Are you not feeling well?

[Rubia Warren]

You got fatigue problems? Feel kinda "blah" all the time? Are you not very healthy? You wanna get healthier? Do you want to feel better and have more energy without using caffeine and stuff like that? You may want to try this!
My grammy has been worried about my health problems, and she is always pushing pills my way (she is the guru of vitamins and natural stuff) and she recently gave me these pills called "chlorella"..... and I feel like a new person. I don't wanna gross you out or anything with the details of my health problems.... so I will just say, that IMMEDIATELY..... like maybe 2 hours after I took them the first time, I found myself with energy and a good feeling physically all over my body..... I just feel like smiling and laughing! I am not kidding! I have all kinds of energy, but it isn't the feeling brought on by things like caffeine, I JUST FEEL REALLY GOOD, I don't feel wired or hyper. I am amazed at this stuff! She told me she was giving it to me to clean the toxins out of my body and get me to be healthier, but dangEEEE do I feel good! I feel like I have a new body, and I am not exagerrating.
The brand that she gave me, she says is the best, it's from a company called "Sun chlorella".... but it's a bit pricey, but better made than the other brands. This is the info I got from their website:

Today's major health problems are the result of disorders within our cells. Healthy cell metabolism and renewal are dependent on proper nutritional balance and nucleic acids. No vitamins or mineral can replace the value of whole foods.

Chlorella is a nutrient-dense superfood that provides more than 20 different vitamins and minerals, an abundance of naturally occurring Beta Carotene (Provitamin A), B12 as well as 18 Amino Acids, including all of the essential amino and fatty acids. It is particularly rich in lysine, which is often lacking in our high wheat American diet.

Chlorella, one of the highest natural sources of chlorophyll, contains 20 times the chlorophyll of alfalfa, nearly 10 times that of spirulina, 8 times that of wheat grass and 10 times that of barley grass.

What's more, each of Chlorella's cells are a self sufficient organism with all of the plant's life function taking place inside the cell that results in an unusually high concentration of nutrients in the Chlorella plant (chlorella is 50-60 percent protein compared to rice; 7 percent and soybeans; 39 percent).

Additionally chlorella contains a variety of minerals like iron and iodine as well as zinc.

As a nutritionally balanced whole food, chlorella is the perfect complement to any supplement. Without the proper nutritional balance our bodies may waste up to 95 percent of the high potency vitamins and minerals we take.


I am not advertising or anything, but if you feel like crap all the time, you should consider trying something like this!

[elysian]

Sounds like it's worth a try. I'm still spewing black crap out of my nose from having to extinguish my kid's box springs... but I'm thankful the only thing damaged was the bed and perhaps my sinuses.

Two Hours? I need some of this stuff.

[Rubia Warren]

Girl, I am not even playin'. I've got colon/digestion problems, ie I only go once every 2 weeks, if you get my drift..... and that leaves me feelin not so great all over. I have horrible fatigue, I feel like crap (no pun intended), I am grouchy, I feel like I am sick but don't know what it is, I get depression, my skin is doing weird things from it, it is affecting my whole body, it is terrible and it has gone on for years like this. Not much makes me feel good, but these chlorella pills I am amzed by. My body feeels sooo good. I don't remember feeling this good physically since I was a kid. Check it out, seriously.

[anthrogirl]

CHLORELLA ROCKS!!! You are doing yourself a wonderful favor by taking it! Also, don't forget: humans need a minimum of 30g of fiber per day (a medium-sized apple provides about 3.5g).

happy metabolizing (and successful "eliminating")!
anthrogirl

[Rubia Warren]

Alright! COOL! Someone who has tried chlorella! (btw, welcome to Tweb, anthrogirl). :hi:

[anthrogirl]

Alright! COOL! Someone who has tried chlorella! (btw, welcome to Tweb, anthrogirl). :hi:
hey Ru-Tang

Have you ever tried acupuncture?

anthrogirl

[Rubia Warren]

