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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
By April 12, ephedra will disappear from stores and Web sites that sell
dietary supplements, by order of the Food and Drug Administration. But that does not mean the herb will entirely drop out of sight. The agency's ban on ephedra specifically excludes uses of the herb in traditional Asian medicine. Acupuncturists, herbalists and other practitioners of Oriental medicine routinely dispense teas, pills and powders containing ma huang, the type of ephedra grown in China, to treat colds, asthma, persistent cough, headache, water retention and other maladies. entire article:N.Y. Times, Health Feb. 17, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/he...cy/17HERB.html -- Diva ***** The Best Man for the Job May Be A Woman |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
Carol Frilegh wrote:
By April 12, ephedra will disappear from stores and Web sites that sell dietary supplements, by order of the Food and Drug Administration. But that does not mean the herb will entirely drop out of sight. The agency's ban on ephedra specifically excludes uses of the herb in traditional Asian medicine. Acupuncturists, herbalists and other practitioners of Oriental medicine routinely dispense teas, pills and powders containing ma huang, the type of ephedra grown in China, to treat colds, asthma, persistent cough, headache, water retention and other maladies. entire article:N.Y. Times, Health Feb. 17, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/he...cy/17HERB.html Uhh, Carol... you do know that the ban isn't against the chemical ephedrine HCl either, right? The cheaper, more standardized, easy to get version of Ephedra that people were already using? The ephedra ban removed some products that already been pulled off the shelves due to bad press and lawsuits, but didn't change ANYTHING in any practical way. It was just a big hoo-hah that they brought up just when mad cow disease was discovered so people would talk about something else. Dally |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
"Dally" wrote in message ... Carol Frilegh wrote: By April 12, ephedra will disappear from stores and Web sites that sell dietary supplements, by order of the Food and Drug Administration. But that does not mean the herb will entirely drop out of sight. The agency's ban on ephedra specifically excludes uses of the herb in traditional Asian medicine. Acupuncturists, herbalists and other practitioners of Oriental medicine routinely dispense teas, pills and powders containing ma huang, the type of ephedra grown in China, to treat colds, asthma, persistent cough, headache, water retention and other maladies. entire article:N.Y. Times, Health Feb. 17, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/he...cy/17HERB.html Uhh, Carol... you do know that the ban isn't against the chemical ephedrine HCl either, right? The cheaper, more standardized, easy to get version of Ephedra that people were already using? The ephedra ban removed some products that already been pulled off the shelves due to bad press and lawsuits, but didn't change ANYTHING in any practical way. It was just a big hoo-hah that they brought up just when mad cow disease was discovered so people would talk about something else. Dally Did you know that ephedra was very effective against bronchospasm? It opens up airways in asthmatics. Believe it or not, I know elderly people who use ephedrine for asthma as it is quicker and cheaper than going to the doc. Even when Medicaid or Medicare pays for health care, it is sometimes very expensive for some seniors to get transportation. Do you think it is a coincidence that all of them are rail thin? (And many I met in the CCU!) |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
In article f1LYb.5672$rd2.4582@lakeread05, "Julianne"
wrote: Did you know that ephedra was very effective against bronchospasm? It opens up airways in asthmatics. Believe it or not, I know elderly people who use ephedrine for asthma as it is quicker and cheaper than going to the doc. Even when Medicaid or Medicare pays for health care, it is sometimes very expensive for some seniors to get transportation. Do you think it is a coincidence that all of them are rail thin? (And many I met in the CCU!) I'm asthmatic yet have a really hard time using products containing ephedra--my heart goes wacko and my brain follows. I used to have a lot of problems using the old theophyllan (?) based drugs as well. It was so bad the doc prescribed a sedative for me to take with the asthma pills. The new drug, singulair, and inhaled steroids like advair have made my rescue inhaler and nebulizer pretty much unneeded. The only time I need a puff is when I've been around too many smokers or when I'm exercising in extreme cold. Otherwise I'm "normal." Amy |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
Julianne wrote:
