Ephedra news... take note

January 10, 2004

Jacqui received this and asked if it could be put on the group.... after reading I think it needs to be here and that we need to continue or start writing letters to the govt.. we may still have a chance and NOW IS THE TIME .

Suzi> Circle The Wagons>> Health Sciences Institute e-Alert>> January 8, 2004>> **************************************************************> You have received this e-mail because you signed up to> receive the HSI e-Alert through a special arrangement with Dr.> Mercola's e-Healthy News e-letter. If you wish to> permanently remove yourself from this mailing list, follow> the instructions at the bottom of this page. Thank You.> **************************************************************>> Dear Reader,>> If you've never used a supplement that contains ephedra, you> might not be concerned about the recent announcement that> ephedra has been banned by the FDA. But this drastic measure> goes way beyond the outlawing of just one herb. An Associated> Press headline made that clear on the last day of 2003:

"Ephedra> Ban Puts Industry On Notice - Move Shows Government Will Crack> Down On Supplements.">> If you value your freedom to make your own choices about what> dietary supplements you take, brace yourself. We are now> officially under fire.>> -----------------------------> The real deal> ----------------------------->> Every day people die due to reckless driving. Should we ban the> sale of cars? That would be absurd, of course, but that's> exactly what's happening with ephedra. A handful of people have> blatantly misused products that contain a hyped-up, synthetic> version of the active ingredient in ephedra, and now ALL ephedra> products will be banned, even though thousands of people use> ephedra responsibly every day with no problems.>>

So exactly what are we losing?>> In the e-Alert "Jekyll and Hyde" (1/16/03), HSI Panelist Linda> Page, N.D., Ph.D., gave us an insider's perspective on the value> of ephedra. Dr. Page has been a Classical Herbalist for almost> 30 years and has formulated over 250 effective whole herb> combinations, many of them containing ephedra. Dr. Page writes:>> "I am continually distressed about ephedra's misuse and abuse,> most importantly the isolated component of ephedra, ephedrine.> If herbalists and formulators lose the ability to use ephedra,> we are losing one of the best broncho-dilators from the plant> kingdom that is extremely valuable when used for asthma and> allergies. What then would people have to choose from to> alleviate their symptoms? Drugs of course.>> "Ephedra also has thermogenic qualities so it is very effective>

for weight loss. Weight loss product manufacturers know this,> and in most cases, the ephedrine is isolated and boosted so that> the end result is people are taking a dangerously high amount.> Further, when ephedrine is isolated and boosted, it becomes an> herbal 'drug.'>> So what's the difference between ephedra and ephedrine? Dr. Page> explains that in a whole herb formulation containing ephedra,> there may be up to 50 mg of ephedra, containing only half a> milligram of ephedrine. But the products that isolate ephedrine> may deliver up to 20 mg of ephedrine - a full 40 times as much> as ephedra!>> Is it any wonder that people experience grave side effects when> they exceed the recommended doses of this altered natural drug?>>> -----------------------------> In a Jiffy>

----------------------------->> "If there ever were an indication that the drug companies> control what agents we can and cannot acquire, the ephedra> scandal is it.">> That was the opening line of an e-mail I received last week from> HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., who added: "The simple proof of> drug company influence is that far higher doses of the> (concentrated) synthetic analog of ephedra herb are still> available, and in far higher doses per pill than the herbal> form. Ever heard of Sudafed? It stands for 'pseudo-ephedrine,'> and is available in any drugstore, 7/11, or Jiffy Mart you> choose to enter, with no limit on the dose you might want to> take.">> Dr. Spreen also makes the point (which you've heard here before)> that hundreds of people die every year due to complications>

associated with aspirin and acetaminophen. That's more people> every year than have died in ephedra-related deaths total. Yet,> last summer, Congress held an emotional, high-profile hearing> about ephedra side effects. Have you ever heard of any such> hearings about aspirin? No. And as long as giant drug companies> continue their very aggressive and well funded lobbying efforts> you never will.>> -----------------------------> Smear job> ----------------------------->> One of the worst aspects of the campaign to ban ephedra is the> way the dietary supplement industry has been portrayed as> reckless. But just the opposite is true. In fact, supplement> manufacturers have provided perfectly adequate self-regulation> of their industry. For instance, without any laws

being passed,> and without any FDA directives, guidelines for ephedra dosage> and label warnings were drafted in 1994 by the American Herbal> Products Association, in collaboration with the National> Nutritional Food Association. The draft was revised and adopted> in 2000 by the Consumer Health Products Association.>> What NO ONE can regulate is the way people use supplements. You> simply can't protect customers who ignore warning labels or use> products at dosages much higher than recommended.>> -----------------------------> T's and i's> ----------------------------->> The FDA will soon publish a final rule that will ban the sale> ofall ephedra products, making it impossible to attain them even> with a prescription. The ban will take effect 60 days

after> publication, probably sometime in March. But supplement> manufacturers may challenge the ban, leading to a showdown in> court. When Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson> made the announcement about the FDA decision, he told reporters,> "we crossed the t's and dotted the i's" to make sure the case> for banning ephedra will stand up in court.>> Hopefully the t's and i's of this rule WILL be challenged and> severely tested. Because behind the familiar accusations about> this "dangerous" herb is the lesser-known truth about its> altered forms and the way those forms have been seriously> misused.>> So in spite of the fact that the ban sounds like it's signed,> sealed and delivered, there may still be one more hurdle. If> that hurdle is easily jumped, I think we can fully expect FDA> officials to press even

harder to increase the agency's> regulatory powers over the supplement industry.>> And you can be sure that nothing would please the drug companies> more.

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