Originally Posted by sscyco
I heard that they banned it because ephedra had been linked to 110 deaths over the last ten years. I also heard that asprin averages 100 per year, Tylenol 200-300 and Benadril about 600 per year. Of course I heard this over the radio, and I do not confirm these numbers.
Exactly, if you want to look at over the counter products that have killed more people, try plain old tylenol or asprin.
(1996): "]b]Each year,[/b] use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) accounts for an estimated
7,600 deaths; and 76,000 hospitalizations in the United States." (NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen, and tiaprofenic acid.)
Source: Robyn Tamblyn, PhD; Laeora Berkson, MD, MHPE, FRCPC; W. Dale Jauphinee, MD, FRCPC; David Gayton, MD, PhD, FRCPC; Roland Grad, MD, MSc; Allen Huang, MD, FRCPC; Lisa Isaac, PhD; Peter McLeod, MD, FRCPC; and Linda Snell, MD, MHPE, FRCPC, "Unnecessary Prescribing of NSAIDs and the Management of NSAID-Related Gastropathy in Medical Practice," Annals of Internal Medicine (Washington, DC: American College of Physicians, 1997), September 15, 1997, 127:429-438, from the web at
http://www.acponline.org/journals/a...ep97/nsaid.htm, last accessed Feb. 14, 2001, citing Fries, JF, "Assessing and understanding patient risk," Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology Supplement, 1992;92:21-4.
However, in all fairness, I will also present some numbers that the proponents of banning ephedra are using:
The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported 1178 ephedrarelated adverse reactions in 2001, accounting for 64% of all adverse reactions secondary to commonly used herbs in the United States. However, ephedra products represented only 0.82% of the herbal products for sale in the United States. Indeed, the relative risk for adverse reactions among ephedra users are 10- to 40-fold higher than the risk among those who use other herbal products. It is for this reason, these anti ephedra people are chanting their mantra.
Adverse effects meaning heart attacks, strokes, palpitatins, chest pain, anxiety attacks etc. and not necessarily deaths.
I don't like ephedra, but at the same time I don't think it should be banned when so many other things are more dangerous.
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