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

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

"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!)

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

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

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

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

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

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.