August 2009, I signed up for a Herbalife distributorship, and started receiving products the same month. It was suggest by my upline, that I should start taking Personalized Protein Powder and ShapeWorks Meal Replacement in a shake in order to maintain good health. In fact, I was originally told to use soy milk in place of regular milk to prevent additional calorie intake… which sounded reasonable to me.
Here’s the recipe I was asked to jot down during a telephone conversation with my upline:
1 ½ cups of either unsweetened juice or soy milk or almond milk (I was told soy milk was best)
2 scoops of ShapeWorks Meal Replacement
1 scoop of Personalized Protein Powder
½ cup frozen fruit (fresh fruit COULD be used but frozen was best)
¼ tsp cocoa powder
During my Chiropractor visit in September, I explained to my doctor that I had signed up for a Herbalife distributorship and I how I was taking this new protein shake. My doctor then cautioned me on the use of soy and suggested that I use regular milk, if any milk. She went on to say that many people are developing allergic reactions to soy.
Using regular milk was an easy request to fulfill… in fact, I never did use the ¼ tsp of cocoa powder, and so exchanging regular milk was simple to do. I drank one shake every day, faithfully…
By the first week in October, I noticed a small lump forming on the top left side of my middle finger’s middle knuckle. The lump was small, and it wasn’t painful… though it grew steadily throughout October.
By November the lump became so obviously swollen, and the knuckle joint itself appeared to be badly inflamed, so I telephoned for an appointment to see my General Practitioner (GP). The joint was x-rayed… and my doctor informed me that what I have looks to be osteoporosis. Results of my x-rays are pending, thus the diagnosis is yet medically inconclusive at the time of writing this. Though, do read on… and YOU decide!
If I were in my 70’s I MIGHT accept the diagnosis easier… you know, without protest… but to be prematurely deformed by this horrible disease, I feel is totally unacceptable.
The day after my appointment with my GP, I had forgotten to have my daily protein shake… and, the very next day, my knuckle was noticeably lacking in redness… to the point that “the little light bulb over my head” came on. I started to wonder if these protein shakes have anything to do with my knuckle problem, so I started to search the internet for information.
Here is ONE of the many credible articles I discovered: Protein / Soy Consumption & Osteoporosis. And, please do NOT take my word (or the word of just this ONE article) for the fact that soy consumption may cause osteoporosis… research the topic yourself and then decide.
Since my GP appointment in November, I have stopped taking the Personalized Protein Powder and ShapeWorks Meal Replacement. The inflammation in my knuckle has cleared up completely… though the lump is STILL visible. I will be letting my GP know of my findings.
The day I place making money ahead of the importance of a person’s quality of life will be the day I plan to stop breathing. Needless to say, my Herbalife distributorship WILL be cancelled… so… to those of you whom I have contacted regarding either product purchases or starting a Herbalife distributorship of your own, let me apologize to you now… and, reassure you, you won’t be hearing from my back office within Online Business Systems any time soon. I quit!
Please let this posting serve as a warning to all women… of all ages!
Would you rather be prematurely deformed by osteoporosis… or learn to lose weight in a healthy, safer way?
Further reading on Soy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3383497/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4717511/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10757817
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249910/
The most recent reference in the article you link to on the relationship between soy consumption and osteoporosis is from the year 2000–an unacceptable 17 years ago–and you have misinterpreted a number of the studies by implying that they make conclusions about HUMAN bodily responses. The experimental studies listed deal with animals, not humans. You need to be more responsible and develop an understanding of what is involved in academic research before you start posting “information” that could harm your readers.
Sorry if this post upset you Amy, but I have clearly stated “please do NOT take my word (or the word of just this ONE article) for the fact that soy consumption may cause osteoporosis… research the topic yourself and then decide.” Thus, your comment makes me wonder if you are perhaps a reputation manager.
I have now added more links to studies at the bottom of the post under the section “Further reading on soy”, studies that are well documented as is the one mentioned within my post. Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation.
Thank you Mark for your comments. It really saddens me when people start slamming a company when they truly do not know all the facts. Herbalife offers Whey protein shakes for those people that have phobias about soy. It has also helped over 2 million people lose weight and more importantly never gain their weight back by encouraging a healthy fit lifestyle and quality cellular nutrition. I’m not sure why people can be so negative. It’s really sad.
Hey Trish, no one in Herbalife ever advised me of the dangers of consuming soy nor did they make it known that whey protein was available as an alternative. So, if you think I am "slamming a company" without "all of the facts" after suffering with the side effects the way I did that is your choice. However, any business who claims to be "health driven" should offer this type of warning up front, and not leave it to their customers to find out the hard way …and in my case, business associated at the time.
