HERBALIFE SIDE EFFECT-LIVER-KIDNEY-HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE-BRAIN DAMAGE

  Herbalife is a weight and nutrition management company, which offers large variety of wellness and health products around the world. Herbalife Company has been promoting social responsibility and healthy living. Herbalife is offering a large variety of products under several categories. They are offering products for personal care, energy and fitness, weight management and several others. All the products that are produced by the herbalife company are developed by nutrition experts, renowned doctors and award winning scientists, ensuring that the product they are creating are safe as well as effective to their customers. Products of herbalife are unregulated dietary supplements. Even though they are natural and safe but they tend to cause many side effects such as primary pulmonary hypertension, liver damage, and even death.
 

Herbalife international company was founded in 1980. It sells all the health as well as weight loss products around the world through many distributers. Herbalife produces weight loss and herbal supplements products for many years. According to their website, they are containing a formula for treating any kind of problem from anemia to the weight loss. They have approximately sixteen different products. Among those, weight loss product is the most popular product. Like all other weight loss products, herbalife product has also some potential side effects. The herbalife products consist of some toxic ingredients such as poke, mandrake, and now-banned Ephedra, which is responsible for causing certain side effects. Mostly commonly it causes hepatitis, pulmonary hypertension, other liver diseases and even death. The liver damage due to usage of herbalife can cause serious conditions like as liver failure, acute hepatitis, cholestasis, necrosis, cirrhosis, and also other liver diseases. Due to the usage of herbalife products, many people liver gets damaged, which leads to many serious condition, even they may undergo a liver transplant.
 

The ingredient ephedra is responsible for causing primary pulmonary hypertension. In 2004, the FDA banned the usage of ephedra. Hence, now herbalife are not using this ingredient in their product because of its severe problem. Another ingredient in the herbalife, which is responsible for causing side effect, is caffeine. Usually, many herbalife products consist of caffeine as a metabolism booster. This ingredient can cause nervousness and headaches, high blood pressure, particularly when it is taken in large amounts. Shellfish and soy are the other two ingredients in the herbalife product that can cause a threat for potential allergic reaction. Another problem such as constipation and Diarrhea has also been reported by few people who used the herbalife products. Other Herbalife side effects products include stohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and in few cases anxiety. Hence, before buying any diet product, you must consult your doctor about the product. Almost all the products cause side effects, if they are not consumed properly or if the ingredients present in the product may interact with other supplements, medications or few may indigestible by our body. Nowadays, the herbalife side effects products have been reduced greatly, because the FDA has altered some of the herbal and natural ingredients present in their products.
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What Are the Dangers of Herbalife?
By an eHow Contributor

Herbalife was founded by Mark Hughes in 1980. Hughes proclaimed that the company's mission was to improve the health of people all around the world. Many dieters rave about the weight-loss success they achieve following the Herbalife plan; others are not as enthusiastic about the product and claim harm from its use.
Caffeine Overload

Herbalife contains caffeine. Many people who who take Herbalife supplements have claimed to feel restless and nervous, along with experiencing the jitters and anxiety.
Lead

Herbalife products, when analyzed, were found to contain high levels of lead. The amounts found in Herbalife products were above what the laws allows and were deemed toxic.

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CardioMEMS Study Results

CHAMPION Study Published in The Lancet
www.cardiomems.com
Hypertension

Herbalife products have been liked to hypertension, which can lead to heart failure.

Unsubstantiated Claims

Herbalife's checkered past includes warnings from the FDA for false claims about their products.These artificial claims included helping to treat many diseases, getting rid of tumors, increasing circulation, improving alertness and improving overall health.
Side Effects
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Many users of Herbalife have filed lawsuits and complaints about side effects they experienced when using the products. Headaches, constipation, diarrhea, lightheadedness, nausea, and stomach upset are some reported side effects.