Nope.... but I have always wanted to. Unfortunately in my area, there is only one person who does it and it is pretty expensive... at least, last I heard.
Isn't that so weird? If you want healthy things or anything that is good or natural, it costs an arm and a leg.
I have seen doctors since I was 21 years old, telling them my problems, which go way back to when I was a young girl..... and I get sent home with the advice to eat more fiber. I am now 29, and finally found a doctor who has taken me seriously and I am going through all kinds of tests to find out what exactly is going on.
I am a huge fan of ground up golden flaxseed, but unfortunately, when I eat fiber, I get stopped up worse, and it is agonizing pain all over my abdomen. So, I am steering clear until I find out what is wrong.
Actually, my grandma gave me the chlorella, because I had a CT scan on my abdomen last week which showed I have an enlarged spleen... so this week I am having a liver scan done and some other things to make sure it is nothing serious. I don't think I have anything wrong with my liver.... but she gave me the chlorella because it is unhealthy to not get rid of things on a timely basis, if ya know what I mean... and she said it would help my body to get rid of the toxic stuff it has probably absorbed by all of it sitting in there. It hasn't helped me "go" or anything..... but, man, has it made my whole body feel ALIVE.

[anthrogirl]

Nope.... but I have always wanted to. Unfortunately in my area, there is only one person who does it and it is pretty expensive... at least, last I heard.
Isn't that so weird? If you want healthy things or anything that is good or natural, it costs an arm and a leg.
I have seen doctors since I was 21 years old, telling them my problems, which go way back to when I was a young girl..... and I get sent home with the advice to eat more fiber. I am now 29, and finally found a doctor who has taken me seriously and I am going through all kinds of tests to find out what exactly is going on.
I am a huge fan of ground up golden flaxseed, but unfortunately, when I eat fiber, I get stopped up worse, and it is agonizing pain all over my abdomen. So, I am steering clear until I find out what is wrong.
Actually, my grandma gave me the chlorella, because I had a CT scan on my abdomen last week which showed I have an enlarged spleen... so this week I am having a liver scan done and some other things to make sure it is nothing serious. I don't think I have anything wrong with my liver.... but she gave me the chlorella because it is unhealthy to not get rid of things on a timely basis, if ya know what I mean... and she said it would help my body to get rid of the toxic stuff it has probably absorbed by all of it sitting in there. It hasn't helped me "go" or anything..... but, man, has it made my whole body feel ALIVE.

Hi Ru

Sounds like you're a good candidate for acupuncture. It may work to sooth and maintain some of your organs. It's quite amazing. Unfortunately, it can also be expensive. But with the combination of herbs and excercises, your acupuncturist can work very specifically and integratively. Also, with a referral from your primary care physician, your insurance might cover it. Where do you live? Some states have more resources than others.
I've been receiving acupuncture for much of my life--I rarely get sick. In fact, I'm starting grad school at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine soon to become an acupuncturist. It's relatively new to the U.S. (1979), but acceptance is growing--especially among HMO's who find that it aids in recovery after injuries and surgeries.

let me know if I can help!
anthrogirl

[princesa]

You got fatigue problems? Feel kinda "blah" all the time? Are you not very healthy? You wanna get healthier? Do you want to feel better and have more energy without using caffeine and stuff like that? You may want to try this!
My grammy has been worried about my health problems, and she is always pushing pills my way (she is the guru of vitamins and natural stuff) and she recently gave me these pills called "chlorella"..... and I feel like a new person. I don't wanna gross you out or anything with the details of my health problems.... so I will just say, that IMMEDIATELY..... like maybe 2 hours after I took them the first time, I found myself with energy and a good feeling physically all over my body..... I just feel like smiling and laughing! I am not kidding! I have all kinds of energy, but it isn't the feeling brought on by things like caffeine, I JUST FEEL REALLY GOOD, I don't feel wired or hyper. I am amazed at this stuff! She told me she was giving it to me to clean the toxins out of my body and get me to be healthier, but dangEEEE do I feel good! I feel like I have a new body, and I am not exagerrating.
The brand that she gave me, she says is the best, it's from a company called "Sun chlorella".... but it's a bit pricey, but better made than the other brands. This is the info I got from their website:


I am not advertising or anything, but if you feel like crap all the time, you should consider trying something like this!

i know this thread is a hundred years old but i bumped into it somehow and would love to try this product. wondering if anyone knows where to get it for just a wee bit less than the $100
http://www.amazon.com/Sun-Chlorella-500-600-Tablets/dp/B00186V14Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317154142&sr=8-1

[Chrs]

First glance: probably pseudoscience.

