Has anyone use ephedra free TrimSpa x32? Comments please

[bellatina]

Please provide any comments regading this supplement.

[wideawake]

How could anything that Anna Nicole Smith promotes be bad?

[Confused123]

I think those products are a bandaid solution to a weigh problem... People need to learn to diet and exercise. Not take some pill and thing that they are going to get thin... I don't reccomend taking it, if they haven't found something wrong with it yet, they will. That crap is no good. Go to the gym and eat things in moderation,don;t take diet pills

[bellatina]

I would have never even consider diet pills, but apparently they do work specially if used with good diet and exercise. They can help shed an extra lbs a week and help maintain muscle mass.

 

Check this link

 

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/nutrition/56

 

this is only one of many positive reviews on supplements

[moimeme]

Oh yeah. I'd definitely give my full trust to an organization that reviews ephedrine positively as a weight-loss aid.

 

Do not count on 'reviews' from bodybuilding magazines for your scienitific information, please. If you want to know about these sorts of supplements, speak to a pharmacist or read about them from a credible medical site like NIH or Medscape.

 

Bottom line - OF COURSE they will be positively 'reviewed' - these 'reviews' are usually part of the advertising. They should not be considered good medical information.

[cdn]

What are the ingredients of this product? Some supplements claim to support metabolic function, which is accurate in the sense that they provide vitamins/herbs used or produced by the body as part of the metabolic process. If you are seriously deficient in one or more of these substances, a supplement might help you. But this is a far cry from changing or increasing your natural metabolic rate. And you'd want to carefully look at each ingredient and make sure it is safe.

 

I am generally leery of supplements that claim to speed up your metabolism as the only ones I know if that actually live up to this claim come with a whole host of medical problems. Ephedrine is one that's gotten a lot of press recently. Cigarette smoking is another.

 

The best "trick" I know of to increase metabolism is to weight train, which I think you are already doing. Muscle requires more calories than non-muscle (or fat), even whenyou are not directly using the muscle. The increase in metablism generated by increasing your muscle mass works for you 24/7, for the rest of your life... or until you lose the muscle. Plus, you get the added benefits of better health, staving off or even reversing osteoporosis and looking great!

[cdn]

There is nothing in Trimspa that will hurt you. Most of the ingredients are pretty standard stuff that would be in any good multi-vitamin. The only wild card is the Hoodia gordonii cactus, which is a "new" discovery being heralded as having appetite supressant capabilities. I couldn't find any data to support this claim -- lots of shouting from various purveyors of this supplement as to its efficacy -- but neither could I find anything to suggest that it would harm you. The directions say you should take a tablet 20 minutes before a meal and to drink 8 ounces of water at the same time. Although I suspect that it's the 8 ounces of water in your stomach that is causing you to want to eat less, I think if you really want to try this stuff you can. I also think you can find better uses your money. A $40 bottle contains 30 servings. At 3 servings per day, that's $40 every 10 days.

[wideawake]

Originally posted by cdn

The best "trick" I know of to increase metabolism is to weight train

 

I'll second that.

 

And throw in one more.

 

To keep your metabolism humming along, break up your meals into more frequent smaller meals, i.e., instead of eating 3 big meals a day, eat 6 smaller ones. Keep you total calories the same, just eat every 3-4 hours instead of every 6. It will do wonders in terms of body comp.

[wideawake]

Originally posted by moimeme

Oh yeah. I'd definitely give my full trust to an organization that reviews ephedrine positively as a weight-loss aid.

 

Just a quick note on this.

 

The whole 'Ephedra is gonna kill our youth" deal of the last few months was basically a political move to win the soccer mom vote...