Did you know that ephedra was very effective against bronchospasm? It opens up airways in asthmatics. Believe it or not, I know elderly people who use ephedrine for asthma as it is quicker and cheaper than going to the doc. Even when Medicaid or Medicare pays for health care, it is sometimes very expensive for some seniors to get transportation. Yes, you can buy Ephedrine HCl in any drugsto look for BronkAid or Primatene tablets. It *is* useful against asthma. Do you think it is a coincidence that all of them are rail thin? (And many I met in the CCU!) Well, yes, I *do* think its a coincidence. An EC stack provides some mild thermogenesis, but it isn't enough to keep you from getting fat if you eat too much anyway. It does diddlysquat for me unless I'm already doing everything else right. Dally |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
A Ross wrote:
I'm asthmatic yet have a really hard time using products containing ephedra--my heart goes wacko and my brain follows. I used to have a lot of problems using the old theophyllan (?) based drugs as well. It was so bad the doc prescribed a sedative for me to take with the asthma pills. One of the big problems with Ephedra/Ephedrine and especially an Ephedra/Caffeine combo (EC stack) is that it's a stimulant and you need to ramp up to the dosage slowly over days or weeks. If you are in the midst of an asthma attack you just take the 12 mg dosage and deal with the heart racing, but if you're trying to use it long term you need to start out by cutting the pills in half and just taking one half in the morning for a few days and maybe doing 1/2 twice a day for a few days and then go up to a full pill in the morning and 1/2 a pill after lunch... but never take it in the late afternoon or you won't sleep! Most of the problems people had with the Stacker products were because the stimulant was, um, stimulating. In other words, because it behaved exactly as you'd expect it to behave. Packaging instructions give max doses after building up and that's disturbingly bad info for most people. Then again, if you don't know what it is you're taking then you probably ought not to take it. I buy Ephedrine HCl in 8 mg pills (a primatene tablet is usually 12 mg) and I start by taking just one. I'm now at full dose for tax season and that's 24 mg in the morning and 16 mg after lunch for me and that is as high a dose as I ever do. (For comparison, Stacker products typically say 24 mg three times a day and asthma meds say 12 mg every 4-6 hours.) The new drug, singulair, and inhaled steroids like advair have made my rescue inhaler and nebulizer pretty much unneeded. The only time I need a puff is when I've been around too many smokers or when I'm exercising in extreme cold. Otherwise I'm "normal." I've gotten completely away from maintenance drugs for astham. I figured out what my triggers are and I avoid those, and I do the EC stack which helps mild episodes, and I also have my kid's nebulizer and use his Xopenex when I'm really dealing with a more serious episode for a few days once or twice a year. I also have a Ventolin MDI for "rescue" sitations, but those almost never come up. I used a preventative dose before my 10 degree race a few weeks ago. Actually, my sons are off of Intal, too. We really only have asthma episodes when we're viral-triggered and I can spot when that's coming on. Dally, who is quite fanatical about hand-washing |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
In article , Dally
wrote: I've gotten completely away from maintenance drugs for astham. I figured out what my triggers are and I avoid those, and I do the EC stack which helps mild episodes, and I also have my kid's nebulizer and use his Xopenex when I'm really dealing with a more serious episode for a few days once or twice a year. I also have a Ventolin MDI for "rescue" sitations, but those almost never come up. I used a preventative dose before my 10 degree race a few weeks ago. Actually, my sons are off of Intal, too. We really only have asthma episodes when we're viral-triggered and I can spot when that's coming on. Dally, who is quite fanatical about hand-washing I wish I could get away from my "triggers" but they happen to be everything under the sun, from foods to dust to pets to smoke to anxiety to weather. My last bad attack was in '95, earned me a trip in the ambulance, six epi shots and a week in the hospital. That's also when I gained a majority of my weight--a month on prednisone along with some lifestyle changes turned me into a hippo. I've only had one or two episodes in the last couple of years, thanks to losing weight, exercise, and better drugs. Oh, and learining to just let some things go helped stop the emotional triggers. In regards to drugs like primatene and bronchaid--can't use 'em. Make me nuts. My sisters could tell you some stories about the wack-job I am when taking OTC asthma meds. Ugh. I guess that's why I am reluctant to even try herbal supplements for any purpose--I'm afraid they'll either trigger an attack, get my heart jumping, or F*** with my head. As always, YMMV. I sometimes think it would be nice to have that energy boost, but, again, Ima scared. Amy |
