Responsible Ephedra Users Say Cooper's Bill Is Unfair

While Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney decides whether or not to sign into law the ban on ephedra, some longtime users feel the ban is going overboard by disallowing sales of the product to adults. The bill, introduced by Legislator Jon Cooper (D-Huntington), follows a Suffolk County ban on the sale of the product to minors.
 
The bill to completely ban ephedra sales in Suffolk County was passed February 11 with a vote of 12-5 by the Legislature with one abstention and still awaits Gaffney's signature. A public hearing for the executive's office on the matter was held last week.

The bill was introduced after Cooper became concerned with the death of a 20-year-old ephedra user, the son of a constituent, he said. The bill is an attempt to bring some order back to the $17 billion dietary supplement industry, which became less regulated after Congress passed the 1994 Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act, which released the industry from many safeguards over-the-counter and prescription drugs are under, he added.

The main problem with ephedra and products like it that fall under the dietary supplement umbrella, Cooper said, is that manufacturers do not have to report any cases of ill-effects or adverse reactions to government agencies that would be able to take action if a high number of these reports emanated from one product. Cooper hopes that the bill will begin movement on the state and federal level to reenact this reporting dismissed by the 1994 Act.

However, some who have been long-term users of ephedra feel it has been the abusers who have given it a bad name and that ephedra should be allowed to be used by responsible adults free to make their own choice on the matter.

"It's just like taking a vitamin," said Lisa Matassa. The 37-year-old mother of two has been using an ephedra-based product for 15 years. "Fitness is big in our house," Matassa said.

She began using ephedra when she was trying to lose weight, and added it to her training regimen. "Not only did it make me not want to eat, but it did not have any ill effects," Matassa said.

Matassa, who works out with her husband, Frank, five to six times a week, believes that if the directions are followed correctly for the ephedra, most would not have a problem. "When I first started, I could tell three pills would be too much, so I didn't take three, I took one or two, I was able to regulate myself," Matassa said. Her husband has been using the product for years as well, she said.

Much of the problem comes with those abusing ephedra and taking the maximum dose, three pills three times a day, Matassa said, without fully reading the label, which advises to start out with a small dose to see how the body reacts and then build up.

She and her friends have been resigned to the fact the ban would be coming as they had noticed so many people abusing ephedra. "We all knew they were going to crack down on it, there are so many people that just use it for weight loss," she said.

"Read the entire label before using it and follow the directions," said 43-year-old Ross Calvagna of Babylon. Calvagna, a construction project manager, has been using ephedra for 27 years, he said. "I've been able to maintain my weight with it. If I stop taking it, I gain weight," Calvagna said. Although he lifts weights on a regular basis and has competed as an amateur bodybuilder, he did admit intolerance to cardiovascular work. "I'm lazy, to be quite honest with you."

Most of the abuse of ephedra is occurring among teenage users, he believes, and the ban on the product should remain directed at minors, not adults who should be able to think for themselves, Calvagna said. "There's a lot of pressure on them to have six-pack abs, to look like a model," he said. "People take risks." And as far as the adult abusers, and those who have ill effects, they should follow the label and build up their dosage slowly, Calvagna said.

"I've been taking it for roughly five years," said 37-year-old Monica McCarthy of Babylon. McCarthy is a certified trainer, former amateur bodybuilder and trains five times a week. She began using ephedra when readying for bodybuilding competitions and found the product safe, as long as used as directed. She also believes ephedra has gotten a bad rap. "It is safe when used in a safe manner," she said. "I just feel it is being abused by kids that are trying to lose weight. They try to take these products and then don't eat anything."

McCarthy also feels the kids and young adults never bother to read the instructions and set a dangerous usage pattern from the very beginning. "There are specific instructions. You are supposed to take half the recommended dosage to test your tolerance. These kids are not doing that."

Like her friends, McCarthy sees the younger generation driven to ephedra while seeking the perfect look, rather than using it to enhance a workout. "I think there is much more focus on an image, such as the people you see on the television shows and the people in Hollywood and the people in the magazines. They believe they have to show their body. They follow what they see," she said.

While Cooper acknowledged adults should be able to make their own decisions and that ephedra could still be obtained over the Internet, although illegally in Suffolk County, and many could simply drive to Nassau County to get ephedra, he felt his action was necessary since it could generate a move to regulate the dietary supplement industry once again.

McCarthy said that to do something to regulate the industry, Cooper should go after the companies manufacturing the products and introduce legislation on that end, rather than banning sales to adult individuals.

None of the individuals mentioned in this article sell or distribute ephedra or work for an ephedra manufacturer.