MLB Player Dies from Ephedra

[YellowJacket]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler died of heatstroke Monday, unable to recover from a spring training workout that sent his temperature to 108 degrees.

An autopsy will help determine whether Bechler had been taking the dietary supplement ephedrine, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart attacks.

Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper acknowledged a published report that a bottle of a supplement containing ephedrine was found in Bechler's locker.

Regarding the bottle, Perper said: "My understanding is it exists, but we don't have it."

A workout Sunday left Bechler pale and dizzy, and when his condition worsened, he was carried from the clubhouse to an ambulance on a stretcher. He spent the night in intensive care and died at 10:10 a.m. Monday at Northridge Medical Center.

His wife, Kiley, due to deliver the couple's first child in April, was at his bedside. She and Bechler, 23, married last year.

Bechler Bio Box
Full Name: Steve Scott Bechler.
Born: Nov. 18, 1979.
Height: 6-2.
Weight: 239.
Acquired: Orioles picked the right-handed pitcher in the third round of the 1998 draft.
Major league service: Appeared in three games in 2002. In 4 2/3 innings, gave up six hits, three home runs, walked four, struck out three.



William Goldiner, the Orioles' team physician, said Bechler died of "multi-organ failure due to heatstroke."

"He would rebound at times. They thought they were getting ahead of it, and then another organ system would fail," Goldiner said at a news conference at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

Bechler, at 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds, had battled weight trouble in the past. Asked about the pitcher's conditioning, manager Mike Hargrove was quoted as saying it was "not good."

The temperature at noon Sunday was 81 degrees and the humidity was 74 percent, the National Weather Service said.

Goldiner said he wasn't aware of any evidence that Bechler had been taking a dietary supplement such as ephedrine, which has been banned by the NCAA and NFL but not by Major League Baseball. The Orioles' policy is to discourage the use of the amphetamine-like stimulant, he said.

"Weight-loss drugs are never prescribed by us," Goldiner said. "They're never condoned by us."

Orioles spokesman Bill Stetka said he could neither confirm nor deny a report by The Washington Times that a bottle of a supplement containing ephedrine was found in Bechler's locker.

"We'll cooperate in every way with the medical examiner's office," Stetka said. "Everything we find we'll turn over and apprise them of."

Perper said his medical examiner's office would begin an autopsy Tuesday, and that it could be two or three weeks before the final results are known.

Said baseball spokesman Rich Levin: "We're going to wait to find out more about what happened."

Funeral arrangements were pending.

A native of Medford, Ore., Bechler was a third-round draft pick by the Orioles in 1998.

"Steve was a tough guy; he was a competitor," Hargrove said. "I didn't know him that well, but I knew him well enough to know he loved the game and loved to compete."

Bechler made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances. He was expected to begin this season with the club's new Triple-A affiliate in Ottawa.

He spent most of last season at Triple-A Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts. He had a 35-48 record in five minor-league seasons.

Orioles players were briefed about Bechler's condition during a clubhouse meeting before Monday's workout. They were summoned inside a short while later and told of his death, and the rest of the day's training schedule was called off.

"They told us about the situation, and everybody was in shock," pitcher Rodrigo Lopez said.

Bechler fell down while running drills Sunday and Hargrove said he could tell Bechler wasn't feeling well toward the end of the run.

"He was about 60 percent of the way through it when we noticed that he was a little white-faced," Hargrove said. "He was leaning against a fence ... which isn't unusual when guys get tired. We put him on a cart and brought him in and called the paramedics."

Bechler's parents did not learn of his death until they arrived in Miami on Monday, Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie said. They had traveled from their Oregon home after Bechler fell ill.

Bechler's wife was driving from Oregon to Florida when she was reached by cell phone with the news her husband had been taken to the hospital. She took a flight from Salt Lake City on Sunday and arrived in Fort Lauderdale shortly before midnight.

In 2001, heatstroke was blamed for the death of Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who collapsed during training camp. Stringer's widow has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the team and its doctors.

