Ephedrine and its use in Weight Loss :: Health Dieting Papers

Ephedrine and its use in Weight Loss Throughout the late nineteenth century and into the new millennium, there has been a tremendous desire among women to lose weight. Women today will do anything to achieve their belief of the perfect figure. While the â€Å"Barbie† look was at one time looked upon as unhealthy, it is now considered expected. For some reason women feel the need to keep up with Hollywood and its stars. Of course it does not help when the cover of any fashion magazine is pasted with size-zero models. After reading a magazine filled with beautiful, skinny women, people usually feel worse about the way they look, not better. So it is no surprise that the trend to lose weight has taken off in the past couple of years. And with this trend comes the increased popularity in â€Å"weight-loss† products. One can find any type of product now that claims to lose weight effectively, but at what cost to his/her health? One very controversial herb found in diet pills or food supplements is ep hedrine. Purpose of Ephedrine: While ephedrine is used to treat low blood pressure and chronic asthma, it is more popularly used in diet pills (http://www.ravehard.com/doctor/ephidra.htm). Ephedrine is a natural stimulant found in many diet pills offered today. According to the Clinical Toxicology Review, ephedrine mainly affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the body. This means that it constricts blood vessels and enhances certain actions of the heart (http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000401/msgs/29022.html). In a clinical review; Capri-Mara Fillmore, Lisa Bartoli, Richard Bach, and Young Park 1999, they stated that ephedrine stimulates the sympathomimetic and central nervous system.