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WHY Was Ephedra Banned By The FDA For Use In "Non-Drug" OTC Diet Pills?

Ephedra is an alkaloid chemical compound traditionally obtained from the plant Ephedra sinica. Known in Chinese as ma huang, ephedra has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 5,000 years for the treatment of asthma and hay fever, as well as for the common cold. Several additional species belonging to the genus Ephedra have traditionally been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, and are a possible candidate for the Soma plant of Indo-Iranian religion. Native Americans and Mormon pioneers drank a tea brewed from an Ephedra, called Mormon Tea.

For years United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had been waiting for the opportunity to ban the usage of ephedra in non-drug company manufactured diet pills. In response to accumulating evidence of adverse effects and 159 deaths linked to ephedra, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing supplements on April 12, 2004.

A suit by an ephedra manufacturer was upheld by a Federal District Court judge in Utah on April 14, 2005. The FDA appealed this ruling, and on August 17, 2006 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the FDA's ban of ephedra. As of June 2007, the sale of ephedra-containing dietary supplements remains illegal in the United States due to their health risks.

159 deaths linked to ephedra most of which could also be linked to diet pill abuse. 159 deaths are certainly not something to sweep under the rug but in light of the fact that FDA approved drugs kill over 100,000 people per year in the USA what do you suppose is the REAL reason that ephedra was banned in the USA for usage in diet pills?



The diet, diet pill and weight loss business is HUGE, bringing in bucket loads of revenue, even today without ephedra. But in ephedra's hayday there is substanial reason to believe an estimated 14+ million Americans were using ephedra based diet pills to lose weight.

From 1996 to 2001 a network marketing company I was affiliated with offered an extremely well formulated diet pill containing ephedra. Just my organizations yearly sales amounted to 6.5 million. That figure is a drop in the bucket if you look at the market as a whole.

Our formulation was so incredible people were losing tons of weight without diet or lifestyle changes and without exercise. I had one couple in Sandpoint, Idaho who between the two of them lost over 300 lbs while eating pizza and ice cream and that's not B.S. - it's fact!

If our ephedra formulation had a major downfall that was it. It was too good and didn't force people to change the way they looked at food consumption and exercise. But...

Let's follow the MONEY.

In my opinion this is the REAL reason for the ephedra ban.

Our product sold from $18.50 (wholesale) to $29.95 (retail) for 60 capsules which was a 30 day supply. Most ephedra products that didn't work as well cost much more but if you just use the $18.50 per bottle figure and allow for 14 million people each buying only ONE bottle per year that computes to a 540 million dollar revenue stream. But...

The reality was that most people in my organization bought, on average, every other month which would mean an average consumption of around 6 bottles per year. That would indicate that the ephedra diet pill industry was right around 3.2 BILLION per year in revenue. That's exactly why...

The prescription drug companies have been trying to break into the diet pill market. But all they have managed to accomplish so far is to injure and/or kill people with their FDA approved concoctions. Phenn-Phenn and Redux are prime examples and were finally removed from the market place, but, not before thousands of people had to have heart valve surgery.

During the time ephedra was legally available on the market in diet supplements, approximately 159 people died from ephedra related complications. I say "related" because there is NO definitive proof that ephedra was the ONLY possible cause. For example:

The baseball pitcher for Baltimore, Steve Belcher, used a diet pill containing ephedra. Cause of death was heat stroke. Ephedra was blamed but let's look at truthful reality...

Belcher was 6'2" and 249 pounds. Using a BMI calculator or formula that computes to a body mass index of 32. Unless Steve Belcher was a body builder and loaded with heavy muscle - he was fat. In fact, a BMI of 32 indicates obesity. He also had an enlarged heart, borderline hypertension, and a liver that wasn't functioning properly.  You can read the New York Times coverage here:

==>> NY Times on: Belcher Death

Did Steven Belcher die from using ephedra? There isn't any concrete proof that says he did. Only speculation and the FDA had been trying to ban ephedra from the non-drug company diet pill market.

Belcher's death was a timely smoking gun.

Let's look at the FDA drug approval record.