 

Here's a few links to peer-reviewed and published medical studies from PubMed/The National Library of Medicine that show ephedrine to play a positive role in human health when used appropriately.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uid8124407&dopt=Abstract

 

Quote from the study above:

"We conclude that the ephedrine/caffeine combination is safe and effective in long-term treatment in improving and maintaining weight loss. "

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uid8384179&dopt=Abstract

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uid1310922&dopt=Abstract

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uid3512957&dopt=Abstract

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uid498825&dopt=Abstract

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uid1234017&dopt=Abstract

 

There are many, many, many more...

 

Here's a link to PubMed.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

 

And I would encourage everyone to do their own research on anything they put in their body before just jumping on the current bandwagon and shouting out cries of "Danger!"

 

Bottom line. Don't believe the hype.

 

I'm open to any and all comments, and I could certainly discuss this point down to the cellular level of detail.

 

 

NOW...all that being said. I would not use Ephedrine and I don't think anyone should be using Ephedrine unless they have been prescribed it by thier doctor. It is a very poweful stimulant, and can cause some bad reactions in a small minority of the population.

 

But I'm also a little sick of the government telling me what I can and can not put in my body, and making these decisions based on political pressure, and not scientific fact.

[cdn]

WA -

 

I agree with you completely. My only disagreement is that I believe the govt. gets involved not to win soccer mom votes but because of intense lobbying from the prescription drug lobby. Far more people have been maimed or killed through inadequately tested prescription medicines than through non-prescription supplements. It's not about safety but money: the big drug companies have a vested interest in prescription "cures" over prevention or natural remedy.

[moimeme]

NOW...all that being said. I would not use Ephedrine and I don't think anyone should be using Ephedrine unless they have been prescribed it by thier doctor. It is a very poweful stimulant

 

Precisely. It affects blood pressure and heart rate, among other things.

 

The only wild card is the Hoodia gordonii cactus

 

This could be a problem. Remember the wonders attributed to kava-kava? To ephedra? My policy is to stay FAR away from any of this junk until it has been on the market a good long while and no adverse effects have been found. Once our governments get around to regulating these things, I'll be happier about trying them. As for the 'pharmaceutical conspiracy' - bah, humbug. What about the 'conspiracy' of gawdknowswhotheyare manufacturers churning out these 'supplements' which, when tested, are often found to not even have the ingredients they claim to have in them? Whether you're anti-government or no, I'm happier to trust my health to substances which have been tested thoroughly and approved, thanks.

 

But hey, if you want to suck back some hoodia gordonii, be my guest. Just don't come whining to me if your kidneys quit or you have a heart attack because it turns out to be harmful.

Far more people have been maimed or killed through inadequately tested prescription medicines than through non-prescription supplements

 

If that is true, it is true because prescription medicines are vastly more numerous and have been around far longer than have these supplements. Besides, without any sort of tracking, how can you possibly assert how many deaths are or are not attributable to them? You seriously are happier taking supplements from unregulated manufacturers than taking drugs which have been on the market and tested for years? Makes no sense to me at all.

[wideawake]

Originally posted by moimeme

Once our governments get around to regulating these things, I'll be happier about trying them.

 

ug...YOUR government has regulated the crap out of things, including some good amino acids and protein powders. Hopefully the states will NOT follow suit.

[cdn]

Frankly, all things being equal, I'd rather take my chances with Hoodia gordonii cactus or even Kava Kava (another government-induced scare) than with the drugs governments have presumably vetted. Thalidamide, DES, silicone breast implants, mercury in children's vaccinations and hormone replacement therapy are just a few that come to mind that have all had the govt. seal of approval. There is nothing even close on the supplement front.

 

As to what I personally will take (or not): I don't put anything in my body unless I understand what it is and how it works. I am not convinced that Hoodia is of benefit to anyone, so, even if I needed to lose weight, this is not the route I would opt for. That said, I do believe that there are supplements that are beneficial and, when there is science to support this, I make my decisions accordingly. An example: I believe that the government's estimation of how much vitamin C I need is way understated. I also believe, based on personal experience and research, that vitamin C can shorten a cold's duration, if taken at the onset. Further, there are no harmful effects of taking "too much" vitamin C (the worse thing that will happen is that you'll have a loose bowel movement, in which case you can cut back). So I choose to take more of this vitamin than the government recommends. Conversely, the government states that the levels of hormones and antibiotics in our meat and milk supply are not of concern. But I have read enough to see that there are harmful effects that I don't wish my family exposed to. So I choose to buy organic products.

