AIDS, my journey & how Ephedra has reduced 50 lbs of belly fat

[Guest guest]

I am a 52 year old GWM, who has been positive for 23 years (when I was diagnosed

with trench mouth) and tested HIV positive in 1991. After the diagnosis began

taking NAC, Ester C, and a multitude of immune supporting supplements in the

hopes of enduring till better treatments where available, as I'd personally

witnessed friends whose medicine induced reactions to consigning them to live

like zombies on a couch due to the side effects of their medicines.

Soon after my HIV diagnosis I would see an internal medicine doctor every 3

months with a Tcell count of around 300 - 350, and a viral load of 7,000 to

10,000. Instinctively every 3 months when the doctor would urge me to consider

start on HAART regimen I would decline by saying that I was not ready to start

down that path as I realized that once began I would need to be compliant in

order for there to be any benefit. Eventually I stopped going and lost interest

in this monitoring scenario.

Fast forward to Christmas 2006, I had developed a small ulcerative lesion on the

back of my right earlobe, and went to a female dermatologist who didn't seem too

alarmed and removed it to send it to the pathology lab only to phone me back in

a week in tears as she told me I had Kaposi's Sarcoma... after seeing

Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks I knew that I needed to get to see a doctor

quickly... because purple was not my color;-)

I got a copy of that patholoogy report and took it with me to AID Atlanta where

I was routinely given about a half inch thick stack of papers on a clipboard to

complete. I'd only half completed the first page when the clinic's nurse

practitioner called for me to follow her into an exam room where I was informed

that I had AIDS (she saw my KS dx paper)and that they would not be equipped to

give me the care I would need and I was referred to Grady IDP, (Infectious

Disease Program). Where since I have received the best of care as all my

physicians are Emory trained, even receiving excellent dental care.

I entered a research program for the treatment naive where I was placed on

Reyataz, Norvir, and a blinded med (either Epzicom or Truvada). Later in the

study research showed that Epzicom was not as beneficial as hoped and it was

decided to unblind the med where I then would be given the option to remain on

or change it. I was on Epzicom and because of the horrific side effects that

were spelled out on a wallet size card that was routinely handed out each time

my meds were filled... " if you develop an allergic reaction you might have to

stop taking this med or you might die " . So I QUICKLY let my choice of Truvada be

known. Since then I've learned that Truvada is so healthy for the liver that

even those who are not HIV+ might be placed on it for treatment purposes.

So when I entered this research program I weighed 205 lbs. Before treatment

began I did notice a quarter sized purple lesion on the top of my left big toe.

I was continually becoming joyful as treatment progressed and this marker began

to fade and finally vanished. Speaking to my doctor of possible internal lesions

a colonoscopy was ordered which proved negative to KS internally and did not

even reveal any polyps.

Then I was also sent to an opthomologist to rule out MAC... with a good report

of not even needing a prescription that I might want to pickup some drugstore

reading glasses.

It was around 18 months ago I had reached an all time body weight of 248 lbs,

with a waist size of 38 " . I was IRATE with my doctors for causing my belly to

resemble being pregnant. A CT scan revealed little for the doctors to comment

on. I remembered reading in Muscle Media a researched article by Bill

on the generally recognized safety of Ephedra siting numerous collegiate

studies. For it was within the Bodybuilding community that had embraced Ephedra

as a way to get ripped and shed the unwanted bodyfat.

I was intrigued that this article delineated between 2 types of bodyfat... the

good type, BAT (brown adipose tissue) cells and the common yellow fat. (Ephedra

stimules the metabolism of stored body fat as FUEL.) That when humans are

infants our bodies are comprised up of 25% BAT cells, and as adults our BAT

cells makeup 3% of our bodyfat and are stored primarily in the visceral area...

explaining how ephedra is able to burn our belly fat. So a few minutes after

dosing and beginning to breakout with sweat on my forehead I would chant... BURN

BABY BURN! Of course I'd have to fasten my seatbelt as my heart might want to

pound a little bit harder. Deep breathing helped me... eventually I adjusted and

would barely be bothered.

I do recognize that some of the side effects include increased heart rate and

possible blood pressure elevation. Yet on several occasions prior to attending

my quarterly physician visits I would take my fat burner and my blood pressure

would register normal... so my blood pressure was unaffected. Ruling out

congenital heart defects and chronic inherited hypertensive issues I would

venture to recommend Ephedra as an effective means to burning belly fat.

In 2004, when the FDA did come out condemning Ephedra usage, and almost

overnight all Ephedra supplements disappeared from the health food store shelves

out of fear of liability issues... all because a handful of " dummies " who

mistakenly thought " if a little works, then a lot must work better " ... and it

cost them their lives! Remember up until this scare collegiate studies had

concluded that when 25 mg of Ephedra was taken, 4 hours apart, and no more than

3 times a day this was generally recognized as a safe dosing level.

Also by 2004, ephedra was widely available in sports drinks in most gyms as it

was noted for increasing energy levels and providing a general sense of

well-being. So if millions of Americans were regularly taking ephedra in sports

drinks were millions of Americans dropping dead of heart attacks?

My belief is the real story is that Ephedra had become the most popular

over-the-counter weight loss supplement and BIG PHARMA needed the FDA to knock

it off the market which occurred. The pharmaceutical industry was not moving a

lot of their weight-loss remedies due in part to competition... then look at

some of the drugs that were found to cause heart defects and were removed from

the market after injuring/killing many Americans.

However what is not readily known is that 3 manufacturers successfully sued the

FDA allowing smaller dosages of Ephedra to come back on the market.

Sometime ago I inquired about the usage of ephedra on this list... to receive

questions of would it badly react with my meds? To which I reply I have been at

that coveted status of undetectable now for 3 years.

Today my bodyweight is 195 lbs with a new waist size of 32 " .

The ephedra product I have used is found at www.internationalsupplements.com

Cost $39.00/bottle

Supplement Facts

Serving size 2 capsules

Servings per Container 90

Amount per Serving

Ephedra (pure Ephedria Alkaloids) 25 mg

Citrus Aurantium (6% Synephrine) 300 mg

Guarana (22% Caffeine) 900 mg

Green Tea Extract 100 mg

Yeba Mate Extract 175 mg

Kola Nut Extract 200 mg

E & Z Guggulsterones 150 mg

Chromium Picolinate 150 mg

L-Carnitine 100 mg

Ginger Root Extract 25 mg

Other Ingredients: Gelatin, Soy Lecithin, Brown Rice, Magnesium Stearate,

Silicon

In Wellness,

Robb Doyle, LMT

Atlanta, GA

www.tensionprevention.com

[Guest guest]

I am 25 lbs too heavy. Should I take ephedra without any alarms/risks, etc?