Last season, baseball was stunned by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. He died in June from blocked coronary arteries while in Chicago for a game.

Joe Castellano, a radio play-by-play broadcaster for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate last season, said Bechler was proud of making the majors from Oregon.

"He was one of my favorite players that I had ever been around," Castellano said. "He had a great personality. He was everything that was good about baseball."

Article At SI.com

 

[Sheesh]

Wow

 

[LakeMountD]

damn that is nuts! yeah it kills a lot of people for that reason... people dont understand how to take ephedra correctly.. on top of that cytodyne recommends taking their product 20-40 minutes before strenous activity.. unfortunately i dont recommend this if you are going to be out in direct sunlight.

 

[Lifeguard]

yeah...ummmm...There is no excuse to die from heatstroke. IMO

Sorry to be an asshole and everything, but when you work out in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment and you do not properly hydrate yourself, you are putting yourself at risk for heatstroke.

He didn't drink water, his own fault, it would have happened regardless of ephedrine use or not.


He'd obviously never heard of water


LG

 

[DarCSA]

That's a bitch

 

[Biggs]

yeah...ummmm...There is no excuse to die from heatstroke. IMO

Sorry to be an asshole and everything, but when you work out in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment and you do not properly hydrate yourself, you are putting yourself at risk for heatstroke.

He didn't drink water, his own fault, it would have happened regardless of ephedrine use or not.


He'd obviously never heard of water


LG

you're not being an asshole. I quote because I fully agree. If your godam OCCUPATION is using your body to play a fucking game full time for millions of dollars, you'd better be well versed in what to do with it (your body). I know I would be. Ignorant motherfuckers make me puke, I HATE this kind of ****... oh and look, wife and kids, wonderful.. way to be a husband buddy. and he wasn't even in good condition? what the **** else is he gonna do, he's paid to be an athlete?! I repeat the statement about his job... "he was a tough guy, a competitor"... tough and being too stupid and ignorant to listen and care for your body are two different things... ****.. no excuse for this kind of ****.

 

[scotty2]

One step closer to the complete ban of another seemingly innocous(if used correctly) supplement.

 

[bigpetefox]

It's **** like this that brings things to a head.. We got baseball players, Football players all droppin' dead.. Why? Maybe they used too much ephedra at a time.. Maybe they didn't drink enough water, which the way this guy and that football player passed could be the real issue... I feel sorry that his wife and unborn child lost him, but it was due to his ignorance..

**** it, I can't stand baseball anyway..

 

[Biggs]

**** it, I can't stand baseball anyway..

agreed, never did like it personally

 

[jweave23]

Originally posted by Lifeguard
yeah...ummmm...There is no excuse to die from heatstroke. IMO

Sorry to be an asshole and everything, but when you work out in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment and you do not properly hydrate yourself, you are putting yourself at risk for heatstroke.

He didn't drink water, his own fault, it would have happened regardless of ephedrine use or not.


He'd obviously never heard of water


LG

bumpity bump! I'll sat this very simply:

If you cannot even properly hydrate your self, do not pass the buck on to a dietary supplement. This man was irresponsible and careless, but it's so much easier to blame a "bad herb".

 

[msclbldrguy]

yeah...ummmm...There is no excuse to die from heatstroke. IMO

Sorry to be an asshole and everything, but when you work out in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment and you do not properly hydrate yourself, you are putting yourself at risk for heatstroke.

He didn't drink water, his own fault, it would have happened regardless of ephedrine use or not.


He'd obviously never heard of water


LG

you are just stating what anyone should know...i mean even in our local newspaper here they publish how to avoid heatstroke when the weather starts to get hot...drinking plenty of water and keeping yourself hydrated is at the top of the list. duh. and the article said he had weight problems...like another post said...he's an athlete..and should know better. I feel most sorry for his wife, unborn child and parents. they're gonna have to suffer because of his stupidity.

 

[Draven]

What can you say, natural selection at it's best. I honestly wonder how people like this make it through childhood.

