Herbal Nightmare: The Dangers of "Natural" Supplements

When you take an aspirin for a headache, or a multivitamin for your health, do you really give it any thought? Most of us don't. We've been lulled into thinking if you buy it from a store, it must be okay-it can't hurt us, right? Wrong. For me, that trust thrust me into a nightmare I'll never forget.

It was a hot Sunday in July. I was in Connecticut visiting my best friend Ralph. At the time he managed a GNC (General Nutrition Center)store at the local mall and was a big believer in herbs and natural supplements. Got indigestion? Take some Papaya Enzyme. A cold? Echinacea was all you needed. It seemed like a good idea, taking "natural" supplements instead of over the counter drugs. Who wouldn't think it was healthier and better for us? Unfortunately "natural" does not always mean healthy. That Sunday morning, Ralph gave me a capsule of a supplement called "Ripped Fuel". It's marketed as an energy booster and weight loss aid. It seemed like a harmless way to get more energy and maybe drop a few pounds-that is until I was rushed to the emergency room a few hours later-my blood pressure sky high, my heartbeat out of control.

I took the capsule and Ralph and I headed out to do some shopping. As we browsed in a clothing store I began to feel a bit anxious. Butterflies had begun dancing in my stomach and I felt nervous. A summer thunderstorm rolled in and the store lost power. I got more anxious and noticed my hands were very cold. Goosebumps covered my arms. Still I thought nothing of it. I figured the storm had gotten me a little nervous. After the clothing store we headed for the post office. While Ralph went to pick up his mail, I waited in the car. The sun had come out and the temperature was about 85 degrees. Yet I was sitting in Ralph's jeep, the windows rolled up tight, shivering violently. I was freezing. My hands were shaking.

"Ralph, what's wrong with me?" I asked, holding out my shaking hands.
"Uh-oh....you aren't used to caffeine are you?" he asked.
I wasn't. I usually drank caffeine free soda and never drank tea or coffee.
"You'll be okay. You just have the caffeine jitters."
I relaxed for a few minutes. Then suddenly I could not catch my breath. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest.
"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"

Everything went black. I hit the dashboard and slumped there. I came to as Ralph was pulling into a gas station. He was calling my name. I sat up slowly, looking at him but unable to comprehend. I was weak and shaking. Ralph, thinking I might have had a sudden drop in my blood sugar, went inside and bought me a package of Oreos and a bottle of Gatorade. He had to feed them to me, as I was too weak to even speak. As
we left the station, I felt myself begin to pass out again.

"Ralph, help me!!" I remember crying before I passed out again.
"Sue, Sue! Sue, stay with me!"

Thank God he stayed calm. He got me to a nearby clinic. I sat in a wheelchair as Ralph talked to the doctor. My head fell to one side. I looked down in horror to realize my hands were locked in grotesque claws, frozen in some sort of spasm. My feet were too, my toes curled up tight. Two nurses tried to pry my hands open and couldn't. What was happening to me? Suddenly a Grand Mal seizure rocked my body, knocking me out of the
wheelchair and onto the floor. People shouted and moved all around me. I just remember Ralph's face, looking absolutely terrified.

I was hooked up to oxygen, valium, dilatin and a host of other medications. I was in a fog, to sick to care if I was going to live or die. An ambulance was called and I was rushed to UConn Medical Center's ER.

The demon that began this nightmare was Ephedra. Ephedra. also known as Ma Huang, is a Chinese herb. It's been used by the Chinese for thousands of years as a cold remedy. Western medicine uses extracts of this herb in many common over the counter medicines such as Sudafed (pseudo ephedrine)and in asthma medications such as Primatene Mist (Ephedrine). Used this way, Ephedra is harmless and effective, but when it is combined with
caffeine, like in Ripped Fuel, it can be harmful and sometimes deadly. Ephedra stimulates the central nervous system and opens the bronchial passages, activating the heart, increasing blood pressure and speeding up metabolism. Caffeine intensifies this even more. Products such as Ripped Fuel, HerbTrim and countless others have seized upon this and trumpet themselves as pep pills and weight loss aids. Some companies even market
it as a "natural high.". This despite warnings by most health professionals that Ephedra should NEVER be used as a weigh loss aid.

After a rash of deaths and severe reactions like mine were reported, the FDA announced plans to regulate the these products and prohibit the marketing of products that contain more than 8mg of ephedra per serving and forbid labeling that recommends consuming more than 24mg in a 24 hour period. (Ripped Fuel contains 334mg of ephedra in ONE capsule, and recommends taking TWO capsules 3 times a day!). While some may protest that the Chinese have been using Ephedra for thousands of years without incident, it is important to note that in China it is only available by prescription and is not used to lose weight, as a pep pill or to "get high". By 2000, the FDA required all products containing the herb to have a warning stating "High doses of Ephedra may result in heart attack, stroke, seizure or death." In April 2004, after many reports of reactions like mine and worse,they finally banned Ephredra from being sold in the United States.

What happened to me? I spent nearly 12 hours in the Emergency room until my condition stabilized. I felt ashamed. I was treated like a junkie coming off a bad trip when before this I'd never done anything stronger than aspirin. It took me years to recover- I struggled with seizures, depression, weakness and low blood pressure. My metabolism was out of control. I'd go 3 days without eating because my appetite was gone, and
then eat non stop for another 3 days. My weight swung from 115 to 140 and back again. I had to be checked daily. In a constant fog due to the drugs I was on to control the seizures and my depression, I eventually lost my job. I suffered through regular tests to see if my blood sugar was back to normal. The test consisted of me having to spend the day in the hospital, having my blood taken ever half hour. I'd leave, unable to bend
my arms, which were bruised and looked like I was a class A junkie. I thought I'd never be normal again. Ralph went through a period of tremendous guilt. Although I told him over and over it wasn't his fault, he had to deal with the fact I almost died because of something he gave me. Ephedra hurt him almost as much as it hurt me. We are still the best of friends, but he doesn't work for GNC anymore.

It's been nearly 12 years now and I am back to normal. I'm off all the meds, and haven't had a seizure in 10 years. My energy is normal and I am now able to enjoy life again. Although it was hell, I know I'm very lucky. Ralph only let me take one capsule instead of the recommended dosage of two. I'm convinced if I'd taken two I would be dead. Don't be fooled like I was. Believing all things natural are safe can be a
mistake-in some cases a deadly one. NEVER take a natural supplement without talking to your doctor first. Your health, and possibly your life, could depend on it.