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
A Ross wrote:
I wish I could get away from my "triggers" but they happen to be everything under the sun, from foods to dust to pets to smoke to anxiety to weather. My experience is that I can have a basic threshold of triggers without causing a problem, but if I go over that then everything causes a problem. That is, if I'm around cigarette smoke a lot then dust triggers me, if I'm around dust a lot then cigarette smoke triggers me, etc. I handle it by paying someone to dust, not being around smokers, avoiding colds (hand-washing, adequate sleep and water, vitamins) and then I can function with the left-over small stuff. My last bad attack was in '95, earned me a trip in the ambulance, six epi shots and a week in the hospital. That's really scary. I had a systemic allergic reaction exactly once and we don't know what it was to. I carried an epi pen for a few years and eventually just stopped, but I know that I could do it again. I've got asthma, exczema and sometimes hay-fever, the allergic trio. Like I said, I just deal with it functionally. That's also when I gained a majority of my weight--a month on prednisone along with some lifestyle changes turned me into a hippo. The one time I nearly died from asthma I absolutely adored the prednisone. It turned me immediately from someone gasping for her last breath into someone who could nearly skip away from it all. In fact, I still adore the doctor who walked in on me and exclaimed, "this woman is in the middle of a major asthma attack!" Everyone else was trying to tell me I had the flu (which I also had) so to go home (where I had been for nine days unable to breath from the asthma attack triggered by the flu.) I've only had one or two episodes in the last couple of years, thanks to losing weight, exercise, and better drugs. Oh, and learining to just let some things go helped stop the emotional triggers. I'd like to learn more about emotional triggers. I've been having some stress-related stuff the last few weeks that I need to get more pro-active about managing. Yesterday I snapped at a bank clerk because I was in such a cruddy mood that I didn't have the patience to deal with their slowness. I was very unhappy with myself. (Not that they didn't deserve it, my son and I arrived when two tellers were with two people and ten minutes later the same tellers were with the same two people and then one of the people [who seemed to be done with her teller but not moving] started talking to the OTHER teller about taping a movie for her and now she was keeping BOTH tellers from taking us and I just snapped that we were in a hurry and could someone please help us. They were seriously miffed at me and I bank there all the time and I am embarrassed to go there today.) In regards to drugs like primatene and bronchaid--can't use 'em. Make me nuts. My sisters could tell you some stories about the wack-job I am when taking OTC asthma meds. Ugh. I guess that's why I am reluctant to even try herbal supplements for any purpose--I'm afraid they'll either trigger an attack, get my heart jumping, or F*** with my head. As always, YMMV. I sometimes think it would be nice to have that energy boost, but, again, Ima scared. Well, my advice is to ramp up slowly. I get a bit spastic, but it's more of a rushed thing rather than a head-job thing. Dally |
#9
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Despite ban, Ephedra Won't Go Away
Dally wrote in
: Carol Frilegh wrote: By April 12, ephedra will disappear from stores and Web sites that sell dietary supplements, by order of the Food and Drug Administration. But that does not mean the herb will entirely drop out of sight. The agency's ban on ephedra specifically excludes uses of the herb in traditional Asian medicine. Acupuncturists, herbalists and other practitioners of Oriental medicine routinely dispense teas, pills and powders containing ma huang, the type of ephedra grown in China, to treat colds, asthma, persistent cough, headache, water retention and other maladies. entire article:N.Y. Times, Health Feb. 17, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/he...cy/17HERB.html Uhh, Carol... you do know that the ban isn't against the chemical ephedrine HCl either, right? The cheaper, more standardized, easy to get version of Ephedra that people were already using? The ephedra ban removed some products that already been pulled off the shelves due to bad press and lawsuits, but didn't change ANYTHING in any practical way. It was just a big hoo-hah that they brought up just when mad cow disease was discovered so people would talk about something else. Dally One year ago, that pitcher for the Phillies was found dead in his hotel room cardiac arrest and he was a big ephedra user. That kind of high profile case is probbably whar triggered the ban. SOme of the crap they put in other OTC stuff is just as bad. |
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