Here at Building Bodies we advise that your doctors advice should always come first. Medications and supplements such as ephedrine do have differant effects on certain people, and some may be dangerous. Having said that, without knowledge (new knowledge), there can be no progress.
Its in my nature to rebel against stupidity.Recently our Canadian government banned the free use and sale of all ephedrine containing products (in amounts greater than 8mg ephedrine per capsule or tablet).I will happily provide you with the truth and facts about ephedrine effects and the sources from which it is derived so that you can see for yourself the profundity of brainlessness behind Health Canadas decision. My rebellion, in this instance, is the purveyance of honest information in the face of dishonest enforcement.
As to why this decision was made by Health Canada, I can provide for you no intelligent or non-politically biased answer.It is rumoured that a twelve-year-old boy in the United States overdosed on methamphetamine (a speed drug that made Guns n Roses Axl Rose such a sweetheart.) So, what the hell does methamphetamine in the United States have to do with our Canadian government banning ephedrine?
This herb, known in by its Latin genus species name Ephedra sinica, has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 5000 years, the oldest medicinally-used herb known to man! The Chinese have found Ephedra useful in effectively treating gonorrhea and syphilis. Ephedra is administered to children and the elderly in China, completely safely, to treat and eradicate (not cover up the symptoms of) colds and bronchial congestion. Ephedra's effectiveness in treating cold-like conditions results from Ephedra's ability to decongest the lungs and sinuses and to cleanse respiratory mucous membranes (and partially due to Ephedra's effects on dilation of the alveoli and bronchial passages).
Ephedra's powerful effects are attributable to any (or all) of three alkaloids it contains: ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine, and nor-pseudo-ephedrine. Alkaloids are powerful chemical compounds found naturally in plants and herbs and which act as drugs in the human body (therefore alkaloid-containing herbs must be used with considerable caution).It will be a bleak day, indeed, when all alkaloid-containing herbs - or anything else to do with nature - are restricted from our free use.
Lore abounds about the superhuman consumption of 5 or 10 25-milligram ephedrine tablets before a workout, rave or mosh pit experience, and with this lore comes the concurrent stories of complete and utter Ephedra burnout, far more nasty than your January 1st hangover on the next day. Ephedrine is, indeed, a central nervous system stimulant.So is coffee.Why dont you hear stories about the superhuman consumption of 5 or 10 pots of coffee? Because thats just plain stupid! Yes, ephedrine is dangerous in large quantities at once (i.e. more than 25 milligrams), if taken Ephedra is taken too late in the day, and if consumed for consecutive days without breaking. You should talk to a doctor or health professional well versed in nutrition and herbalism prior to consuming ephedrine if you have circulatory, endocrine, or psychiatric disorders.
More than 60% of our North American population is overweight and more than 27% of our population is clinically obese. Obesity has recently been officially deemed the number one health expense in North America (slightly ahead of smoking). Id hate to be the heel who claims that there are numerous vested interests in keeping legal, natural weight loss aids restricted from public use - so I wont. The statistics speak for themselves. Almost all overweight and obese people choose to get and stay fat. All people have the ability to choose to purchase weight-loss aids to save their health and lose fat, provided their government is honest in what it allows its population access to.
Ephedrine is a beta agonist. In our bodies we have beta receptors which, when agonized by a beta agonist and its actions, allow for stored body fat to be released from where its stored and brought into the bloodstream to be taken to muscle cell mitochondria and utilized as fuel and/or eliminated. So there is a magic fat loss bullet, you say. Not quite. Ephedrine causes the release of adrenaline (epinephrine and/or norepinephrine) from the adrenal glands. Adrenaline is, of course, our bodys hormonal best friend in the fight or flight stress response. This response is meant for life or death experiences and the adrenal glands, if and when over-stimulated, get and make you very miserable. Overuse or abuse of ephedrine will quickly, easily and effectively burn out your adrenals. Thats overuse or abuse (regarding an earlier statement in this article.) In ultimate cases of abuse, any 2nd year university chemistry student with lots of ephedrine and a bath tub can easily synthesize methamphetamine whose illicit, black market sales are higher than ever throughout North America and whose physiological effects are far more dangerous than ephedrine. I will explain how to safely and effectively utilize the fat loss effects of ephedrine in a manner harmonious with optimal adrenal function.
Sida cordifolia, Mormon tea, Desert tea and Teamsters tea are all ephedrine-containing herbs, although their history and safety has nothing like the 5000-year track record of Ma Huang. Sida cordifolia is said to possess even greater bronchodilating effects than Ephedra, so you may wish to consider its application in asthma and as an ergogenic/performance-enhancing aid.
It is wise to synchronize the use of Ephedra, its derivatives (incidentally, ephedrine has been isolated and can be purchased as synthetic ephedrine hydrochloride), herbs related to it, or any stimulant with our bodys circadian rhythm.Circadian rhythm is our bodys (and our hormonal systems) synchronicity with day and night, light and dark. Excitatory hormones are active in the morning and during the day, whereas relaxing hormones are produced and become active at night and while we sleep. Ephedrine, due to its central nervous system (autonomic nervous system) stimulating effects should therefore be taken during the day and not at night.
For optimum fat loss results and increased energy from ephedrine, I recommend the following regime
8 to 25 milligrams ephedrine (or combination of ephedrine and its counterparts as found in a standardized Ma huang or Sida cordifolia extract).
50 to 200 milligrams caffeine (or 1 or 2 cups of coffee).
25 to 50 milligrams each B vitamin (as full spectrum vitamin B complex).
1000 milligrams vitamin C.
Take the above Ephedrine stack combination one half hour before breakfast and lunch, with at least 500 milliliters of water, every second day (you dont have to be strict about every second day, but you must not take ephedrine, caffeine, or any other stimulant on a daily basis, 5 days on, 2 days off, 2 on, 2 off, et cetera is optimal).
One half hour before dinner, to aid and nourish the adrenal glands, I recommend the following (in fact, I recommend not taking stimulants of any kind unless youre willing to take these concurrently).
25 to 50 milligrams each B vitamin (as full spectrum vitamin B complex).
1000 milligrams vitamin C.
1000 milligrams kelp.
100 to 500 milligrams pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).
500 milligrams Korean Red Ginseng (over age 40) or 500 mg Siberian Ginseng (under age 40).
In the near future I will enlighten you about a couple of Indias superstar fat loss herbs, just recently made widely available to us in the west.
-Kelt McManus
Calgary
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