--- Kevin Tarr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > you [I think it was Gary] wrote: > > >Not that I am a habitual Ephedra user, but I have > taken it in the past > >(in dietary supplements) so I am aware of the risks > and effects. > > > >New York County Bans Sale of Ephedra http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20030305_2037.html > > > >"The federal Food and Drug Administration has > reports of 100 deaths among > >Ephedra users, and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve > Bechler recently died > >while using the amphetamine-like stimulant, > commonly used for weight loss and body building..."
> >The article doesn't say this, but that is 100 > deaths *nationwide* out of > >millions of people that have safely taken it. > > > >So just for comparison, I looked up some > statistics. The National > >Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency say that > *ANNUALLY* 105,000 > >Americans die from alcohol-related causes which > could include everything > >from falls to drunk driving accidents to cirrhosis > of the liver. Also, > >there are about 365,000 tobacco-related deaths in > the U.S. each year. > > > >It is almost funny at the things that people will > pursue like religious > >fanatics but yet are willing to overlook others. > > > >It's not that I think that they are wrong ( I think > that Ephedra should > >be better controlled) , and it's not that I am > against alcohol, but the > >causes that they decide to become champions for > seem to be very, very skewed... <snip> > > Since *someone else* hasn't jumped in here, the > better measure would be % > of deaths per users, not just total numbers right? Yes. As a frex, while I couldn't find a reference for how many aspirin users there are/have been, an eMedicine article estimates the US annual consumption of aspirin at 10,000 *tons* - exposure/poisoning deaths (from an earlier article) are quoted later. > This list's the deaths at 137, but over nine years. > http://www.ephedrine-news.com/html/effects.html > > Sorry, I'm not thinking clearly enough to Google > correctly. I agre with the > tobacco and alcohol problems, either band them all > or band none. >From a 2001 eMedicine article (not sure if the link will work wothout registering): http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic514.htm In the US: Data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers' annual report indicate that, in 1998, a total of 14,253 exposures to salicylates were reported; of which, 3837 exposures were in patients younger that 6 years, and 5053 exposures were in patients older than 19 years. Of the total exposures for that year, 33 deaths were reported. These numbers include only pure aspirin formulations; toxic exposures to pharmaceuticals with aspirin in combination with other drugs are not included in this report. Here's one excerpt that should be accessible (?sp): http://www.emedicine.com/ped/byname/toxicity-salicylate.htm Again, my personal take is that *anything,* either in excess or in the rare susceptible person, can cause illness or death. Frex, "Leber hereditary optic neuropathy" WRT ephedra use (but note also cigs/alc): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12470769&dopt=Abstract Better testing for "natural" or "nutraceutical" chemicals/compounds would ensure increased safety, but rigorous studies/trials are expensive, and few non-drug companies either care to conduct or can afford them. The FDA certainly doesn't have that capability, but there are good studies underway at the NIH for a select few chemicals/products. If you go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi and type 'ephedra' with Search Limits of "English" and "human," about 50 articles are retrieved, many without accessible abstracts, many are only case reports. I also agree that alcohol and tobacco impose a large health burden on the populace, but banning won't work, so education on responsible use, and heavy taxation on the products themselves will have to do. Maybe the powers-that-be figure it's easier to ban something, do studies, and then decide on rescinding the ban, than allowing a possibly harmful product to become well-established and later trying to ban it? Debbi who's drinking tea as she types :) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - establish your business online http://webhosting.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