Questionable Ingredients
 

 Ephedra, a main ingredient in Herbalife, has been known to cause psychosis, tremors, kidney stones, high blood pressure, sweats, rapid heartbeat, and damage to the heart and other organs. It has been linked to strokes, seizures and death.

Guarana

Guarana is an extract from South American trees that contains caffeine and several other chemical compounds purported to enhance energy levels. Guarana can cause nausea, shakiness, anxiety, diarrhea and vomiting. Vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration, a condition that can potentially cause you to fall into a coma or state of shock, seizures, low blood pressure, Brain damage and even death, if untreated.
References

Do Herbalife Products Cause Hepatitis?

  Christopher Pascale Posted on Dec 21, 2010

SUITE101

    Multiple medical resources have found that there are 2,000,000 people around the world who are offering products that may make you very sick.

Herbalife is a publicly traded company based out of Los Angeles, California. Since 1980 it has allowed people the opportunity to become independent sales reps with the opportunity to lead others to do the same in the form of multi-level marketing, or network marketing.
Like any large organization with several decades of experience, there are some controversies behind this one. For example, in 1986, the state of California claimed that the company made inflated claims regarding income potential for which Herbalife settled for $850,000, and in 2004 thousands of current and former distributors took the company to court on the grounds of running a pyramid scheme. Herbalife settled the latter case for $6,000,000 (less than $700 each).
Along with these legal matters are much more pressing health concerns. Several medical resources have found that Herbalife products may actually cause hepatitis.

What is Hepatitis and How is it Caused?
Hepatitis can be characterized as an inflammation of the liver. One visible symptom is jaundice, and less visible ones are lack of appetite and a feeling of overall discomfort.
Hepatitis is typically caused by a virus, but it can also be caused by toxins when taken regularly, such as alcohol or an infection that is already present. The question on many people's minds regarding Herbalife products would be, how could these products be linked to infecting those who take them?
The answer is in the ingredients. There has to be something toxic in some or all of the products released by the company, but it is hard to know which ones because the FDA does not regulate herbal supplements the same way it does medicine. This is why athletes find out via heart attack that ephedrine is not so great, and how health conscious people discover that they may be poisoning themselves the hard way, as reported in a 2007 article published in The Journal of Hepatology titled "Herbal Does not Mean Innocuous."
Countries That Have Reported Illness Links to Herbalife
It is important to note where the sources are that have reported on Herbalife. This is because some people go on the attack against networking companies because they think they are dangerous or terrible, and some governments are anti-capitalistic, so they would be against a company like Herbalife because they do not want their people to have too much freedom and control.
In 2004, 12 patients in Israeli hospitals with severe liver problems had one thing in common. They were taking an Herbalife supplement that aided digestion. When their liver enzymes normalized, they resumed their normal regimen of the product and were sick again.
The 2007 article noted from the European Journal of Hepatology had several sources, one of which was medical professionals from Switzerland. In it, the ten most severe cases covered showed two patients with "certain causality" while the other eight had "probable causality." The duration of the illness ranged from two months to twelve years.
The objective here is not to demonize a company or industry, but to alert consumers that when Herbalife distributors pitch the quality of their products, they may be pitching high-end hepatitis. And while the ingredients linked to causing disease in the past may have been rid of, it does not mean that today's products are safe.
Without FDA interaction, humans are the test subjects for herbal supplements. The best way to go when it comes to supplements is to use one with a long track record of not hurting its users.
Jan. 5 update from the author: On December 23, George Fischer and one of his doctors had a conference call with me. During the course of that conversation, they promised that they would send me information contradicting the reporting in the Journal of Hepatology. No such contact has been made since.

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HERBAL VS KIDNEY SIDE EFFECTS

 Use of Herbal Supplements in 

Chronic Kidney Disease

    As a chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient, you may have considered the use of herbal products to assist you with various health concerns. This fact sheet will give you some information to enable you to make decisions regarding your use of herbs.