Approximately 100,000 people die each year in the U.S. from FDA approved prescription drugs. Heart drugs and chemotherapy drugs lead the pack yet they are used continuously. 52,000 American soldiers were killed in the Viet Nam war in 10 years. Almost TWICE the number killed in Viet Nam die each YEAR from FDA approved meds and the FDA bans ephedra for 159 possible ephedra "related" deaths. That's ironic considering the FDA approves drugs via a "Benefit VS Risk" method.

Why do I say that?

The stats! Prescriptions drugs kill boat loads of people while ephedra may have been "linked" to killing 159. But how many people did ephedra help? How many lost weight and lived instead of becoming a statistic for obesity linked diseases? According to the Surgeon General's Report Obesity kills 300,000 Americans per year. How many of those were saved while ephedra was available?

I know I had many, many customers in my organization who lost 50 - 100+ pounds using our ephedra product and to my knowledge not ONE death or even a major complication! So, what exactly did the FDA accomplish by banning ephedra? It is this author's humble opinion, based on nothing but gut instinct, that what the FDA accomplished was:

***To ban non-drug companies from offering an extremely valuable weight loss ingedient that generated HUGE revenue thereby cutting into the profits of the major drug companies.***

And...

That's ALL they accomplished.

They kissed the drug lords butts or maybe even received some palm greasing. And, right now the FDA is trying to step in and control the herbal and food supplemnet market. They want to regulate EVERYTHING, not just diet products. You may soon find yourself needing to ask your doctor for a vitamin C or multi-vitamin prescription otherwise you won't be able to take vitamins!

Let's again - follow the money.

Nutritional products and dietary supplements are BIG business and huge revenue sources. That's why the drug companies want to control it. But with the FDA's approval track record and the drug companies ethics be very careful if the FDA ever gets enough power to control supplements. When the formulation, manufacturing and potential revenue is in the hands of the drug companies take heed:

DON'T take them because, like other prescription meds, they will likely kill you.

The new FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss drug called Alli is just another prime example of what the FDA will approve. It's pricy at around $60 per month and causes gastrointestional distress. $60 per month to block a small percentage of fat (fat only - no carbs) and endure gas pains, cramping and explosive diarrhea. That sounds fun doesn't it?

And...

Who really knows what Alli's long term effects might be. If it's like the majority of FDA approved drugs (FDA approved drugs Kill more people per year than died during the 10 year Viet Nam war) it may end up killing or disabling thousands of people. Yet like most of the FDA approval blunders only time will tell won't it?

Since the FDA banned ephedra, a completely uncalled for action in this author's opinion, it has been difficult to find and purchase good, safe diet pills that actually work.  So what about the 300,000 people who die each year from obesity linked disease? Is there help to lose weight for people who need it?

Obesity and Health

Obesity is a HUGE problem in the U.S. with over 300,000 people dying, each year and the obesity epidemic is only becoming worse with 62% of Americans being over weight and an astounding 31% "clinically obese" (30 pounds or more over weight). Like the male prostate, it's a growing problem.

If you are one of the 31% there's good news. There are diet secrets and diet products that work and can help you lose weight. If you'd like to know more about how you can lose 9 pounds EVERY 11 days urgently go to: ==>> Lose 9 Pounds EVERY 11 Days!


Deaths Caused By Prescription Drugs...
The FDA Approval Record SUCKS

This is an excerpt from one site:

"A medical report in 1998 estimated that adverse reactions to prescription drugs are killing about 106,000 Americans each year -- roughly three times as many as are killed by automobiles.[1] This makes prescription drugs the fourth leading killer in the U.S., after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The report included only drugs that were given properly and under normal circumstances, excluding drugs that were administered in error or taken in attempted suicides." ConsumerLawPage.com

Yet the FDA banned ephedra because of a possible "link" between ephedra and 159 deaths while on the market in dietary supplements?

Doesn't something SMELL here?

Drugs That Kill
This is the Consumer Law Page

Prescription Drugs VS Terroists
Statistics prove prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists!

Prescription Drug Deaths
Study shows alarming spike in prescription drug deaths at the beginning of each month

How to safely lose weight without ephedra

The way that works best is to learn the 10 Rules of Fat Loss. Want to safely lose weight without ephedra? Urgently go here ==>> Learn the 10 Rules of Fat Loss and Lose 9 Pounds EVERY 11 Days!

Let's look at what used to be the ephedra diet pill market.

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Diet Secrets - Lose 9 pounds every 11 days!