Second glance:

Chlorella, one of the highest natural sources of chlorophyll, contains 20 times the chlorophyll of alfalfa, nearly 10 times that of spirulina, 8 times that of wheat grass and 10 times that of barley grass.


Amazon description:

Our bodies are exposed to environmental toxins every day. Over time, the toxic build-up in our bodies slowly tears away at our health. Sun Chlorella can help. Nature's Perfect Superfood is derived from Chlorella pyrenoidosa, a nutritionally superior species of a freshwater, single-celled, green algae. Sun Chlorella provides vital nutrients that your body needs such as potassium, all of the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and iron, 18 vital amino acids, beta carotene and lutein. Sun Chlorella is rich in nucleic acids, which helps your body's own natural defense system. In addition to being packed with the vital nutrients your body needs, Sun Chlorella has the following Unique Clinical Benefits, which you won't find in any other single food source: CGF (Chlorella Growth Factor) - Sun Chlorella is rich in Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), which gives your body a revitalizing boost. CGF is the key to chlorella's remarkable ability to rapidly reproduce itself during growth, and can help speed up your body's own revitalization process. Chlorophyll - Sun Chlorella is rich in nature's most powerful purifying agent, chlorophyll. Chlorella contains the highest percentage of natural chlorophyll of any plant source, containing as much as 7%. Protein - Sun Chlorella is packed with protein to help your body support and nurture tissues. Ounce-for-ounce, chlorella has more protein than steak or soy. Beta-Carotene - An important carotenoid and a powerful antioxidant. Lutein -Three servings of Sun Chlorella provides 9mg of lutein, which is the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of this nutrient, found to support good vision. With Sun Chlorella, you simply get more That's because our patented process utilizing the DYNO®- Mill machine pulverizes the chlorella's fibrous, thick, outer cell wall without the use of heat or chemicals, which can damage the precious nutrients inside. Optimum digestion means higher absorption.

Definetly pseudoscience.

[Catholicity]

Gee this thread is old...

[princesa]

First glance: probably pseudoscience.

Second glance:


Amazon description:


Definetly pseudoscience.

but it definitely had a positive impact on the OP

[Chrs]

but it definitely had a positive impact on the OP


...

I'll reply to this tommorrow.

[Chrs]

I subtitle this post "Why refuting absolute rubbish takes a hundred times longer than claiming it."

This post will comprise of two parts. The first part will be about how we test if a drug/medicine or treatment is good and the second bit is about what mechanisms would cause someone who - using a medicine that has been shown to have no benefit - to believe it has benefit.

Part one: Testing.
Personal anecdotes are a terrible, terrible way of assessing the benefit of something. They're unreliable, they can't be reproduced, they're always on small scales (1 person, maybe a couple of people as an individual anecdote) and - most importantly - there's nothing to compare it against. To be good, solid evidence for the efficacy of something we need trials. Good trials have a number of properties:

They have a control group. In some cases this is a plaecebo (Say, a sugar pill with no actual physiological benefit) and in others it's the best currently available treatment
They're randomised - The patients are assigned into either group or actual substance group randomly. (Actually, there can be a lot of groups but whatever.)
They're blinded - The patients (and in some cases, the researchers or whoever will be giving the drug) doesn't know what they are taking.

...and a few others, but I won't massively complicate issues.

How does this relate to the specific drug in question? Well:

Certain claims made actually (assuming they're telling the truth) would benefit the body. For instance:

Sun Chlorella provides vital nutrients that your body needs such as potassium, all of the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and iron, 18 vital amino acids, beta carotene and lutein.
Admittedly, they're most probably massively overplaying the benefits here (Beta-Carotene is nowhere near as good as is often suggested. Look here (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina) at the section subtitled "What are some current issues and controversies about vitamin A? - information, I might add, that has been obtained from good trials - trials of which you can see in the sources towards the bottom)

But this is probably the closest thing to reality that this gets to - and it's pretty far off.

Sun Chlorella has the following Unique Clinical Benefits, which you won't find in any other single food source: CGF (Chlorella Growth Factor) - Sun Chlorella is rich in Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), which gives your body a revitalizing boost.

