"Relief ... At Last!"
In 1992 our family of four moved to Houston, Texas, so that
our daughter Julie could train with renowned gymnastics
coach Bela Karolyi. In the course of Julie's intense training
regimen, we found ourselves constantly dealing with painful
rips and blisters on Julie's hands. We were surprised to
learn that many of the gymnasts were using a product, sold
through livestock feed stores, that was intended to soothe
cow udders!
I was determined to see if I could find a way to reproduce
the formula of that veterinary product and make it more
readily available to gymnast families. Not everybody lived
near feed stores - even in Texas. I met with a chemist and
asked him to analyze the formula and he told me that he
couldn't reproduce it for use by people because it contained
oxyquinoline, which the FDA had not found safe for human
use. So, the chemist and I re-formulated it, and that formula
became Medicated Hand-e-Balm. The "e" stands for Vitamin
E, one of the ingredients in the formula.
Medicated Hand-e-Balm has a lanolin base and contains
pain medications as well as an antiseptic that is safe for
human use. It also fulfilled all of our requirements: It helps
heal rips and blisters, it soothes pain, it reduces risk of
infection, and it protects the skin in ways that reduce
further injuries. Plus, it's cost effective, which is very
important because of the large amount that athletes must
use every day so they can maintain their rigorous training.
Medicated Hand-e-Balm was an immediate success with our
local gymnasts, and as word of its effectiveness spread, we
began to sell the product to other gyms throughout the
country. Hand-e-Balm is now used by gymnasts and other
athletes all over the world.
Soon I began to receive letters from parents who had begun
using our new product themselves for their skin problems.
We heard from gymnast dads who were auto mechanics,
construction workers, and sport fishermen who told us how
Hand-e-Balm healed their blisters, burns, and cuts. Doctors,
nurses, hair dressers, manicurists and others who washed
their hands often wrote about how soothing the product is.
Diabetics and amputees with dry skin, and seniors who
suffer from incontinence or bed sores, and new mothers
whose infants suffer diaper rash, told us that Medicated
Hand-e-Balm worked better than what their doctors had been
prescribing. Cyclists say that Hand-e-Balm is the best
product to relieve their burning saddle sores. Hand-e-Balm
can be used on all parts of the body.
As a result of all these testimonials, we have expanded the
Hand-e-Balm line to include Bod- e-Cream, a non-medicated
skin-care product. I hope you'll try one of our products. You'll
be glad you did.
Herb Rankin, President
Gold Star Products, Inc.