Ephedrine: The Weight Loss Wonder Drug? Essay -- Health Diet Papers

Ephedrine The Weight issue Wonder DrugAn increasing number of mass ar using products to enhance their diets. A recent estimate indicates, Ameri provides are spending some $6 billion annually on nutritionary supplements, and the market is growing by 20% every year (Zahn, 1997). Of these supplements, the ontogeny in herbal remedy use is most dramatic. Zahn holds that the increase can be attributed to the widely held belief that herbal substances are healthy and clean because of their natural origins (1997). Unfortunately, research on these supplements, herbal or otherwise, has not communicate to the public as quickly as the diet enhancers themselves. The phenomenon leaves many consumers take by skewed advertising and uninformed about the potential risks mixed in ingesting these seemingly harmless, over the counter substances. The following is an attempt to breast at one particular herbal supplement, Ma-Huang (active ingredient, ephedrine), more critically. THE CLAIMS Wha t is mahuang? MaHuang is an herbal supplement found in products such as Metabolife and SoBeTrim, which form of address to stimulate weight loss. It is available in the form of a pill, a powder, or a liquid and is often used in crew with other drugs such as caffeine and aspirin. In addition to universe used in weight loss supplements, MaHuang is also promoted as natural ecstasy (Theoharides, 1997) and is often abused under this guise. MaHuang as herbal ecstasy is also called ultimate X-phoria or Cloud 9 (Zahn, 1997). What does Ma-Huang (Ephedrine) claim to do? Produces euphoria (White, et al 1997) & (Zahn, 1997) Enchances energy levels (Zahn, 1997) http/... ...tp//www.gethuge.net/xen3.htm Bruno, A., Nolte, K.B., and Chapin, J. (1997). Stroke associated with ephedrine use. Neurology, 43, 1313-1316. Carek and Dickerson (1999). received Concepts in the Pharmachological Management of Obesity. Drugs, 57(6), 883- 904. Kreiger, D.R., Daly, P.A., Dulloo, A.G., Ransil, B.J., Young, J.B., Landsberg, L. (1990). Ephedrine, Caffeine and Aspirin Promote Weight Loss in Obese Subjects. Trans Associations of American Physicians, 103, 307-12. Theoharides, T.C. (1997). Sudden Death of a level-headed College Student Related to Ephedrine Toxicity from a Ma Huang Containing Drink. Journal of clinical Psychopharmacology, 17(5), 437-8. Zahn, K.A., Raymond, L. L., Purssell, R.A. (1997). Cardiovascular Toxicity after ingestion of Herbal Ecstacy. Journal of indispensability Medicine, 17(2), 289-291.