 

[institutional]

being an athletic trainer myself, it is their most important responsibiltiy especially during those weather conditions to make sure each and every player is properly hydrated, first and foremost. let me tell you how stupid most athletes are when it comes to simple nutrition and health. most are hand held and fed with a siilver spoon, unless you tell them to drink water and give it to them, alot dont realize, "geez im excessivley sweating, maybe i need some water". its true, ive been around university athletes and they need to be told what and how to do simple things. introduce some ephedra and now youve got some problems. and who knows how many he popped, the more is better rule might apply to him also. its an unfortunate situation and even more so cuz the fingers will be pointed at ephedra again.

 

[msclbldrguy]

being an athletic trainer myself, it is their most important responsibiltiy especially during those weather conditions to make sure each and every player is properly hydrated, first and foremost. let me tell you how stupid most athletes are when it comes to simple nutrition and health. most are hand held and fed with a siilver spoon, unless you tell them to drink water and give it to them, alot dont realize, "geez im excessivley sweating, maybe i need some water". its true, ive been around university athletes and they need to be told what and how to do simple things. introduce some ephedra and now youve got some problems. and who knows how many he popped, the more is better rule might apply to him also. its an unfortunate situation and even more so cuz the fingers will be pointed at ephedra again.

unbelievable....just unbelievable. but blaming ephedra is the easy way out and it removes blame from anyone...just unbelievable.

 

[bachovas]

With is weight problem, I would say he overdosed thinking that it would help him. YJ you should know this, when you go to spring training, overweight, and fighting for a spot in that roster... Anyway like you all said, If you cannot even properly hydrate your self, do not pass the buck on to a dietary supplement and do not try to do things like that. Sadly but true, his fault.

 

[YellowJacket]

Yes Bachovas, and you got me thinking and heres the autopsy report:


Ephedrine helped cause Bechler's death

Autopsy also cites liver problem, hypertension, poor diet

Posted: Tuesday February 18, 2003 3:36 PM
Updated: Tuesday February 18, 2003 4:43 PM


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CNN) -- The fatal heatstroke that killed a Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect was brought on by hypertension, a liver problem, an unhealthy diet and the use of a weight-reduction medication containing ephedrine, according to a preliminary investigation.

Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper performed an autopsy Tuesday morning on Steve Bechler, a 23-year-old right-hander who died Monday, less than 24 hours after collapsing during spring training. He was the first professional baseball player ever to die of heatstroke.

Perper said the findings are preliminary and he is waiting further for toxicology results.

Calling Bechler's death "very unfortunate and very tragic," Perper urged Major League Baseball to ban the use of medication containing ephedrine, saying pro football and Olympic athletes are not allowed to use such supplements.

Bechler had been taking Xenadrine, an over-the-counter drug containing ephedra, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart trouble, Perper said.

The preliminary autopsy findings indicated Bechler died from complications of heatstroke that caused multi-organ failure. During a workout Sunday, his temperature reached as high as 108.

The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Bechler was an overweight athlete pushing himself in warm, humid weather much different from the climate in his hometown of Medford, Ore. He also hadn't eaten much solid food in the two days before he fell ill.

The workout Sunday left Bechler pale and dizzy. When his condition deteriorated, he was carried from the clubhouse to an ambulance on a stretcher. He spent the night in intensive care and died Monday morning at Northridge Medical Center.

Bechler was a third-round draft pick by the Orioles in 1998. He made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances. He was expected to begin this season with the club's new Class AAA affiliate in Ottawa.

Bechler spent most of last year at Class AAA Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts.

 

[bigpetefox]

Well, he had pre-existing medical issues, not hydrating himself, over-weight for a professional athlete... Yet ephedra is the bastard!

 

[YellowJacket]

Exactly Pete. God bless the media.

 

[p_zub]

The fact is is that this goes way beyond ephedra and into the realm of elite sports. It doesn't surprise me that he was taking ephedra...its so common nowadays. Until I see an autopsy saying that "ephedra caused this death" I wouldn't go too deep into it yet. As far as sports is concerned, there are so many factors that could have lead to his death. When I heard of Stringer's death, I wasn't so shocked. Football is a big-man's game. Inspite of all the research regarding hydration, coaches are still mainly old-school and fit in water breaks when its convenient for them, and if you ask to get some, they challenge your toughness and willingness to win. Just my experience.

