Ephedra & Ephedra Free Formulas
By Chris Walker Fitness Professional
100% Hardcore Truth
What is this ephedra, why is it banned and why is it so dangerous? Well, if you walked into a supplement store chances are you wouldn’t get the straight scoop because they don’t want to scare you off from purchasing a product. Most of the people working in health food stores are not educated on health and nutrition so your usually making an uneducated decision when purchasing a product. Here’s how it works in most health food stores; you have the health food store owner he/she has all the knowledge but he/she is rarely their, in his/her place a cashier is hired with little to know knowledge of nutrition. So, when you walk in and ask a question they don’t know, you don’t always get the truth.
Ephedra Definition
Ma huang is a Chinese plant and the genus for ephedra. Ephedra is a nearly leafless shrub; a preparation of the young canes or rhizome and roots of ephedra is used in herbal medicine for its ephedrine content. What we most commonly see is ephedrine an extract from ephedra, this contains ephedrine and related alkaloids and are sold as a dietary supplement. It’s important to understand the derivatives of this drug because supplement companies will use less popular names of ephedrine in order to disguise supplement content.
Ephedrines History
Ephedrine is a adrenergic bronchodilators, a drug that is used to stimulate the nerves in many parts of the body, causing different effects. Because this drug opens up the bronchial tubes (air passages) of the lungs, they are used to treat the symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung diseases. They relieve cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and troubled breathing by increasing the flow of air through the bronchial tubes. In addition to it’s bronchodilator properties it’s also a stimulant, it elevates heart rate and can elevate blood pressure which puts stress on the circulatory system. Ephedrine also has a diuretic effect and alters neurotransmission to suppress appetite. It used to be sold without a prescription as asthma medication. Body builders discovered that ephedrine appeared to have fat burning properties and it’s popularity grew amongst athletes. Supplement companies then took the drug and combined it with caffeine another stimulant. Supplement companies now had a drug that was addictive, suppressed appetite and had a “speed” effect on the body. The drug if ingested led to calorie deprivation and a false sense of energy, which appeared to be quick weight loss and an abundance of energy to the consumer. In the 1970’s diet pills hit the market and became the hottest rage. Supplement companies cashed in big time and the long term effects of ingesting such a drug was ignored.
Ephedra Banned
From the FDA, February 24,06
FDA Requests Seizure of More Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids
At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia filed a Complaint for Forfeiture against "Lipodrene," "Stimerex-ES," and "Betadrene" – dietary supplements manufactured, marketed, and distributed by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals – that are labeled as containing 25 mg of ephedrine alkaloids per tablet. The Complaint for Forfeiture also included the ephedrine alkaloid raw materials used to manufacture these dietary supplements. The U.S. Marshals Service yesterday began seizing these dietary supplements and ingredients located at Hi-Tech's facilities in Norcross, GA. Through this action, FDA, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, prevented approximately 3,000,000 worth of products from reaching consumers and endangering their health.
"FDA continues to warn consumers to avoid consumption of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids," said Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, Acting FDA Commissioner. "We will continue to do all we can to protect the public health against these dietary supplements that have been found to cause serious illness and injury."
United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said of today's enforcement action, "The FDA has advised that these dietary supplements can be dangerous to the health of the citizens in our communities. This office and the FDA are taking the legal steps to safeguard the health and safety of people who may not know or understand the dangers that they face using ephedrine alkaloid products."
The U.S. Marshals seizure included more than 200 cases of finished product, more than 200 boxes of bulk tablets and nine 25 kilo drums of ephedrine alkaloid raw material. The product labels state that the maximum recommended dosage of ephedrine for a healthy adult is 100 mg in a 24 hour period.
Ephedrine alkaloids are adrenaline-like stimulants that can have potentially dangerous effects on the heart. Recent studies have confirmed that ephedrine alkaloids raise blood pressure and otherwise stress the circulatory system, effects that are linked to adverse health effects like heart attacks and strokes. Based on this and other evidence in the scientific literature, FDA issued a rule in February 2004 declaring that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury. Since this rule became effective in April 2004, the government has executed six seizures against numerous products.
Hi-Tech has previously filed a lawsuit against FDA seeking to prevent the agency from enforcing the 2004 rule declaring dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids to be adulterated. The United States recently moved to dismiss that lawsuit, which is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Ephedra has been linked to over 1000 adverse health affects in the United States, in addition I’ve seen countless adverse affects in accordance with reports to Health Canada. At least 17 deaths have been linked to ephedrine toxicity.
Ephedra Free Formulas
Since the ban of products containing ephedra, supplement companies have come out with “ephedra free” supplements. They have replaced ephedrine with a drug called synephrine. Synephrine is chemically very similar to ephedrine; it is a compound found in the fruit of a plant called Citrus Aurantium, like ephedrine, synephrine can be disguised under different herbal names. The alternative herbal names you will find are:
zhi shi, Green Orange, Sour Orange or Bitter Orange, Advantra Z,
shangzhou zhiqiao fructus Arantii
Synephrine as we know it is actually Neo-synephrine and has been on the market since 1940’s. Neo-synephrine is nasal decongestant, it is used to relieve nasal discomfort caused by colds, allergies, and hay fever. It is also used to relieve sinus congestion and pressure. Neo– synephrine is a constrictor, it works by reducing swelling of the nasal passages. We know a lot about synephrine as a nasal spray and not much about it as a fat burner. Will you lose weight, sure temporarily, but it’s mostly water weight due to a suppressed appetite and a slight thermogenic effect.
Side Effects of Synephrine
Here is what we know about the drug Neo-synephrine and it’s side effects:
· Fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat; headache or dizziness; increased sweating; nervousness; paleness; trembling; trouble in sleeping, burning, dryness, or stinging of inside of nose
Supplement sales are a billion dollar business and we’re not going to know much until somebody dies from the use of this drug as a fat burner or thermogenic product.
Conclusion
Now you have the facts! Now you know what you’re putting into your body in pursuit of weight loss. Now you can make an educated decision when it comes to choosing a weight loss solution. Why would you want to put yourself at risk, the only permanent solution is synergy. Good nutrition, a concern for muscle and moderate aerobics. I’m sorry to let you know if you’re looking for the magic fat loss pill, it hasn’t arrived.
Chris Walker is the founder of fitnesstrainingformenandwomen.com located in Kitchener, Ontario. Chris is a certified fitness trainer, (CFT) and actively works with medical doctors and health care professionals in helping their patients to reduce bodyfat restore musculoskeletal strength and gain control over their blood sugar readings, good and bad blood fats and blood pressure readings, among other critical fitness issues. Chris is a member of International Sports Sciences Association, (ISSA) and Canfitpro Organization. Chris has made TV appearances on Global Television and is a published author. Chris produces a book that he gives to all readers titled, "New Body", everything you need to transform your body.
Thanks for reading.
Ephedra
