Ephedra in the USA

Is it Legal?

Ephedra pills have been on sale in health food shops in the USA for years, used as a weight loss product and mild stimulant to improve athletic performance.  The active ingredient is ephedrine but in 2002 the FDA banned the product, saying that it had been linked to a number of deaths.  The health food product industry protested but all to no avail until now.   A court in Utah has said that the FDA ban is illegal.

The court ruled on a challenge to the ban from Nutraceutical International Corp. and said the FDA had failed to show that “low” ephedra doses posed a "significant or unreasonable risk."

The decision prevents the FDA from enforcing its ban against products containing 10 milligrams or less of ephedra.   The agency "is considering all of its options with respect to next steps,"  a spokesman said.

The nationwide ephedra ban that took effect in April 2004 was the first for a dietary supplement and is considered a key test of the FDA's power over the supplement industry. Unlike prescription medicines, dietary supplements do not have to be proven safe before they can be sold. Under a 1994 law, the government must show a supplement is too risky to force it off the market.

But now there are some members of Congress who are prepared to introduce new legislation which will be even more extreme than the last to make even the tiniest quantities of ephedra illegal.  No politician anywhere, no matter how ill informed, bigoted or just insane, likes to have his or her bigotry opposed.   Why can’t we send the lot of them off to some desert island to argue and fight each other with no possibility that the rest of us will ever have to listen to them again.

Over our side of the Atlantic, if the European Union gets its way, food supplements will have to be proved safe before they can go on sale.

Harold with the mammoth Ronnie Coleman.   Harold is not small — he was about 275 lbs in this shot but Ronnie’s mass is something a bit special.   Picture was taken backstage at the IFBB British GP in 2004.

NOC - New York

The NOC Contest in New York will be on 21st May and will be run this year by Steve Weinberg and he has a huge line-up of about 40 bodybuilders expected on stage.  The man with the freakiest legs in bodybuilding, Paco Bautista, is looking awesome and weird as he cuts up for the day. Victor Martinez will be in the top five. Expect some monsters of muscle on stage — in spite of new IFBB Rules about looking pretty!

We have lots of Gym News this month with many of our members deciding to go back into competitions and quite a few newcomers chomping at the bit to have-a-go.

But first, we must congratulate Harold & Karen on reaching their 5th Wedding Anniversary.   Not long, you may say, but compared with some marriages these days, it stretches across the vast aeons of time.   They were married on St Valentine’s Day 2000.

This month, on 17th April, the British Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships promoted by Mark Jordan took place in Port Talbot, Galmorgan. Rich West was there, coming up to his peak nicely for the day of the contest but not quite at his peak when he came to lift. Steve Hardy also competed and Paul Hickman came 2nd in the Bench presas contest.  He is still just getting used to lifting in a tight suit and seeing his bench press poundage going right up. He did well on teh day but I still waiting for a full contest report.

Julia Hunt [nee Colbourn] decided to do the EFBB North West Show in the Parr Hall Warrington on 24th April in the Body Fitness event.  She placed 2nd but on this day, she did not get invited to teh British Finals.

Other Forest Gym members getting serious about this year’s contests are Paul “George” Martin.  He has gained some extra size and is planning to do the Leicester show on 4th September.    He will have moral support from Danny Poole who is near 20 st and has gained some serious mass on his legs in the last 12 months.  Danny will be wicked on the day.   Also in Leicester will be Mick Freeman in the 80 kg Class and Michelle Jones in the Body Fitness in her first ever contest appearance.  There is a good chance that all will go on to the NABBA England two weeks later on 18th September.

Eva Latti is working with Karen to prepare for the Stars of Tomorrow in November and she will, I predict, do very well.   Rob Bales will compete for the first time ever in the O40 Class at the Stars of Tomorrow.   He already has a good solid shape and with some conditioning work, he should be a serious contender.

Wade Stafford is looking good and nearly ready for the MW Class at the EFBB South East at the Beck Theatre on 8th May.

Marius Dohm will also be at the South East Show.  He has decided against going back to South Africa for the time being and is anxious to get his career back on track.

After the comments at the South Coast Show about Rob Hill being unable to walk past a Fish and Chip Shop, the two times winner of the EFBB South Coast HW and Overall is dieting seriously and will be at the Gravesend Show on 28th August.  If he does well there he will follow up with other EFBB Shows with a plan to make it to the EFBB British Finals in October.

A new visitor to The Forest Gym has been Paul Scarborough coming up all the way from Plymouth. He has done well in local shows to date but he has never been able to crack the top level.   Harold is very impressed with his physique and his commitment and feels that he will be able to go all the way.  At 5ft 5in in height he is just in NABBA Class 4 and, with help from Harold, on 24th April at the NABBA West Britain Show, he took 1st place in Class 4 and was defeated by 3 votes to 2 for the Overall title. He is over-the-moon with this result and is getting ready for the NABBA Britain Finals with lots of enthusiasm.   He should go for the NABBA England later in the year if he hasn’t qualified for the NABBA Universe by then.

Troy Brown is looking impressive.  Last year he qualified for the British Finals as a MW but on the day he was up at 83 kg, looking fuller but too far below the class limit to really make waves.  In October, I wrote, “Troy looked good and I am convinced that this is his right class.  Get up to the weight limit and he will be a difficult act to beat.”  He is going to do the 2005 EFBB South East on May 8th and at 93 kg he is already looking very lean.   He will come in on the day at just below 90 kg — about 11 kg up on his qualifying weight last year.  He is now set to be a serious contender for the Finals.  Harold is very optimistic about Troy’s chances.

“Americans will eat garbage providing you sprinkle it well with ketchup”                                                                                                                Henry Miller