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Ephedra
– Does It Work for Weight Loss?
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by:
Michael LaQuay
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For
over 4000 years ephedra (Ma huang) has been used in Chinese medicine to
treat several disorders. Ephedra comes from a plant that has a few
powerful active compounds, of which ephedrine is the most useful.
Research has shown that ephedra increases metabolism and helps promote
weight loss, relaxes the air passages in the lungs to help treat asthma
and cough, promotes perspiration to help a person recover from a minor
cold and helps promote urination to help relieve edema.
Ephedra has
been widely researched for its thermogenic (fat burning) properties.
Research has show that ephedra helps promote the loss of fat while
helping spare lean muscle tissue, a highly sought-after property that
prescription diet medications still have not been able to reproduce.
Because of its stimulating effect on the nervous system, ephedra can be
found in some popular weight loss and energy products. For dieters it
suppresses the appetite and stimulates the thyroid gland, which
stimulates metabolism. Recently ma huang has been the subject of
scientific research for obesity because of its thermogenic fat-burning
effect on dietary intake. Ma huang is also found in "energy" products
that may give athletes extra energy without draining their reserves.
People also indicate an increase in alertness and perception. Similar
to the diet formulas, it is often combined with ingredients such as
kola nut or guarana, which contain caffeine.
Everyone agrees that the way we lose weight is to burn more calories
than we consume. Ephedra helps in that process by producing a
thermogenic effect, which causes one to burn more calories. Further, it
appears that by taking Ephedra people seem to eat less and have more
energy and thus are more active. Whether one also needs to consciously
lower their caloric intake and/or exercise depends on a variety of
circumstances, which is best discussed with your health care
professional. Ephedra had been banned for the last year because of
possible health risks. Thursday, April 14 2005 (Health Day News) --
Saying that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not met the
burden of proof that any specific dosage of the controversial
weight-loss drug ephedra was dangerous, a U.S. District Court judge in
Salt Lake City has lifted the year-old FDA ban and sent the matter back
to the agency for further evaluation.
From the Ephedra Educational Council web site "More than 15 million
consumers a year benefit from Ephedra, with only a minute fraction
reporting problems to the FDA. Any risk of inappropriate use must be
balanced against the health benefits accruing to millions of Americans.
The nation's obesity epidemic creates a personal and public imperative
for weight control, and 98 million Americans must not be denied an
option for improving their health without conclusive scientific
evidence."
www.EphedraCom.com
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