 

I think we should get out of the mindset that Big Daddy is watching out for us and start doing our own thinking. There are many vitamins and supplements that have well-established track records of benefit and others that are pretty much useless. I believe that most people are capabale of determining which are which.

[moimeme]

I believe that most people are capabale of determining which are which.

 

That's a fine theory, so long as 'most people' have the equipment to determine whether the supplements they are taking actually contain the ingredients they claim to contain in the quantities they claim to have, without other, unwanted substances besides. Since nobody is regulating the supplment industry - yet - these are real instances. I've seen several instances where consumer advocacy organizations tested supplements and found them wanting.

 

Like 'big daddy' or not, some sort of enforced standardization is essential when it comes to stuff we ingest, IMHO.

 

I'm not talking about vitamins; there is plenty of good science validating them. Eventually, there will also be good science around supplements and then I'll consider them more seriously, but not until.

[jenny]

wow, wideawake, terrific research. i had some problems getting to the articles through the links provided, but i figured out the main entry easily enough. i went off on a friend who needs to lose weight for taking this stuff about a week ago, sunday-night-movie-style, but now i'll have to backpeddle and print this stuff out for her, so she can make a balanced and informed decision. thanks for the legwork!

[wideawake]

Originally posted by jenny

wow, wideawake, terrific research. i had some problems getting to the articles through the links provided, but i figured out the main entry easily enough. i went off on a friend who needs to lose weight for taking this stuff about a week ago, sunday-night-movie-style, but now i'll have to backpeddle and print this stuff out for her, so she can make a balanced and informed decision. thanks for the legwork!

 

Honestly, she probably doesn't need to take eph. She probably needs to get her diet down and exercise program down. I wouldn't backpedal a bit. Tell her to educate herself (himself?) a lot more on setting up a healthy diet system for losing fat, and how that combines with a weight training program to maintain/increase healthy muscle tissue.

 

Eph is pretty harsh stuff, and I don't think anyone should be using it that doesn't really have a very full understanding of it's effects down multiple physiological pathways (respiratory, hormonal, cns, etc...).

[wideawake]

Originally posted by moimeme

I believe that most people are capabale of determining which are which.

Like 'big daddy' or not, some sort of enforced standardization is essential when it comes to stuff we ingest, IMHO.

 

Yeah, exactly, because when government gets involved everything works out just fine.

 

Case in point - The Rand report, a recent comprehensive scientific review of ephedra, that confirms that more than 55 studies support the safety of ephedra/caffeine combinations when properly formulated, labeled and used as directed.

 

It also states that the FDA's use of adverse event reports -- the apparent sole media source -- are not useful for assessing safety, do not negate the scientific data supporting the safety and efficacy of ephedra and do not establish that ephedra has caused these adverse events.

 

Opponents have suggested that 155 deaths have been linked to the use of ephedra. But even this number is quite low given that 17 million Americans consume about 3 billion doses per year.

 

If the FDA is truly concerned with consumer safety, why then are higher concentrations of a synthetic ephedrine alkaloid, pseudoephedrine, still going to be used in over-the-counter cold medications?

 

Furthermore, if consumer safety is truly the concern, why are 147,000 people dying each year from "approved" pharmaceuticals? According to a 1999 Drug Abuse Warning Network report, 811 people die from valium, 641 from Benadryl, 427 from Tylenol, 305 from Prozac and 104 from aspirin. Where is the FDA concern for these disturbing numbers?

 

And we haven't even talked about booze and smokes yet.

