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Creeping Loss of Freedom
Jan. 5th, 2004 10:59 pmAs part of my exercise program, I occasionally take what's called an ECA Stack - the acronym standing for Ephedrine-Caffeine-Aspirin. Usually these are made with ephedra (the Chinese herb ma-huang), synthesized caffeine, and willow bark (which contains aspirin -- the formulation with actual aspirin is patented and so the manufacturers of ECA stack-equivalents often use the substitute.)
In the amounts I take, none of these things are harmful. Slight increase in heart rate and blood pressure and some thinning of the blood allow for a more effective exercise routine. The effects wear off in a few hours. The labels warn you not to take too many, and to avoid excessive heat or overexercise.
Well, the FDA has just banned ephedrine. The reason it did so is because it has collected reports of 150 deaths and thousands of "incidents" which "related" to use of ephedrine. Three of these were famous athletes who dehydrated their bodies and had other medical problems, but drove themselves relentlessly. This is one of those stories that, if you rely on the media for your knowledge, is presented in the frame of Good Government Stamps Out Bad Business, but if you know more about it, leaves out much of the truth.
( Read More )
In the amounts I take, none of these things are harmful. Slight increase in heart rate and blood pressure and some thinning of the blood allow for a more effective exercise routine. The effects wear off in a few hours. The labels warn you not to take too many, and to avoid excessive heat or overexercise.
Well, the FDA has just banned ephedrine. The reason it did so is because it has collected reports of 150 deaths and thousands of "incidents" which "related" to use of ephedrine. Three of these were famous athletes who dehydrated their bodies and had other medical problems, but drove themselves relentlessly. This is one of those stories that, if you rely on the media for your knowledge, is presented in the frame of Good Government Stamps Out Bad Business, but if you know more about it, leaves out much of the truth.
( Read More )
