The first article you linked to discusses 7 patients (all of whom had hepatitis B) that had liver failure co-incidental to taking herbal medicines. (39 other patients with hepatitis had liver failure in the absence of taking herbs). Only 1 of those 7 took a medicine with Polygonum, and that medicine was shown to be contaminated with N-nitrosfenfluramine, which the article said "is known to be highly hepatotoxic". So is that a smoking-gun on the dangers of Polygonum? I think not. The other two articles you linked to discussed correlations between taking other patent medicines that included Polygonum and several other herbs. It is true that Polygonum contains anthraquinones, and in larger doses, these can theoretically have a negative effect on the liver. It should also be pointed out that rhubarb, senna and aloe vera latex can contain even more anthraquinones than polygonum. If someone is taking enough Polygonum (or rhubarb) to see a laxative effect, that ~might~ affect their livers - if they are unusually sensitive to the ingredient and have an idiosyncratic reaction, if they take it for a prolonged period of time, or if the liver is already weakened by hepatitis. A variety of anthraquinone-laden senna laxatives are to be found in virtually every drugstore in the United States, and they appear in the OTC medicine section, not in the supplement section. They are widely recommended by doctors. The FDA could take action if it thought that the risk was substantial. Yet they haven't, and none of the mainstream medical websites seem to be concerned about senna and the liver - even though millions of Americans consume it every year. They express justifiable concerns that people not become dependent on such stimulant laxatives, that they seek attention if the problem doesn't resolve itself or if there is severe abdominal pain, etc. But nowhere did I see doctors identifying liver conditions as a counter-indication for using senna, even though it contains the same 'hepatotoxic' chemicals as polygonum. This special caution is reserved for things labeled alternative or foreign. Hmm... There are anthraquinones in vegetables, such as cabbage and lettuce; beans are particularly high in them. And there is rhubarb, which I shall continue eating. Caution might be in order for some individuals, but the overall risk appears to be quite low.

I've heard the ads on the radio and they are very convincing. Lucinda Basset is a survivor of anxiety and overcame it on her own. Now she provides her method for others. The tapes are not cheap and apparently her approach is common sense and self-talk, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the common sense approach to things. For myself, just saying "calm down, your fears aren't real, you're just being anxious" has had a BIG calming affect when I feel very anxious. Taking several deep breaths also helps. I've had anxiety all my life (without panic attacks) so I am not saying it's easy, but it is possible to overcome, or at least reduce, without meds. Jen Here is a link that might be useful: Lucinda Basset

I tried it once..maybe a year ago... to quit smoking... and i didn't like it... and it did not increase libido....(even in my present state I would definately remember THAT!).... but I had a real noticeable boost in libido when I took estratest (estrogen and testosterone pill).... 1/2 of a pill was great once in awhile instead of plain estrogen... but a whole pill made me pretty confrontational and argumentative at work (suprised the boys!).... I told my doctor it was tooo much, I felt like going out and killing my dinner and dragging it home.... I guess it's all about balance and your particular system. Good luck! :)

If you are very fortunate, it could possibly be over. But I am sorry to say that that is very unlikely. You could go through several more years (like I have) of months between periods. Spotting in between. Fluctuating hormone levels, periods of few hot flashes, then periods of hot flashes every time you turn around. It is really impossible to say when your last period is, except in retrospect. Early menopause was kinder to me, not so much the last two years.