 

Until the FDA reverts back to the impartial governmental consumer watchdog agency it was designed to be instead of the politically driven machine it has become, we all lose.

 

[/RANT OFF]

 

How about we let the free market determine what products are worth the nut, and let people use their own minds to weigh the risk/reward aspect of taking these substances.

 

Just a thought. Ya know? Actually ask people to be responsible for themselves and thier actions....

 

Nah...I don't think it'll happen either.

[cdn]

Hey WA -

 

Great post. And you saved me a lot of typing.

 

I will just add that the government's track record in ensuring the safety of the substances we ingest is mediocre at best. HRT, to cite a recent example, was known to create serious health problems as early as the 1970's but no government agency issued any alerts until the dangers were finally "outed" by the media in the 2000's. Many of the same groups that advocate supplements had published articles about the harmful effects of HRT for years but were pooh-poohed by the FDA.

 

 

How about we let the free market determine what products are worth the nut, and let people use their own minds to weigh the risk/reward aspect of taking these substances.

 

Just a thought. Ya know? Actually ask people to be responsible for themselves and thier actions....

 

What a concept!

[moimeme]

How about we let the free market determine what products are worth the nut, and let people use their own minds to weigh the risk/reward aspect of taking these substances.

 

Just a thought. Ya know? Actually ask people to be responsible for themselves and thier actions....

 

Because there are far too many humans for correct information to pass from one to another fast enough to save your hide. Any day you like, you'll find a bazillion internet sites touting the 'safety' of their product, complete with testimonials from seemingly genuine people. There is no possible way for you to verify these.

 

Besides, there is no such thing as 'the free market'; it's a beautiful myth perpetrated by economics profs. The market is controlled and shaped by monied interests, graft, corruption, kickbacks, and all sorts of crime. Would you have argued that Enron was a paragon of free market economics? Of course you would - until you found out differently. There is that sort of junk going on in the seamy underbelly of industry all the time - you just think you know what's going on.

 

You want to trust yourself to the 'free market' - the same 'free market' that has allowed tainted meat to go on sale in the name of making profit - and killed people (and plenty of other such tales), you go right ahead. Baby, there ain't no such thing, but I guess if you clap your hands twice, Tinkerbell might really exist after all.

[bellatina]

Originally posted by moimeme

Oh yeah. I'd definitely give my full trust to an organization that reviews ephedrine positively as a weight-loss aid.

 

Do not count on 'reviews' from bodybuilding magazines for your scienitific information, please. If you want to know about these sorts of supplements, speak to a pharmacist or read about them from a credible medical site like NIH or Medscape.

 

Bottom line - OF COURSE they will be positively 'reviewed' - these 'reviews' are usually part of the advertising. They should not be considered good medical information.

 

The review tell reader that if used in excess ephedra kills. Also I am asking about the other ingrdients trim spa is ephedra free.

[bellatina]

Originally posted by wideawake

Honestly, she probably doesn't need to take eph. She probably needs to get her diet down and exercise program down. I wouldn't backpedal a bit. Tell her to educate herself (himself?) a lot more on setting up a healthy diet system for losing fat,.

 

 

Unlike a lot of people I am not looking for an easy way out....I work out daily and watch my food intake. I am actually doing very good. I was curious about the product since a lot of people seem to have posite things to say about it.

 

I haven't decided if I will use it. Supplements are a part of the regimen of many healthy people. And to he honest I could use something that increases energy. Sometimes I feel pretty damn tired.

[jerdman]

i would like to add a comment about the dietary supplements...as you will probably all jump down my throat, im going to say it anyway...