Well, no it isn't. Because as far as I can tell, CGF doesn't exist. A search for "Chlorella Growth Factor" in the NiH shows no studies involving it. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/gquery?term=%22Chlorella%20Growth%20Factor%22)


CGF is the key to chlorella's remarkable ability to rapidly reproduce itself during growth, and can help speed up your body's own revitalization process.
Something as important as they are claiming CGF is to the algae's nutrition would have been studied. Also, what the hell is revitalization?


Chlorophyll - Sun Chlorella is rich in nature's most powerful purifying agent, chlorophyll.
High school biology. Chlorophyll is the green stuff in plants which absorbs energy from the sun. It's not a purifying agent - whatever that is (although I think it's related to the toxins bit, which I'll post about now.) Here's a good source on Chlorophyll in quackery. (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/chlorophyll.html)


Our bodies are exposed to environmental toxins every day. Over time, the toxic build-up in our bodies slowly tears away at our health.
What toxins? I have no idea. The website (https://www.sunchlorella.co.uk/products/chlorella-a/) definetly doesn't say. A lot of these sort of people like to talk about toxins but never say what - if they said what, then you could test it in a lab - and they make their money off of sounding sciency but not actually being it.

Infact, let's have a look at that website again. here (https://www.sunchlorella.co.uk/products/chlorella-a/).

The supplement claims to be incredibly high in protein. 100 grams of Sun Chlorella contains 60.8g of protein (61% protein) - you take 15 to 40 of these tablets a day which are 200mg each. This means you're getting between 2.04g and 5.44g of protein from these massive amounts of pills. The RDA of Protein is 50g per day. To put this in context, I can eat 8 jaffa cakes and get that amount of protein. A potato has 4g of protein. At maximum dose there is only a tenth of your total recommended protein income in a day.

Ounce-for-ounce, chlorella has more protein than steak or soy.
which makes this true, but massively misleading because you eat much, much more than 8 grams of steak in one go.

Conclusion: Chlorella is complete rubbish with at best a small health benefit which could be gained from considerably cheaper means. If you want to improve how you feel, don't take this, eat a better diet and exercise more.

Part two: Why someone would be misled
I will quickly go over two reasons why this drug which has actually very little physiological benefit will do good. The first (and main one in this circumstance because the OP's anecdote occurs a few hours after taking) is the placebo effect. The second is called "regression to the mean" and is put in for reference rather than being massively applicable as it applies to a lot of other alternative medicine and nutritionist quackery. I won't actually go into detail but you can research if you want.

Most people have heard of the Placebo effect - it's essentially the idea that you take a sugar pill and get better. Not because the sugar pill actually did anything to your body but because of your expectations and the social meaning of the treatment. For instance, if you took four sugar pills instead of two you would get better faster. Additionally the packaging, advertising and so on all have an effect...

...infact, I'm going to leave this one to Ben Goldacre. here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsFTgirKXHk).

[princesa]

I subtitle this post "Why refuting absolute rubbish takes a hundred times longer than claiming it."

This post will comprise of two parts. The first part will be about how we test if a drug/medicine or treatment is good and the second bit is about what mechanisms would cause someone who - using a medicine that has been shown to have no benefit - to believe it has benefit.

Part one: Testing.
Personal anecdotes are a terrible, terrible way of assessing the benefit of something. They're unreliable, they can't be reproduced, they're always on small scales (1 person, maybe a couple of people as an individual anecdote) and - most importantly - there's nothing to compare it against. To be good, solid evidence for the efficacy of something we need trials. Good trials have a number of properties:

They have a control group. In some cases this is a plaecebo (Say, a sugar pill with no actual physiological benefit) and in others it's the best currently available treatment
They're randomised - The patients are assigned into either group or actual substance group randomly. (Actually, there can be a lot of groups but whatever.)
They're blinded - The patients (and in some cases, the researchers or whoever will be giving the drug) doesn't know what they are taking.

...and a few others, but I won't massively complicate issues.

How does this relate to the specific drug in question? Well:

Certain claims made actually (assuming they're telling the truth) would benefit the body. For instance:

Admittedly, they're most probably massively overplaying the benefits here (Beta-Carotene is nowhere near as good as is often suggested. Look here (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina) at the section subtitled "What are some current issues and controversies about vitamin A? - information, I might add, that has been obtained from good trials - trials of which you can see in the sources towards the bottom)

But this is probably the closest thing to reality that this gets to - and it's pretty far off.


