken in a studied program – not just per ads or old wives tales.”

Hobart makes a good point that a manufacturer’s recommended daily dosage – even with dietary supplements and herbal formulas – is often not high enough to achieve the optimum results. I believe that Hobart’s reference to a “studied” program simply means that he did some research on his own and discovered that selecting higher dosages of ginkgo biloba than the recommended amount is often necessary. A quick word of caution, however. Many natural substances have powerful effects, especially in higher doses. So please also talk to your doctor, naturopath or other health care professional before increasing dosages.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute