Ephedra banned in US - thanks for babysitting the citizens (1 Viewer)

[Kyle McKnight]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/12/30/ephedra/index.html

I really don't have much to say on this, other than I think it sucks. People need to be responsible for what they put in their body.

 

[Todd Hochard]

I agree. We also need to be responsible for the consequences, and this is where the system falls apart. So, expect more babysitting.

 

[Chris_Morris]

Ephedra when taken correctly is harmless. The FDA can bite me. I have a ~6 month supply stored up ready to go.

If people are that worked up over 155 deaths, just imagine what would happen if the news over-hyped aspirin related deaths. Many, many more than 155.

The pharm. companies finally got their wish. I should start a pool on how long before they introduce a "works like ephedra" prescription only drug. I'll take 6 months thank you.


Chris
PS- Henry Waxman can bite me too
and a note to the FDA, this does not erase Mad Cow from people's minds.

 

[JustinCleveland]

People used to think the same about cocaine and heroin. And now, we might see ephedra turn into an illicit drug like those(like you say, you've got stockpiles.)

 

[Chris_Morris]

Not really. What they are banning is the herb ephedra, but not the pharmaceutical grade ephedrine HCL (main ingredient in Primatene, and other asthma medications, not to mention mini-thins/stay awake products). You have to buy it separately, not pre-mixed with caffeine, but still available.

What I have stockpiled is Pro-Lab's Therma-Pro, which has been the best product I've used so far.

Plus the fact that the shelf life is not long enough to stockpile for "illicit sales. All mine will expire by 10/04.


Chris

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

No hyping is needed for cigarette related deaths, and they are still available.

 

[CRyan]

I would honestly like to see more of this. At least these dietary supplements need to be regulated by the FDA. A multibillion dollar industry based largely on misinformation.


C. Ryan

 

[Doug R]

Babysitting must occur because people are irresponsible and assume their own actions are the result of some other outside mysterious force. They'll take a known harmful substance, it will damage them, then they'll sue someone for negligence.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

and in spades. to be honest, i hadnt even heard of this drug until this thread. it just shows you that when the right people get worked up over a hot topic such as this, anything is possible. when you compare how many lives the tobacco industry has claimed, 155, sadly, is nothing.

CJ

 

[AllanN]

As much as I don’t like big brother telling us what to do, this may be a blessing in disguise. There is no better way to loose weight than to put down the remote and the potato chips and do some exorcise. People need to stop hiding behind excuses, drugs, and fad diets and just start taking better care of themselves in the first place.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

Allan, that's what I consider misuse. People who just take supplements with ephedra to lose weight, without being checked by a doctor and in combination with diet/exercise.

There are many legit uses for the product. Ephedra is not just a "weight loss" product.

 

[Philip Hamm]

No kidding. Snake oil out the wazoo under the guize of "natural holistic remedies". Not all of it is b.s., lots of it does work, but more of it does little or nothing, and there's no regulation at all.

 

[Leila Dougan]

There certainly needs to be regulation. Just like prescription drugs and food are regulated, supplements and herbs need to be too. Ephedra and many other herbs are just as toxic as many prescription drugs. Under the right cirumstances they may be fine but with no governing body to oversee it's production and sales there will be a continuation of unnecessary injury and death.

 

[RobertR]

I agree as well. As with far too many other examples, the government will manufacture criminals out of nothing, and inflate its powers, spending, and imfluence in the process. Not good.

 

[Paul_Sjordal]

Those snake oil peddlers hawking "herbal remedies" have had a free ride for quite long enough. If they want to make pharmaceutical claims, they can go through the same process pharmaceutical companies have to go through. If you ask me, this is just a start. The FDA should've been overlooking those skeezeballs a long time ago.

In general I don't care for the government trying to protect us from ourselves, but I'll make an exception for these "herbal medicine" companies. Quacks.

 

[andrew markworthy]

The snag with any discussion like this is that we are intelligent people and we're outraged because we *know* we behave sensibly, and I'm sure that left to our own devices, we'd behave rationally if given carte blanche to take what we wanted from a fully-equipped pharmacy. The problem is that a minority of the population is just too dumb for its own good and needs to be protected at the cost of the rest of us either suffering or enduring inconvenience. I agree, it's maddenning (a few years ago my mum was taken off the one anti-arthritis drug that had ever worked for her because a few confused pensioners had OD'd on it), but I cannot think of a reasonable way out of this problem other than these nannyish acts.

 

[RobertR]

That's one of the problems I have with this sort of thing. Your mom has to suffer because of the actions of a few idiots. The nanny state claims to want to prevent harm, but in doing so it often causes harm. I prefer not to dumb down public policy for the sake of idiots.

 

[Chet_F]

"In general I don't care for the government trying to protect us from ourselves, but I'll make an exception for these "herbal medicine" companies. Quacks."

And THAT is the EXACT reason why the gov is getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger...well you get the point. There should be NO EXCEPTION. The gov needs to get their stinking grubby hands out of what I can and can't put in my own BODY!!! A$$ Clowns!!!

Pretty soon sacharin will be banned because 3 rats died when the researchers injected them with 20cc everyday for 6 months and they developed cancer. Cigarettes, cars, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc,(this list could go on for hours) all kill people but these are not banned. They've proved that mercury causes cancer and malformed births but yet have allowed MORE to be released into the air. The whole thing makes me sick. Just another reason to hate big brother!!

 

[Paul_Sjordal]

[sarcasm]Good point. Let's shut down the FDA now![/sarcasm]

 

[Chris_Morris]

:rolleyes

That was not the point. The FDA is good for somethings such as insuring that meat is not contaminated (oops, they dropped the ball on that one).

All the FDA should do is insure products contain what is stated, let people decide for themselves whether or not they want to take it.

One day we will all have a personal goverment "nanny" 24 hours a day telling us exactly what we can and can't do.

Sad thing is, there are some on this thread that will welcome that with open arms.


Chris