ENERGY NUTRIENTS
FOR WEIGHT LOSS
In 1972 a doctor in Elsinore, Denmark, noticed that some of his patients unexpectedly lost weight when he prescribed a compound containing ephedrine and caffeine. Word spread rapidly of the weight-loss effects of this compound and the "Elsinore pill," as it came to be called, was soon being prescribed as an antiobesity agent. Throughout the 1990's and into the 2000's, ephedrine was consumed by many people for weight loss. However, starting in 1995 after the passage of new regulations governing the nutritional supplement industry, many unscrupulous entrepreneurs marketed ephedrine-based products without appropriate warnings about the potential negative side effects. For example, ephedrine is contraindicated for people with hypertension and potentially lethal for overweight, out-of-shape athletes experiencing dehydration. As a result of excessive marketing zeal on the part of a few large distributors of ephedrine products, combined with inadequate label warnings on products and adverse reactions by some people who should not have been taking ephedrine in the first place, in 2003 the FDA banned the sales of all products containing ephedrine. Despite some legal challenges to the FDA ruling, ephedrine products for weight loss are no longer on store shelves.
THE ALTERNATIVE TO EPHEDRINE
While the FDA's action in removing ephedrine products was a major blow to many people who were taking ephedrine for weight loss, there are actually several other herbs that provide the same positive benefits for weight loss without the negative side effects of excessive adrenal stimulation. In Chapters 6 and 10 I discuss some of these herbs and the clinical studies supporting their safty and efficacy.When I started EverTrim in 1980, I had many clients who could not take ephedrine because they had high blood pressure or other health conditions. Therefore, I researched how to achieve the weight loss benefits of ephedrine with other nutrients. As you will learn in Chapter 6, all of these natural ingredients are safe to take and there are mountains of studies confirming their action on the body. These herbs can be found in both individual capsules or as part of a nutritional formula that combines them with other nutrients. The formulas that I have created generally have at least two of these herbs in combination with other vitamins and minerals. The reason that I have combined them with vitamins and minerals is because I recommend that they be taken along with the omega and essential fatty acids that are also a part of the EverTrim program. Since the essential fatty acids require certain vitamins and minerals as cofactors that aid in the conversion of the fatty acids into other nutrient building blocks, it is often more convenient and economical to combine some of these nutrients to cut down on the size and number of pills.
OMEGA OILS AND ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
DIGESTIVE AIDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
MINERALS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
ACID-ALKALINE BALANCE AND WEIGHT LOSS
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