Magic pills
I'm referring to the ones I saw for sale in my local kosher store called in Hebrew Kali Tzom. They seem to originate in Israel with a certification from the BaDaTz . The ones I saw came 6 to a pack and were priced at $13.99. They were accompanied by a card that showed they are also available in version for pregnant women and for nursing mothers (those packs contained fewer pills). They are supposed to deliver "energy" throughout the dayl, which probably means caffeine in a time released formula. Now, while that may be helpful to the average person who suffers from caffeine deprivation, but I don't see how it would be very helpful to pregnant and nursing women. The biggest issue of nursing on a fast day is dehydration, as nursing mothers require more liquids than the average person. This pill will not make up for that lack. As for pregnant women, I don't know if extra caffeine would be considered advisable. Generally, pregnant women who feel ill from fasting are exempt from doing so, or they can break fast at the point when they begin to feeli ill on Tisha B'Av. .
Visit my site www.kallahmagazine.com -- not just for kallahs. You can also see posts at http://www.examiner.com/x-18522-NY-Jewish-Bridal-Examiner
Visit my site www.kallahmagazine.com -- not just for kallahs. You can also see posts at http://www.examiner.com/x-18522-NY-Jewish-Bridal-Examiner
Comments
a) the risk to a fetus is not categorized. (regular medications all have a pregnancy category that rates their safety for a fetus)
b) even if the ingredients really work and really are safe, you have no idea what is really in the package. maybe it's an impotent forms of the ingredients. or maybe it's contaminants that shouldn't be ingested by anyone, especially a pregnant woman.