Action with Ephedra! The Olympics are over, but the after-effects will linger on for many years. Can these banned substances actually be good for us? Ephedra (Chinese Ma-huang) has again come to the forefront in these 2000 Games in Sydney as in most of the Olympics over the last 20 years or so. I feel very sorry for Andreea Raducan from Romania, the young teen who tested positive for ephedrine after her spectacular win in gymnastics. She will regroup and surely have many championships ahead of her. The shame is that she was given Pseudoephedrine in a cold medicine and failed a urine test. But she's from Romania, so there is a shadow of a doubt..."Oh sure, her coach didn't know????" The whole team was banned due to massive steroid infractions on the part of half the group. Guilty by association? So what is illegal and what isn't? The IOC now has a long list of medications, chemicals and natural substances that must not be found in urine samples under any circumstances. Is that fair? Probably not. But it's become a major step in removing drugs from the "tarred" Olympic Games. The Nandrolones and the Androstenediones seem to be the drugs that cause health problems with possible disabilities and death. They can often be detected by severe acne, a noticeable side effect. But should natural substances that turn into helpful hormones in the body be completely banned? Ephedra, Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are benign substances being used mostly for Asthma , hay fever, colds and upper respiratory tract inflammations. One is the natural herb, which is the most innocuous, and the other two are extracts of the natural herb....some stronger, and some weaker. This may be the defining point - the dosage. Currently, the FDA is debating over whether to allow small amounts of Ephedra up to a specific dosage and leave it at that. Earlier studies have found that the people who've had adverse effects were most likely taking large doses, thinking that the weight loss effects would be noticeable faster. Nobody seems to have time to wait for remedies to work anymore, it seems. It's part of our lifestyle, and it's common knowledge that herbs work slower than chemicals (as in prescriptions.) Take a prescription drug for an infection and the symptoms will be gone in about a day; take a herbal remedy for the same thing (something like colloidal silver) and the results may take a few more days. The difference is in the side effects to drugs (natural flora is also destroyed) leaving the body open to other infections which don't occur with natural products. Any day now, the FDA ruling should be announced, and I wouldn't be surprised if they leave well enough alone and allow Ephedra to be produced and sold as was done up to now. Of course, we all know the scandal and controversy of Phen-fen from a few years ago where Ephedrine, Phenfluramine, along with coffee and other products caused the deaths of some individuals. Heart valve problems were found to be the result of long term usage and high dosage. That was at a time when Ephedra was deemed to be a weight loss panacea. Everyone who was even a few pounds overweight jumped on the bandwagon because it was the "easy" way to drop a few pounds. Nobody seemed to pay attention to the instructions to stop taking it after a month and then resume by the week only. Dire consequences followed that omission. In 1995, Canadian rower, Silken Laumann was stripped of her Pan American Gold Medal for the same infraction. She'd been ill (and who doesn't get a cold when they travel great distances and compete in sports.) Just yesterday I read an article that stated that right after heavy exercise (like the Olympics) the body is most likely to let down its defenses and allow bacteria or infection to take hold. That should tell us something. What is less clear is that testing can determine if the amount is minute, or massive, allowing a decision on that basis. Maybe because it's proven that pseudoephedrine does improve performance and may give just that edge that the other athletes weren't allowed to have. Also, the story goes that if ephedrine were allowed to be taken, even in small amounts, athletes might use it to cover other substances that definitely are more lethal and illegal. Much has been made of the effects of Ephedrine and whether it actually works or not. Well, the Olympic officials are convinced it does, and so do I. Just the simple point of activity enhancement is noticeable. Work and exercise don't seem as odious, and in our couch potato world, this is important. I've been experimenting on myself for the last ten days by taking a herbal thermogenic aid to lose weight and to become more active and fit....and to want to go out and exercise! For me, it's always been about getting going because there are always more interesting and relaxing work related things to do than to "work out." What the thermogenesis did was get me moving. I didn't want to sit on the couch reading the paper. I had things to do and people to see....and I was off and running. Isn't that the whole idea behind fitness? Mild to light exercise of 30 minutes three times a week is often all that's required to maintain a sense of wellbeing and increased serotonin to the brain to feel good! The weight loss goes right along with that. And bully for herbal manufacturers - many have included St. John's Wort in the formula...another feel-good herb to enhance that desire to do what's good for us! One of the important points going along with these therapies is what we must do to make them work. Proper nutrition is one of the keys, as is water intake. It means that health must be maximized while we work on the body. Raw, whole, natural foods are crucial. I stay away from white flour, white sugar, and anything processed, including fast food. I made sure that I drank about three liters of water a day (half water, half light herbal teas.) Fruit juices are acceptable to a point, but, for some reason, Apple and Grapefruit are not very good as they drain water from the system. Coffee and alcohol is a no-no because it's a strong diuretic and puts one in a deficit position. The experts say that caffeine works together with Ephedra to induce a better effect, and I must admit that I still drink one cup a day. My trusty book on herbs states that Ma-huang stimulates the central nervous system in a stronger fashion than coffee ever could, but at a lower rate than methamphetamines. This shows that care must be taken in Ephedra use, and it should only be taken by people who are completely healthy. A doctor's check-up would not be out of order since people with diabetes, glaucoma, heart problems and high blood pressure and many other chronic conditions should stay away from any weight loss, exercise program involving Ephedra. So, happy hiking, or biking, or jogging....whatever it is - Just do it! Back to the Writing Index