I’m sure the DEA wants nothing more than another stupid substance to track and have to prosecute. Ephedra has been banned for sale in Illinois for many months now but was still available by mail order – now that is being quashed with a country-wide ban on the popular work-out supplement. I love ephedra – it’s a great kick to add if you’re doing cardio with a workout. I understand that if you take too much of it that it can make you more than a little jumpy and also elevate your heart rate and blood pressure. The deaths that have been attributed to ephedra are largely obese atheletes who are exercising too intensely in extreme heat – people not listening to the cues from their own bodies as it responds with agitation, palpitation and headaches. It’s an herb that used to be brewed into tea for crissakes.
We are a stimulant society. We chainsmoke our way to Starbucks, wolfing down a Twinkie and bitching about how slow people are moving. We pipe constant music and media input into our senses lest we have a spare moment in our waking hours of not being entertained. Every thing is an extreme sport.
Ephedra is effective for leaning out during a fat-loss workout and is just another tool – it can be used and abused. The supplement industry has been anticipating this move for a while now and has already started hawking a whole new arsenal of fat-burners. Like Yohimbe – which I found I’m allergic too – every time I take it I’m not just peppy but downright irritable and my nose runs like I’ve inhaled ragweed.
It just seems like a big waste to spend money and effort to regulate something that, if used as directed, really isn’t a health risk. Just because coaches let their already over-caffeinated athletes exercise in 100 degree summer heat with no hydration doesn’t mean I should be banned from taking one tablet before I climb on to the elliptical trainer in shorts and a shirt in an air conditioned gym.
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