Let me see if I understand what you are stating in this article. You are telling us that by taking the Herbalife products that you started developing osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is not something that occurs "overnight", as it is a slow progression over the course of time (have a look at http://www.livestrong.com/article/50702-osteoporo… and http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/osteo/FAQ.html#…. So stating that these products are the reasoning behind this lump on your knuckle is a far stretch at best. As a side note: the suggestion of using Soy Milk in the shakes is typically due to the fact that a lot of people are lactose intolerant and do not even know it. Everyone is free to use whatever liquid they choose to – regular milk, low fat or skim milk, rice milk, almond milk, water, or what have you. Besides this, there are many articles that show the benefits of soy protein with regards to osteoporosis written over the past two decades. Simply Google Soy Protein and Osteoporosis and see what comes up. I am not advocating for either side, however the results are non-conclusive and everyone should be aware of this.
You’re right Mark, if the article I have offered linked within my post as evidence that has been written sourced by the National Library of Medicine, along with my own personal experience is not enough to convince you to beware of consuming soy beverages, please do your own personal research on this topic.
oh that’s awesome, I haven’t tried hazelnut milk. My husband is allergic to nuts and soy (well we’re working on that) so he’s been giving rice milk a try. Thanks for the great tip!
You're welcome Adriana!
i like what you’ve researched and thanks for posting this!
very interesting read indeed, thanks!
You're welcome Claudio!
this article gives details in which we can observe the reality. this is a very well written post and gives in depth information. thanks!
Thank you Caroline!
definitely a helpful article, thanks!
Thanks Aliana!
your website is so organized, and your posts are always common sense, congratulations for making the difference!
Thanks Carla!
wow, nice article… I sure won’t be using soy milk any more!
Thanks Diana, soy can be harmful to hypothyroidism too: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm
this website I will recommend for all ages, as it contains good and informative stuff!
Thanks for your recommendation Cassia!
Really nice article, thanks good posting this. Don’t know if I’d develop the same but there’s no point in my trying that’s for sure!
That's good to hear Cilene… osto is VERY painful.
i will encourage my friends to read this post, thanks!
You're welcome Carol!
Wow, thanks for this heads-up!
You're welcome Chris!
very nice blog you have here, and great information!
i tend to agree with you!
🙂
Your variety of articles gives me motivation to create a blog myself one day. Maybe I too can help others save their money and their health. Thank you for all you’ve posted.
Well Daniela, that is great news. Thank you!
Sounds like great advice to me, i loved your post!
Thanks Ariadna!
this is very educational and a major eye-opener. thanks!
You're welcome Denise!
your blog is really excellent!
Thanks Carol!
yikes! I never knew this before. thanks!
You're very welcome Carl! Glad this info help you out.
This is awful! To think such a major company could take your money and your health and not even care. Where are our health regulations now?!
I hear ya' Arieta! "Let the buyer be ware" sure is alive today, isn't it.
Wow, thank YOU for sharing this!
You're welcome Eric!
And this product is LEGAL to sell? Yikes! Thanks for the heads up.
You're very welcome Randy!
This is a good subject to talk about. Sometimes I fav stuff like this on Redit. This article probably won’t do well with that crowd. I’ll take a look around your site though and submit something else.
If you've ever known someone to suffer from osteoporosis after taking soy protein drinks, you'll want to let them know to stop drinking those drinks a.s.a.p. Those who "push" these products do NOT know the damage they are causing by encouraging the use of these products.
Thankfully Sun-Chlorella A https://www.sunchlorellausa.com/ helped me resolve my issues with early onset of osteoporosis, as well as my removing the protein beverage from my daily diet!
One of the nut milks that’s really supsirred me is hazelnut milk. It’s really tasty! Pacific Natural Foods makes some and it runs about $2.50 for one of the asceptic containters not too bad.
Thanks Fatme! I've never even tried hazelnut milk, but maybe I should.
Thank you Trish for sending your post to me. I have known about the effects of soy for a long time and so I try to stay clear of it and when I received my Herbal Life protein I saw that they used soy in their products that was when I decided that was not what I wanted so I canceled my membership also.
People have been brain washed to believe that soy is good for them. People really need to start thinking for themselves instead of letting the TV and media telling them what is good for them. Now I am also seeing that the MLM companies are also starting to say that they use soy products that are not GMO's sorry soy is soy. Also they tell us that the Chinese and Japanese people use soy all the time. Afraid not. They use if very sparingly.
Trish I am sorry you hit a hot button for me and I just couldn't resist. I wish people would start using their brains and doing their own research.
I am so glad you discovered this and your light bulb alerted you because so many of our health problems could be controlled if we listened to our body and we do our research ahead of time.
Renita Farrall
You're right Renita, only wished I had NOT trusted a total stranger and drank those shakes. Calcification has also been found in my right shoulder. Before Herbalife, I had NO joint problems. IF I had done MY research FIRST, I would not be suffering like this! Thank YOU for your kind words. I can only pray that my posting will save others the pain, and deformities I now have.