You must be having a tough time. My thoughts are with you. Your best bet is to take the ingredient list to your doctor and ask him/her for advice. A quick search of a couple of the ingredients reveals some cautions. Ingredient list of this supplement: Licorice Root, Red Raspberry Leaves, Sarsaparilla Root, Scullcap, Siberian Ginseng, Angelica Root, Nettles, Red Clover Blossoms, Wild Yam Root Extract, Lemon Balm, Black Cohosh Root Extract, Blessed Thistle, Dong Quai Root, Yellow Dock Root, Vitex and Chaste Tree Berry Extract. Some examples of cautions published on the above ingredients. Licorice Root Cautions: Do not take Licorice if you have chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, or any disease that impedes the flow of bile from the liver. Avoid it also if you have abnormal muscle tension, poor kidney function, or low potassium levels in your blood. Special Cautions At recommended dosage levels, Licorice is unlikely to produce any side effects. However, when taken in high dosages (above 2 ounces per day) for an extended period of time, it will lead to excessive loss of salt from the blood, water retention, high blood pressure, and heart irregularities. Because of the possibility of these side effects, limit use of Licorice preparations to 6 weeks. The side effects disappear after the drug is discontinued. Possible Drug Interactions Licorice can increase the potassium loss caused by the other drugs, such as diuretics that flush excess water from the body (Diuril, Zaroxolyn, others). This potassium loss can, in turn, increase your sensitivity to drugs containing digitalis, such as the heart medication Lanoxin. Licorice may also increase the effects--and unwanted side effects--of steroid medications such as prednisone (Deltasone). Dong Quai Root, Special Cautions If you are suffering from diarrhea or bloating, check with your doctor before using Dong Quai. Remember, too, that Dong Quai sometimes increases sensitivity to sunlight, particularly if you are fair-skinned. To avoid a sunburn when using this herb on an extended basis, limit your exposure to the sun. Vitex, Special Cautions See your doctor for a diagnosis. Don't rely on Vitex alone. Skin rash is a potential side effect of Vitex. Possible Drug Interactions Vitex may interfere with the action of the digestive stimulant Reglan, as well as certain major tranquilizers, including Haldol, Prolixin, and Thorazine.

Thanks people! Glad to know I wasn't imagining things. :) In a way it's good my dog can sense my mother's spirit (Or the spirits of my grandparents or my first dog). Would they visit me as well even if they've never set foot in this house? Any how, it's nice to have a way of knowing exactly when she is near by. Being as we can't sense spirits. Just hope my dog isn't being freaked out too much. He seems okay after a minute or two. I mean I'm not religious at all. But I have now been convinced that spirits do exist. And if spirits exist than there must be a Heaven and Hell. :) During the month of June (my mother passed on the 30th of May...some of you know this already...some may not) I've had instances where I suddenly picked up a scent. Unexplained. Don't know if it some odd coincidence. As I said...I can't explain it... There was the time when I was getting up from borrowing my mother's PC. Her's is faster...but I digress. :) And suddenly picked up the scent of Chinese inscents (I'm Canadian-born Chinese btw...parents were from HK...educated/worked in HK/Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Very pungent. But faint. The scent is what you would smell at a Buddhist temple or some of the older Chinese restaurants where there is a wall mounted (or sitting on a table) big red box, with a Budda statue inside, fruit, candles and the long thin inscent sticks. My grandmother (my dad's side) had such a box in her appartment as she was a devout Buddhist. Recall her praying or chanting daily while manipulating beeds. Was it my grandmother visiting me? Heh... Any how. Within a second and a half the scent was gone. There are some old books near by but they have a distinctively different scent. Was that a sign from my mother or grandmother? Dunno...hope I'm not starting to sound loopy to you all. :) As for my sleeping patterns. Also good to hear. Looking forward to the days when I don't feel like waking at 6 AM for no reason. Be able to sleep uninterupted. I'm so jealous of my dad as he has had one instance of uninterupted sleep. From 12:30-10 AM. But today he did wake once in the morning. Did you all go through this too? How long did it take you for your sleeping patterns to return to normal? I know it's different for everyone. Just curious... Thanks people! Have a good day! :)

I know what you mean about knowing they are harmless but still worrying, after all, it's our HEARTS. I freaked out a lot in the first few years. Probably went to the E/R 3 or 4 times to be turned away and told to stop being neurotic. But like I said, when it's your heart, I think you have a right to freak out a little. Yes, the big THUD after the ectopic can literally take your breath away. If I'm active and get them, they feel more like a flutter. But if I'm at rest and they start, I think because my heart is beating slower as I'm not being active, they feel more thump-y and I get the big thuds. A few times I got a tingly sensation after an especially large thump. I thought that was the end of me. Hormones definitely play a part too. Sometimes before or after my cycle they'll act up. The thing is with these ectopics they are mostly unpredictable - they come any time, any place, any situation. There are times we can expect them (bending over for example like we discussed) but other times they are so out of the blue it's frustrating. I think my worst experience is getting them while I am driving. I REALLY hate that. Take care.

Doctors, whether promoting alternative treatments or prescribed medications, are subject to propaganda and are well paid by the corporate companies. I would guess less so by the alternative manufacturers since they don't have the millions of dollars to spend. But as the consumer we have to go with our educated guesses. I have resisted hrt after a hysterectomy (uterus, ovaries, cervix) although my oncologist offers it every time I see him. Even though my cancer was estrogen receptive and my mother had breast cancer. And my symptoms are very mild infrequent hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. Since he is one of the best gyn oncologists in NYC I trust him for the oncology side but use my endocrinologist for hrt consultations - tomorrow we review a recent bone scan. And by the way - Replens seems to work well for the vaginal dryness and is cheapest at Walmart.