Ephedrine is an alkaloid present in a number of herbs including the Chinese Ma Huang plant (Ephedra sinica). Ephedrine has some useful medicinal properties including the ability to increase airflow to the lungs through its ability to cause dilation of the bronchial tubes. This ability is conferred on the alkaloid because its chemical structure, a structure that is able to antagonise the beta receptors in the lungs which induce this dilatory effect. Ephedrine is therefore described pharmacologically as a beta agonist, and this property also gives it useful fat loss effects. In particular ephedrine, like all beta agonists, can activate the sympathetic branch of the central nervous system and this causes a shift to fatty acid oxidation, particularly from adipocytes. In addition, the activation of the sympathetic branch of the central nervous system also suppresses appetite, and increases metabolic rate through a general thermogenic effect. There may also be mild anti-catabolic effects for beta agonists in skeletal muscle.
The effects of drugs such as ephedrine are psychologically addictive and so care should be taken with their use. Ephedrine is no replacement for a healthy diet.
Ephedrine is therefore a useful fat loss tool, and scientific studies attest to its efficaciousness. Use of ephedrine without any modification to the diet can induce weight loss, particularly body fat, and its efficiency is magnified many fold if combined with a high quality diet. However, as with money, ephedrine can be a useful servant but a dangerous master, and care should always be exercised when using ephedrine. The medical effects of ephedrine are well known, and generally it has an excellent safety record if used sensibly. It is banned from sale in a number of countries, but this is more likely a reflection of lobbying from pharmaceutical companies due to its popularity and effectiveness rather than any safety concerns. It is certainly many times less dangerous than alcohol, which is freely available to any adult throughout the Western World. However, the sheer effectiveness of ephedrine can create a psychological dependence, and this can be more damaging to long term success that any physical effects it may have.
In the short term then, ephedrine is a useful fat loss tool and certainly it can cause the loss of considerable body fat. but because this fat loss can be achieved without large changes to the diet, these changes become less important. However, it is the establishment of new eating patterns and the adoption of a healthy eating plan that are required in order to allow long term success in any fat loss strategy. Without changes to eating patterns, there can be no continual progress because the underlying metabolic dysfunctions that have caused the weight gain will still remain. These dysfunctions must be reversed in order to allow normal energy metabolism, and normal body weight to be resumed. Therefore the use of ephedrine should be reserved as an adjunct to dietary changes, and these changes should be implemented first. A new healthy eating plan must be firmly established before any use of ephedrine is considered, and these new habits and behaviours must be second nature to provide a solid foundation of health.
A healthy diet should be firmly established before any supplements are taken to accelerate progress. No supplement can take the place of a healthy diet, and following a poor quality diet but relying on supplements to cause fat loss is a strategy doomed to failure.
It should also be firmly established in the individual’s mind that ephedrine use should be for the short term only, as its effects can be psychologically addictive. Fat loss can be expected, but as with all pharmacological effects, the law of diminishing returns will ensure that the gains will reduce in size with time. The temptation from most at this point is to increase the amount of ephedrine in order to increase the fat loss to its previous rate, however, this is highly damaging and sets up as spiral of psychological addiction. When effects diminish, it is best to abandon the use of ephedrine. This will allow physiological systems to readjust, and in particular will allow beta receptor down regulation, that will have occurred through use of ephedrine, to diminish. More importantly, it will also allow a psychological readjustment, which is more important than any physical effects. This psychological adjustment will re-establish more realistic long term goals away from the temptation of the rapid gains and easy fat loss of ephedrine.
RdB