 

[Biggs]

yeah, most coaches are fuckin idiots as well, doesn't help the situation

 

[msclbldrguy]

The fact is is that this goes way beyond ephedra and into the realm of elite sports. It doesn't surprise me that he was taking ephedra...its so common nowadays. Until I see an autopsy saying that "ephedra caused this death" I wouldn't go too deep into it yet. As far as sports is concerned, there are so many factors that could have lead to his death. When I heard of Stringer's death, I wasn't so shocked. Football is a big-man's game. Inspite of all the research regarding hydration, coaches are still mainly old-school and fit in water breaks when its convenient for them, and if you ask to get some, they challenge your toughness and willingness to win. Just my experience.

the problem isnt gonna be the autopsy report but the media's interpretation of it. I mean the guy hadnt eaten solid food for 2 days, was dehydrated, overweight...but they still imply ephedra was the culprit...i guess his own neglect of his body, including allowing himself to become dehydrated, no food to speak of plus he already had high blood pressure and was overweight.....but we should never say that he did this to himself...i mean with all that its the ephedra that caused his death...

 

[pogue]

CNN - Sports Illustrated
Blame dangerous, excessive training regimens -- not ephedra
Posted: Wednesday February 19, 2003 1:17 PM
So another professional athlete is dead, and a primary suspect has already been fingered: ephedrine, the over-the-counter stimulant that allegedly contributed to the death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler on Monday.

As with Korey Stringer, the Minnesota Vikings tackle who collapsed during a training camp practice 18 months ago, a big, powerful athlete has been cut down in his physical prime. And again, much of the accompanying sadness and anger seems focused on the bottles of supplements that were said to have been found in each man's locker.

I'm no doctor, and I certainly can't presume to know what exact factors might have caused the heatstrokes that killed Stringer and Bechler. But I do know something about athletes and the way they're made to train, and when I hear people such as Broward (Fla.) County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper, who performed Tuesday's autopsy on Bechler, express hope that this latest tragedy will "wake people up" about the dangers posed by ephedra, I can't help but feel a streak of skepticism.

It's so much easier to blame the drug -- and, by extension, the athlete who chose to use it -- than it is to examine the culture that caused Bechler and Stringer to push their bodies to the limit. Both men were overweight and out of shape when they reported to their respective preseason training sessions, and each flailed through drills in the heat and humidity. Not insignificantly, each player reportedly was admonished for his lack of conditioning by a coach -- Stringer by Mike Tice, then the Vikings offensive line assistant and now the team's head coach; Bechler by Orioles manager Mike Hargrove.

So Stringer and Bechler tried to work through their discomfort, which was not surprising. From an early age, gifted athletes learn to place great stress upon their bodies when necessary, and coaches constantly search for ways to make players work themselves harder than they'd imagined possible. The entire notion of conducting training sessions in hot locales is designed to build physical and mental toughness, but it also subjects overweight players to increased danger of pushing themselves too far.

It's a fine line, too. Last summer, as the one-year anniversary of Stringer's death approached, I had numerous conversations with elite NFL players about the perils of hot-weather workouts and the accompanying furor over ephedrine. In the wake of Stringer's death -- even though no traces of the stimulant had been found in his system -- the NFL banned the herbal substance. The players to whom I spoke were not pleased. To a man, they felt that the league's intention was to imply that Stringer's death had been caused by ephedrine, thus deflecting attention attention from larger, more troubling issues.

"They'd rather put ephedrine on the block instead of addressing what really killed Korey Stringer," one prominent NFC offensive lineman told me last summer. "He threw up three times the day before he collapsed, and the next day -- one of the hottest days of the year -- they had him in full pads. My buddy plays for the Vikings, and he said it was so hot that day, everybody was about to drop. Then, after Stringer left the field, they put him in a cold room with air conditioning, and that f----- up his system."