Use of herbal supplements may be unsafe for CKD patients, since your body is not able to clear waste products like a healthy person. There are some facts about herbs that every CKD patient should know:

• Very few herbs have been studied in CKD patients. What may be safe for healthy persons may not be safe for someone with CKD, and in fact, could be dangerous. Therefore, you need to be very cautious about your use of these products.
• The government does not regulate herbal supplements, so the exact content of these products is unknown.
• Without regulation, there are no requirements for testing, so the purity, safety and effectiveness of the products are unknown.
• Herbal preparations are subject to contamination (may contain toxic heavy metals such as lead or mercury).
• Products may contain minerals harmful to CKD patients, for example: potassium.

Some herbs that may serve as diuretics may also cause “kidney irritation” or damage. These include bucha leaves and juniper berries. Uva Ursi and parsley capsules may have negative side effects as well.

Many herbs can interact with prescription drugs. A few examples are St. Johns Wort, echinacea, ginkgo, garlic, ginseng, ginger, and blue cohosh. Transplant patients are especially at risk, as any interaction between herbs and medications could potentially put them at risk for rejection or losing the kidney. It is important to ask your doctor and/or pharmacist about any herbs or medicines you want to take to avoid potential problems.

Herbs that may be toxic to the kidneys
Artemisia absinthium (wormwood plant)	Periwinkle
Autumn crocus	Sassafras
Chuifong tuokuwan (Black Pearl)	Tung shueh
Horse chestnut	Vandelia cordifolia

Herbs that may be harmful in chronic kidney disease
Alfalfa	Buckthorn	Ginger	Nettle	Vervain
Aloe	Capsicum	Ginseng	Noni juice
Bayberry	Cascara	Horsetail	Panax
Blue Cohosh	Coltsfoot	Licorice	Rhubarb
Broom	Dandelion	Mate	Senna

Herbs known to be unsafe for all people
Chapparal	Pennyroyal
Comfrey	Pokeroot
Ephedra (Ma Huang)	Sassafras
Lobelia	Senna
Mandrake	Yohimbe

These lists are not necessarily complete. More information regarding the use of herbs will become available over time. You are encouraged to proceed with caution with all herbal preparations and use them only under the direction of your medical team.
With all of these cautions, perhaps you are wondering if use of any herbs is a good idea. The use of common herbs, in normal amounts, when cooking is just fine and typically recommended to enhance the flavor of foods on a low-sodium diet.
So, before you take any herbal supplement, we recommend:

• Checking with your doctor, dietitian, pharmacist and/or product manufacturer regarding safety, dosage, duration of use, interactions with prescription drugs, etc.
• Use only standardized herbal extracts made by reputable companies.
• Never take more than the recommended dosage, or longer than recommended.
• Do not use herbal remedies for serious illness.
• Do not use herbs if considering pregnancy.

Remember … natural does not mean safe, especially for CKD patients. Be smart and ask questions before using any herbal products.
The following references can provide additional information regarding the use of herbal supplements:

American Botanical Council
www.herbalgram.org
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
nccam.nih.gov
National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbalmedicine.html
United States Pharmacopoeial
www.usp.org

PDR for Herbal Medicines . Gruenwald J, Bendler T, Jaenicke C, eds. Montvale NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 2000
The Honest Herbal . Tyler V. Pharmaceutical Products Press, New York, 1999

More than 20 million Americans—one in nine adults—have chronic kidney disease, and most don't even know it. More than 20 million others are at increased risk. The National Kidney Foundation, a major voluntary health organization, seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation. Through its 50 affiliates nationwide, the foundation conducts programs in research, professional education, patient and community services, public education and organ donation. The work of the National Kidney Foundation is funded by public donations.

The National Kidney Foundation would like to thank the
Council on Renal Nutrition for the development of this fact sheet.

