maven&meddler

It seems like a day doesn’t go by that I don’t get another solicitation for fancy-schmancy energy drinks (such as Lance Armstrong’s FRS) containing exotic ingredients such as Quercetin, or encounter more ladies’ magazine fluff articles about the supposed benefits of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy: NOUN, fancy, scientific sounding word developed to sell people silly smelly things they don’t need. A marketing ploy.

In my latest UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, December 2009, there is an article asking the question: ‘Aromatherapy: does it work even if it doesn’t?’

The bottom line: NO.

If you like it, then use it, but don’t expect anything more than a pleasurable scent … rather like choosing or not to wear perfume or cologne. What, after all, do you really expect from that other than making yourself a little easier to be around. Weight loss? Boost to the immune system? Pain relief? Put you to sleep or wake you up?

Nah.

But here’s something I didn’t know: “Think twice before burning scented candles and incense, and avoid air fresheners, particularly the plug-in types - all well-known polluters of indoor air.” say the editors of the Wellness Letter. “They produce harful organic compounds ( such as benzene and toluene), sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter. Long-term use of incense, in particular, has been linked to increased cancer risk.”

Hmmm.

Regarding the Quercetin:

“The dietary supplement quercetin does not enhance athletic performance, boost energy, or reduce fatigue, despite the marketing claims. This was seen in a recent well-designed study from the University of Georgia, in which 30 young men did cycling tests before and after taking quercetin or a placebo for up to 16 days. The results were similar in the two groups. Quercetin is an antioxident found in many fruits and vegetables; it is the main ingredient in FRS, a widely advertised energy drink promoted by Lance Armstrong.” according to the Wellness Letter.

So neither of these two products can do anything that regular exercise, a well-balanced, calorie-controlled health diet, and a good nights sleep can accomplish.

Here’s the bottom line: any time you are pitched the benefits of some substance or other, take a look at who/what stands to gain from a marketing perspective. When you see these claims in a magazine, take a look at the amount of advertising for the same products touted in the ‘articles’.

There’s usually a very strong and direct corrolation between the two … the soft pitch and the hard marketing followup.

That’s why I try to get my information from sources that accept NO advertising, and have no axe to grind.

Here’s your prize for being a mavenandmeddler reader: The monthly (december issue) password to the ‘good stuff’ on the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter website is zinc.

See, it pays to read my blog.