The player had sympathy for Stringer, but he also viewed the event with the kind of cool detachment auto racers tend to display when discussing peers who have died in wrecks. "I've been at a point in practice where you see spots and black out," the player told me matter-of-factly. "The sad thing is, it could happen to any of us."

It's impossible to keep top athletes from plowing ahead in adverse conditions, especially when jobs are on the line. But the lineman with whom I spoke believed the very concept of an intense, grueling training camp put him and his peers in positions of increased risk. "The way we train as professional athletes is bull----," he said. "The players' association is consulting with some guys in the military, and [the military representatives] said, 'The way you guys train is such b.s. Who would burn their own guys out before a battle?' It's crazy.

"Ephedrine's in so many over-the-counter medicines, and they want to ban it because they don't want to fess up to the fact that the training we do is stupid. So they come out with all these studies that don't pertain to us. Why should we have to suffer because a couple of housewives trying to lose weight keeled over and died?"

A couple of weeks later, when I ran the ephedrine controversy past Rams running back Marshall Faulk -- probably the league's best and most respected player -- he told me, "They can ban it all they want, but I'm still going to take it."

"You need it that badly to get up for games?" I asked.

"Games?" he replied. "I don't even use it for games. I take it to get up for practice."

I figured he was kidding, and given that standout performers such as Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan and Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers served four-game suspensions last season after reportedly testing positive for banned substances, it's a pretty safe bet Faulk chose to obey the new policy. But that doesn't mean he, or virtually any other player to whom I've spoken about it since, is at peace with the rule. I realize that their opposition may not matter; it's possible that medical experts may be saving these highly driven athletes from themselves. But I also tend to agree that banning ephedrine was a convenient way of deflecting attention from a tragedy that most players refuse to characterize as a drug overdose. As one Pro Bowl player put it to me sarcastically, "Like ephedra was what killed Korey Stringer. Yeah, and the Bengals lose because their turf is sorry."

A day after Bechler's death -- and two weeks before the results of the toxicology tests will be available -- Dr. Perper was already part of a large chorus calling on Major League Baseball to ban ephedrine. I'm not saying it shouldn't, but consider that, according to Perper, Bechler was also suffering from moderate hypertension and liver dysfuntion. The medical examiner also said Bechler appeared to have been on a strict diet. Those concerned with the welfare of major leaguers might want to consider prohibiting players who are out of shape when they report from suddenly and severely restricting their food intake, then sweating off more pounds in the heat and humidity.

Would such a ban on crash diets have saved Bechler? Would a ban on ephedrine have prevented his death? I couldn't tell you, just as I can't guarantee that similar tragedies won't happen in the future. All I know is that another widow is grieving, and in April a child will enter the world without getting a chance to ever know its father.

When the kid grows up and learns about Dad, I hope he or she will hear good things about Bechler's life -- rather than too many preachy opinions about what caused the promising pitcher's death.

 

[Biggs]

there it is pogue, nice job... CNN SI no less, good to read

 

[dez/null]

Honestly. I think Ephedra is a crap supplement. But the more stupid fat people it kills the happyer I am.

 

[Gmonkey]

At the bottom of the article 10 deaths and 13 impairments with 12 million users in the us.  That is extremely low, may as well play the lottery.

http://www.canoe.ca/Slam030218/mlb_ephedrine-ap.html

 

[Gmonkey]

Tylenol worse

1 in a million chance of something bad happening, that is pretty low. Most problems are from improper use.  The moto "the more the better" is the problem.

Acetaminophen-containing products (Tylenol, Midol, Alka-Seltzer Plus, Vanquish, etc.) result in over 100,000 calls a year to poison control centers, 560,000 visits to emergency facilities, 260,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths. From 1996 to 1998 the average annual deaths directly attributed to acetaminophen averaged approximately 458. I wonder what the regulatory agencies would do if a supplement were to kill 450 people a year?

