Media Renews Interest in Ephedra

Media Renews Interest in Ephedra

NEW YORK--Only two weeks after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published awithdrawal of some proposed ephedra regulations (see next newsstory), mainstream media outlets including the New York Times and Dateline NBCrevisited the topic--running stories admonishing the Agency for its position andtrumpeting stories about amateur athletes dropping dead in their tracks from combinationsof ephedra, caffeine and strenuous exercise.

The first shot was in an article published April 17 by the Associated Press and pickedup nationwide. It specifically mentioned several cases of deaths possibly linked toephedra. In the article, author Lauren Neergaard cited the case of a 35-year old thatcombined ephedra and aerobics with a fatal result--stroke. Then there was the case of the38-year old that combined ephedra, coffee and a morning jog with a similar result--cardiacarrest. According to the author, the FDA has to decide if ephedra should be regulated.

"The [FDA] just dramatically scaled back an attempt to regulate ephedra-containingdietary supplements," said Neergaard. "Now, armed with 273 new reports ofproblems like the ones above, the agency is grappling with whether the supplements atleast need warning labels."

Another article, published on April 18, noted that health officials were warningstudents at Penn State University to avoid combining ephedra, caffeine and exercise."People should avoid combinations of caffeine and ephedra, which are commonstimulants in many herbal and OTC energy products," said Dr. Edward Rosick, of the[Pennsylvania State] University Health Services. The doctor noted that over a long periodof time, the combination may lead to the development of an irregular heartbeat, yet whentaken alone, the products pose no danger.

Six years after it first "warned consumers of the danger", on the April 18edition of Dateline, found Diane Sawyer questioning the safety of ephedra. MichaelMcGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), was the onlyindustry representative defending the herb. Dateline noted that that AHPA's members"include some of the biggest ephedrine supplement companies."

"We're selling natural products," said McGuffin. "The plant will have avariation of the contained alkaloids and we're all comfortable with that. That's part ofwhat we get with natural medicines."

McGuffin was asked about the risk involved in taking epehdra supplements. He notedrisks to those with a history of heart or thyroid disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,depression, glaucoma, seizures, or who are pregnant or nursing. However, he noted,"Over two billion doses per year are consumed in this country and very, very littleevidence of any kind of side effects. There is not a single case... [not one] unbiasedscientific study where a consumer took this product and has a serious adverse event, notin the dietary supplements that we're selling, in the dosage level we're selling."

Dateline also interviewed Dr. Bill Gurley, a pharmaceutical scientist at the Universityof Arkansas College of Pharmacy. [See page 6 for a study he conducted.] "There's apotential for a very severe problem with these products," Gurley said. "Theconsumer literally has no idea what it is they're ingesting." Gurley then citedunreadable labels and lax manufacturing standards as potential dangers.

Cynthia Culmo, a pharmacist with the Texas Department of Health, told Dateline that thedietary supplement industry is tough to fight. According to Culmo, the industry "haslots of money, lawyers and lobbyists. Some legislators even sell the supplements." Insummary, said Culmo, "The products are dangerous."

Ephedra, which has been an important part of Chinese medicine for more than 5,000years, is undeniably a potent botanical. It can increase heart rates and energy levels andis often used as a weight loss tool. But does it deserve to be maligned by the press?

"The press has a responsibility to report factual information regarding the safetyconcerns and potential and documented benefits of all herbs," said Mark Blumenthal,executive director and founder of the American Botanical Council. "The issue ofephedra raises the larger question regarding how we deal in a free society with productswith potential safety concerns. As is well documented with numerous prescription and OTCdrugs, conventional medicines often cause significant adverse side effects. However,conventional medicines are evaluated according to a risk benefit-benefit assessment---manyof the risks are tolerated because of the overriding benefits. Unfortunately, botanicalproducts in the United States do not undergo such an evaluation. Reported risks areusually seen against a backdrop of no officially documented benefit. [As a result,] thepotential risks are often exaggerated." More information on ephedra can be found at www.ephedrafacts.com, maintained by the EphedraEducation Council.