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Ephedra Supplements
Ephedra supplements
used to be a very popular way to promote weight lose in the
obese. Like most stimulants, ephedra supplements
significantly boost metabolism and lower appetite, so they make an
effective and tempting alternative to diet and
exercise.
Ephedra supplements are definitely a risky and unhealthy way to lose
weight. While not an especially dangerous drug in itself,
mixed with caffeine or other stimulants ephedra can become a serious
risk to your health. Every year there are some reported cases
of people who unknowingly overdosed by taking some kind of ephedra
supplement and then going on to have coffee, Sudafed, or some
combination of other stimulants that put them over the top.
Even ephedra by itself boosts your chances of having heart attacks,
especially in people who already have heart trouble or blood pressure
issues. The irony is that most people that would want to take
ephedra supplements to lose weight are the exact same people who are at
the most risk by taking them.
Because of the risks associated with it, ephedra supplements have waned
in popularity as diet pills. They’ve been replaced
by a host of other ‘natural’ and
‘herbal’ supplements that are every bit as
dangerous but just haven’t gotten a bad reputation
yet. Don’t be fooled by the term
‘natural’ or ‘herbal’; these
two words are by no means synonymous with ‘healthy’
or ‘safe’. After all, ephedra comes from
a 100 percent natural herb, and so do hemlock and nicotine.
Most of the ephedra supplement overdose cases I hear about these days
have been in college aged kids taking ‘herbal
ecstasy’ concoctions. Herbal ecstasy is basically a
combination of epehdra, caffeine, and pseudephedrine, all of which
together act synergistically to really put your heart into
overdrive. For many the result is just a lot of sweating and
teeth clenching as they go dancing from club to club, but every now and
then the cocktail proves too much and causes heart failure.
Ephedra supplements are hard to find in stores because of the dangers
linked to them, but they are still legal and available to anyone
determined to take them. I see them now and then in gas
station markets or 7-11s, usually sold at the counter in colorful
little packets labeled something ridiculous like ‘Super
Boost’ or ‘Ultimate Energy
Pills’. If you’re thinking about taking
some of these, just be careful not to over do it, and to avoid other
stimulants.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