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Side Effects of Herbal Life Products

Jul 20, 2010 | By Brian Willett


Herbal Life is a company that produces a wide range of nutrition products, from vitamin supplements and diet pills to protein snacks and digestive health supplements. While these supplements may be beneficial to your health, you should research the ingredients in each supplement to avoid possible side effects. Even if a product has positive reviews, your results may vary. Consult your doctor before using any Herbal Life supplements to discuss their safety and efficacy.

 
Hypotension: Cell-U-Loss
Cell-U-Loss is a supplement marketed by Herbal Life to help you decrease bodily fluid retention. This product contains a number of ingredients, most of them herbs. One herb in the Cell-U-Loss formula is hydrangea, which may cause hypotension, or low blood pressure, according to the Silberg Center for Dental Science. Hypotension is a condition that may cause fainting, shock and dizziness. The Silberg Center notes that hydrangea may be especially dangerous when used in conjunction with high blood pressure medication.

Cancer Risk: Total Control

Total Control is a weight management supplement that is intended to increase your metabolism, increase your energy levels, and promote healthy weight loss. Total Control is similar to many other weight loss supplements because it contains stimulants such as caffeine and yerba mate. According to Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., yerba mate may promote weight loss, but it also has a number of side effects--including increased cancer risk. According to Zeratsky, regular intake of yerba mate may increase your risk of cancers such as those of the lungs, mouth and esophagus. Zeratsky does note that the risk is probably small, however.

Difficulty Sleeping: LiftOff

LiftOff is an energy supplement produced by Herbal Life. This product comes in the form of a tablet that dissolves in water. LiftOff contains a number of stimulants to increase energy, but these ingredients may also cause side effects, including difficulty sleeping, or insomnia. Herbal Life LiftOff contains caffeine, a common stimulant that may cause sleeping problems, according to the University of Maryland Medical Clinic. In addition, LiftOff contains guarana, which the website Drugs.com explains may cause anxiety, nervousness and trouble sleeping. Due to these side effects, you should not take LiftOff within several hours of bed time.

References

    The Silberg Center for Dental Science: Herbal Medications
    Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.: Yerba Mate: Is It Safe To Drink?
    University of Maryland Medical Center: Caffeine In The Diet
    Drugs.com: Guarana Side Effects
Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jul 20, 2010
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 Guarana Tea & Headaches 

Guarana tea is made from the berries of the guarana plant, a bush native to the Amazon river basin. Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest have used guarana as an herbal medicine to treat many ailments, including headache. Like any health supplement, consult your doctor before taking guarana.
Headache
Guarana may be an effective short-term treatment for headaches, according to the University of Colorado Denver College of Pharmacy. However, guarana is not recommended for treatment of chronic headache, and should not be taken for more than seven days in a row, in order to reduce the risk of side effects such as nausea, anxiety, irritability and increased heart rate.
Tea
Guarana tea is often made by dissolving powered guarana berries in hot water. For optimal results, combine a half to 1 tsp. of powdered guarana with 8 oz. of hot water, recommends CrazyForTea.com. Alternatively, purified guarana supplements can be taken, at a dose of 200 to 800 mg, reports A Nurse's Guide to Herbal Remedies.
Active Ingredient 
The likely active ingredient in guarana tea responsible for the effect on headache is caffeine, explains the New York University Langone Medical Center. Although other related stimulants, including theobromine and theophylline, may also play a role. Caffeine is often an effective treatment for headaches for people who do not regularly consume caffeine, according to an article published in the May 2007 issue of the medical journal "Neurological Sciences."
Too Much Caffeine 
While occasional consumption of caffeine, in guarana tea or other forms, may be beneficial for headaches, frequent consumption of guarana tea may actual result in more headaches, warns the article in "Neurological Sciences." Long-term consumption of caffeine can lead to physical dependence, which causes withdrawal in the absence of caffeine. One of the common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal is headache, sometimes chronic headaches.
ReferencesArticle reviewed by Tina Boyle Last updated on: Sep 1, 2011  | By Matthew Busse

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