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On nagging – its causes and (herbal) remedies

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Sarah Cheverton
WVoN Co-editor

A new herbal remedy from complementary medicine manufacturers, Better by Nature hit the headlines this week across the world, alleged to be the world’s first ‘anti-nagging medicine’.

The story has been featured as far afield as the UK’s Daily Express and the Hindustan Times, and most coverage I’ve seen focuses on the claim that the new remedy will bring relief to men who are ‘hen-pecked’ (don’t you just love that phrase?) by their wives and partners.

However, the description of the product on the Better by Nature website doesn’t mention a gender specific audience at all, although the Express reports that it is “particularly effective in women”, and the last time I checked, both men and women are subject to their hormones.

In fact, in his statement quoted in the Daily Express, the company’s co-founder Michael Riley clearly says the remedy “could transform the wildest and angriest of women or men into relaxed, happy individuals.”

For me, even more fascinating than the remedy itself is the endless recycling of the overtly gendered line that the hormonal balance treatment will bring relief to men by shutting up their wives’ endless complaints.

I don’t know if the treatment works, but as a self-confessed frequent slave to my hormonal cycle, I’d be interested in giving it a try – although the cost at £49.85 for an 8 week course is a little prohibitive to my budget.

It’s also not just the remedy that has a gender slant in the reporting either.

In its coverage this week, the Daily Express highlight a survey (previously featured in The Daily Mail) by Health Campaign group, Everyman, which reports that women spend “a full five-and-a-half days ear-bashing”.

I can’t find the original survey they’re talking about on the Everyman site.

Everyman is the UK’s leading prostate and cancer testicular research campaign, run by the Institute of Cancer research and the only link I can find on their press release page relates to a broader survey on the stress levels of men and women.

Where I did find some interesting information on the survey was on the OnePoll site – and they seemed to be doing some gender bashing of their own.

The research findings are presented under the simple title ‘OLD NAG’ – I kid you not, and expand on the findings presented in the Daily Mail feature.

However, the spokesperson for Everyman was not quite so keen to join in on the high jinx spirit of women-bashing. Their statement was far more balanced and, I think, interesting:

”It seems all men are on the receiving end of some nagging from time to time. And I’m sure many women will say that’s the only way to get a man to do something.

”Spending too much money, drinking too much alcohol or not taking care of their  health could have a real impact on not only the lives of guys, but also on the people surrounding them.

”If it means you have more money to spend on the family, or you lead a healthier life, maybe the nagging is worth it.”

The hen-pecking, ear-bashing and giving your partner a ‘hard time’ doesn’t sound quite so unreasonable now, does it?

So the morals of this story are manifold.

One, the tabloids want to sell you papers and they’ll, let’s be kind and say, bend the truth every so often to do it.

Two, you really can’t believe everything you read, so if a story gets your goat, trace it to the source or even better, contact us on the link below and ask us to do it for you – it’s what we at WVoN live for.

And three, whatever your take on the rights or wrongs of nagging, no herbal remedy on the planet will induce him to put the goddamn toilet seat down  or learn the difference between the toilet bowl, the toilet seat or the floor – he’s a grown up, and only he can change that.

  1. yeah, the problem isn’t privileged, self-absorbed men who can’t be bothered to remember such trivial things as equal participation in household responsibilities. The problem is women; we need to be doped up on homeopathic happy pills so we just don’t give a damn that the trash is piled up in the kitchen, the diapers need changing and the lawn hasn’t been watered in six months. It’s all our fault.

  2. Halla says:

    Spot on, Rogi. 🙂

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