 

I have been taking a dietary supplement for almost 6 months WITH EXERCISE AND HEALTHY DIET and have lost 60 pounds, so I give 2 thumbs up to the products with ephedra...i feel its a personal opinion as to wether you want to take it or not...i have had NO health problems while taking the supplement, ...before knocking down people and telling them to eat healthy and exercise solely, consider that everyone is NOT the same and this may NOT be effective for many people...as with me i have tried to do this in the past with no success, for many many years, lived overweight, THIS SUPPLEMENT HAS HELPED ME and with no negative recourse... with ALL the hype of ephedra based products...its just like ANYTHING/EVERYTHING else these days...we can find fault with just about anything that you put in your body...every day is something new and different, when the ephdra Rush dies down, they will move on to something else to complain about......more people have been struck by lightning then poeple who have had negative and fatal reactions to ephedra..if taken in moderation and as prescribed there should be no problem, if its NOT broke why fix it?

 

just my opinion..have a great day!

[doni lynn]

i took trim spa a month ago. i became very ill and had to under go a surgical

treatment. i ruptured some blood vessels. it was the most painful experience of

my life. i can not eat normal today. i advise anybody not to take trim spa!

i was a healthy normal person, and did not take any other meds. if it happen to

me. it could happen to you.

 

 

thanks doni lynn

[pav186]

WIDEAWAKE!!

 

Finally someone with common sense on this whole ephedra witch hunt!! Yes ephedrine can be dangerous, but it can also be very useful. I bought some just before it went off the market and I take 1-2 before a workout. Many people who had ill effects from it took way more than they should of, took it in excessive heat, or didnt drink enough water. But godforbid we actually place some blame on the people who died, but no we must all pretend they are an innocent victim of the dangerous and evil ephedra. Why does everything turn into a black and white issue!!

 

My roommate and i got into a debate about this and said he didnt think its worth the risk and shouldnt be available for sale. So i said, I think it is worth the risk so let me buy it, and you can walk right past it and buy whatever you want. I dont understand why people must always use some sort of force (legal or otherwise) to make people act in accordance to THEIR beliefs and views. It makes no sense, when i heard about the prohibition of yet another substance i was furious.

 

And it is blatant pandering to soccer moms who have nothing better to do except get jacked up on their caramel frappachino's with double shots of espresso's, most of whom have miserable lives, with miserable husbands and pain in the ass kids and do whatever they can to make my life miserable. I'm tired of laws being enacted to protect their kids from adult products because they would actually have to do something called parenting, which fewer and fewer "parents" seem to be cpable of doing. So lets ignore the real issue and do something drastic like outlaw the whole supplement completely.

 

Everything in moderation people.....

 

One more thing, I think about 150 people have died since the early 90's ehich calculates to about 13 per year. Keep in mind 51 people die per year from hot tap water injuries (no, i dont know how but its in john stossels new book) and I also read that 150 people die every year from coconuts falling on their heads. So in light of protecting the innocent kids I am starting a new campaign to prohibit the growing and nurturing of palm trees. I will also move to begin the complete destruction of all living palm trees worldwide as they pose an unreasonable risk to the public, so enjoy the caribbean while you can.

 

you can register at http://www.OperationSaveTheKids.com ... and if you dont support it you must like the killing of innocent kids...

[wideawake]

pav186,

 

Welcome to the Love Shack my brotha from anotha motha!

 

We're on the same page man, it's unreal that obesity related illness will account for more than 1/2 of all health care costs in the next few years.

 

And the damn government is waging war on the FITNESS Industry??

 

Anyway bro, just an FYI - Ephedrine HCL (the good stuff) is still legal, only products with Ephedra (herbal crap) are now illegal. So basically any decent asthma OTC med will give you a better bang for your buck than the old stuff anyway.

 

In other words...the dumb law didn't do anything really.

 

On another note, it's also been shown that long-term use of Ephedrine will dramatically increase the amount of cortisol circulating in your system, and over a period of time this will significantly work against you maintaining a healthy body comp. i.e., cortisol increases adipose tissue, decreases lean muscle tissue, and play havoc with your endro system.

 

I don't use Eph in any shape or form today because of this.

 

Take care man,

 

WA