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Botanicals kill young athletes
JAY CALDWELL
SPORTS FITNESS
(Published: October 14, 2003)
Last week, Kevin Riggins was in town. You may never have heard of him. His son died in September 2002 in Lincoln, Ill. Of a massive heart attack. At the age of 16. He was a football and hockey player, wrestler and martial artist. Ephedra killed him. At 16.
Riggins came to address the athletes at the University of Alaska Anchorage and a smattering of them at Chugiak High School. He also spent an hour on KSKA's "Line One" program with Dr. Thad Woodard.
Riggins isn't maudlin. He isn't currying pity. He is on a mission to make people (particularly athletes and their parents) aware of the dangers of ephedra and ephedralike stimulants, the calculated and malicious negligence of the supplement industry and the tacit collusion of our politicians in the egregious disgrace of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (more about the act next week).
Maybe you've heard of Korey Stringer of the Vikings? Rashidi Wheeler of Northwestern? Steve Bechler of the Orioles? Ephedra probably got each of them. The Tour de France is littered with bodies dead from stimulants. All in the primes of their lives.
Ephedra (Ma-huang) is a botanical harvested from the dried stems of a small bush found throughout northern China: Ephedra sinica, intermedia and equisetina. It contains a half-dozen potentially toxic nerve and heart stimulant chemicals. Ephedra shrubs in North America do not contain these "alkaloids."
What is especially frightening about the supplements sold in "health food" stores or through the Internet is that although ephedra is sufficiently dangerous in its own right, it is almost always combined with other stimulants, especially with extremely high levels of caffeine. These preparations (teas, pills, powders, capsules) can be lethal. And have been.
It is ironic that it is difficult to document any performance enhancement from these ubiquitous supplements. Certainly those juiced on amphetamines believe they are better for them, but the hard data doesn't support it.
Riggins' message is important. And some are listening. Already Illinois has banned the sale of all ephedra products. New York and California may soon follow suit.
Do you have any lying around?
Jay Caldwell is director of the Alaska Sports Medicine Clinic.
Botanicals kill young athletes
JAY CALDWELL
SPORTS FITNESS
(Published: October 14, 2003)
Last week, Kevin Riggins was in town. You may never have heard of him. His son died in September 2002 in Lincoln, Ill. Of a massive heart attack. At the age of 16. He was a football and hockey player, wrestler and martial artist. Ephedra killed him. At 16.
Riggins came to address the athletes at the University of Alaska Anchorage and a smattering of them at Chugiak High School. He also spent an hour on KSKA's "Line One" program with Dr. Thad Woodard.
Riggins isn't maudlin. He isn't currying pity. He is on a mission to make people (particularly athletes and their parents) aware of the dangers of ephedra and ephedralike stimulants, the calculated and malicious negligence of the supplement industry and the tacit collusion of our politicians in the egregious disgrace of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (more about the act next week).
Maybe you've heard of Korey Stringer of the Vikings? Rashidi Wheeler of Northwestern? Steve Bechler of the Orioles? Ephedra probably got each of them. The Tour de France is littered with bodies dead from stimulants. All in the primes of their lives.
Ephedra (Ma-huang) is a botanical harvested from the dried stems of a small bush found throughout northern China: Ephedra sinica, intermedia and equisetina. It contains a half-dozen potentially toxic nerve and heart stimulant chemicals. Ephedra shrubs in North America do not contain these "alkaloids."
What is especially frightening about the supplements sold in "health food" stores or through the Internet is that although ephedra is sufficiently dangerous in its own right, it is almost always combined with other stimulants, especially with extremely high levels of caffeine. These preparations (teas, pills, powders, capsules) can be lethal. And have been.
It is ironic that it is difficult to document any performance enhancement from these ubiquitous supplements. Certainly those juiced on amphetamines believe they are better for them, but the hard data doesn't support it.
Riggins' message is important. And some are listening. Already Illinois has banned the sale of all ephedra products. New York and California may soon follow suit.
Do you have any lying around?
Jay Caldwell is director of the Alaska Sports Medicine Clinic.
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