Well, no it isn't. Because as far as I can tell, CGF doesn't exist. A search for "Chlorella Growth Factor" in the NiH shows no studies involving it. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/gquery?term=%22Chlorella%20Growth%20Factor%22)


Something as important as they are claiming CGF is to the algae's nutrition would have been studied. Also, what the hell is revitalization?


High school biology. Chlorophyll is the green stuff in plants which absorbs energy from the sun. It's not a purifying agent - whatever that is (although I think it's related to the toxins bit, which I'll post about now.) Here's a good source on Chlorophyll in quackery. (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/chlorophyll.html)


What toxins? I have no idea. The website (https://www.sunchlorella.co.uk/products/chlorella-a/) definetly doesn't say. A lot of these sort of people like to talk about toxins but never say what - if they said what, then you could test it in a lab - and they make their money off of sounding sciency but not actually being it.

Infact, let's have a look at that website again. here (https://www.sunchlorella.co.uk/products/chlorella-a/).

The supplement claims to be incredibly high in protein. 100 grams of Sun Chlorella contains 60.8g of protein (61% protein) - you take 15 to 40 of these tablets a day which are 200mg each. This means you're getting between 2.04g and 5.44g of protein from these massive amounts of pills. The RDA of Protein is 50g per day. To put this in context, I can eat 8 jaffa cakes and get that amount of protein. A potato has 4g of protein. At maximum dose there is only a tenth of your total recommended protein income in a day.

which makes this true, but massively misleading because you eat much, much more than 8 grams of steak in one go.

Conclusion: Chlorella is complete rubbish with at best a small health benefit which could be gained from considerably cheaper means. If you want to improve how you feel, don't take this, eat a better diet and exercise more.

Part two: Why someone would be misled
I will quickly go over two reasons why this drug which has actually very little physiological benefit will do good. The first (and main one in this circumstance because the OP's anecdote occurs a few hours after taking) is the placebo effect. The second is called "regression to the mean" and is put in for reference rather than being massively applicable as it applies to a lot of other alternative medicine and nutritionist quackery. I won't actually go into detail but you can research if you want.

Most people have heard of the Placebo effect - it's essentially the idea that you take a sugar pill and get better. Not because the sugar pill actually did anything to your body but because of your expectations and the social meaning of the treatment. For instance, if you took four sugar pills instead of two you would get better faster. Additionally the packaging, advertising and so on all have an effect...

...infact, I'm going to leave this one to Ben Goldacre. here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsFTgirKXHk).

thanks for taking the time to do the research, I'm okay with not getting it since I can't splurge $100 on an impulse purchase. I'm almost afraid to admit to you that I did buy this http://www.amazon.com/Vibrant-Health-Green-Vibrance-Family/dp/B000NDME6C/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1317229081&sr=1-1 almost a year ago at GNC. It's still in my freezer, it tastes awful but I did notice a difference in body aches not being so severe, especially my back. Not record hitting wonderful but my body felt 'better' than before taking it. Maybe it was the placebo effect in this case although many people reported it working for them as well. (Unless the folks that reviewed it are bogus and work for the company which is highly likely)

[Chrs]

thanks for taking the time to do the research, I'm okay with not getting it since I can't splurge $100 on an impulse purchase. I'm almost afraid to admit to you that I did buy this http://www.amazon.com/Vibrant-Health...7229081&sr=1-1 almost a year ago at GNC. It's still in my freezer, it tastes awful but I did notice a difference in body aches not being so severe, especially my back. Not record hitting wonderful but my body felt 'better' than before taking it. Maybe it was the placebo effect in this case although many people reported it working for them as well. (Unless the folks that reviewed it are bogus and work for the company which is highly likely)


A few people saying it works for them does not a thing working show.

[princesa]

A few people saying it works for them does not a thing working show.

i agree, but thank goodness it worked for me, i think i'll take it out of the freezer, mix it with juice and have some tonight.

[Chrs]

My next experiment: how much back pain can a copy of the British Medical Journal inflict on someone who's not listening? :rasberry:

[princesa]

My next experiment: how much back pain can a copy of the British Medical Journal inflict on someone who's not listening? :rasberry:

hahaha, i made my last post just to egg you! glad u caught it :)