The ban on Ephedra is supposed to be made law today and it raises some interesting questions. At first, I bought into the hype and held up my fingers in the shape of a cross in front of me whenever Ephedra was mentioned. But what is the real danger of Ephedra and what is the real motivation behind the ban? Ephedra kills right? Well sorta. Officially Ephedra has been named as having "something to do with" 135 deaths. That includes people who were doing cocaine while taking Ephedra as well as people who had auto accidents while taking Ephedra. Not a real direct causal relationship there. And look at the number of deaths - 135. Are we talking about an epidemic here? Not likely. Look at the number of deaths from other causes during that same time:

Common flu 65,313
Auto accidents 42,116
Adverse reaction to prescription drugs 30,622
Murders 15,517
Falls 13,332
Drownnig 3,382
Lightning strikes 120

The only one on that list that is currently banned is murder. We are talking 135 deaths from Ephedra IF you include related deaths. So why ban something that isn't really that dangerous? Who could benefit from getting Ephedra off the market? Well, probably the same people responsible for #3 on the list - pharmaceutical companies and physicians. The bulk of the income in the "health care" industry is from drugs. When the public finds something that works which doesn't require a trip to the doctor or expensive prescription, it is bad for business.

So what is my point? Nothing dramatic - I am not saying call your congressman etc. Just saying that when you hear something on CNN like "Ephedra kills," make sure you think for yourself a bit and question things. It is not called the "Boob Tube" because it shows Janet Jackson's breast... it is called that and "idot box" because that is the target audience and what you become if you watch too much of the programming for the masses - CNN, sitcoms, reality shows etc.
- posted by Chris @ 11:08 AM