Confidential documents revealed that the FDA has purposely avoided addressing the dangers of acetaminophen to avoid offending Johnson and Johnson (the dominant marketer of acetaminophen products) and the pharmaceutical industry. (BMJ 02;325:678)

 

http://illness.altmedangel.com/asthma.htm

 

[shpongled]

Tylenol worse

1 in a million chance of something bad happening, that is pretty low. Most problems are from improper use.  The moto "the more the better" is the problem.

Acetaminophen-containing products (Tylenol, Midol, Alka-Seltzer Plus, Vanquish, etc.) result in over 100,000 calls a year to poison control centers, 560,000 visits to emergency facilities, 260,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths. From 1996 to 1998 the average annual deaths directly attributed to acetaminophen averaged approximately 458. I wonder what the regulatory agencies would do if a supplement were to kill 450 people a year?

Confidential documents revealed that the FDA has purposely avoided addressing the dangers of acetaminophen to avoid offending Johnson and Johnson (the dominant marketer of acetaminophen products) and the pharmaceutical industry. (BMJ 02;325:678)

 

[URL="http://illness.altmedangel.com/asthma.htm"]http://illness.altmedangel.com/asthma.htm[/URL]

Awesome info. Better ban acetaminophen.

David

 

[p_zub]

They said today that apparently, this guy's had a history of suffering heat exhaustion dating back to high school. That evil ephedra I tell you.....

 

[YellowJacket]

Yea, Id be all over his ATC for not properly hydrating him instead of using ephedra as a scapegoat and an easy resolution for a death that should have been prevented.

 

[Lifeguard]

Originally posted by dez/null
Honestly. I think Ephedra is a crap supplement. But the more stupid fat people it kills the happyer I am.

Yeah, and these are the same people that force feed themselves donuts, drink Pepsi or Coke by the liter, eat nasty-assed McDonalds *shivers at the thought of eating McD's food* do very little physical activity, be a lethargic couch-potato, watch TV, etc...

 

..and then blame ALL THAT on "genetics"

Yes I was one of those people a while back (except I didnt blame my problem on genetics) but I decided to do something about it.  If I can, then anybody can.

 

LG.

 

[YellowJacket]

Well I wouldnt blame fat people for the epehdrine ban. At least they're making an attempt to do something about their weight problem, and our society revolves around a 'miracle pill', wanting to lose weight overnight. But think about how many more people die in a years time from cardiovascular disease, obese related heart attacks and strokes, and other diseases directly linked to being over weight. These numbers are far greater than those that die from an ephedrine overdose.
This guy didnt die because he was overweight, he died for the ignorance of himself and the people around him. As harsh as it may sound, its your responsibility and the responsibility of the athletic trainer involved to insure you're properly hydrated, he wasnt. In combination with ephedrine, that probably did kill him. Ephedrines fault, hell no, want to blame someone? Blame him and his ATC. People look for a chemical or someone else to blame in a tragedy, when in fact, it was his fault and his fault alone.

 

[Lifeguard]

I agree with you 100% YJ.

My dad and I were just having a talk about this whole shin-dig (Player dying) and he said, "yeah, the media is fucking clueless, all they hear is 'ephedra' and do not want to know about any of the other extenuating circumstances."

one of my dad's sayings is "better health through better chemistry"....

at least he agrees with me on this issue


LG.

 

[YellowJacket]

Here's some facts for you

The effects of ephedrine are like those of amphetamines, also known as speed, and for some they can be deadly. Ephedrine can raise one's heart rate and blood pressure, so people with heart conditions and high blood pressure are warned against taking it. According to FDA records obtained by the watchdog group Public Citizen, ephedrine was linked to 32 heart attacks, 69 strokes, and altogether 81 deaths from 1993 to 2000. In June 2002, the group claimed that more than 100 ephedrine-related deaths had been reported to the FDA.

81 deaths in 7 years. 11.5 deaths a year. Doesnt seem like a lot , but consider how many of these people had pre-existing conditions that contributed to these deaths, how easy it is to blame a pill.. ..pathetic.

 

[p_zub]

For the media, its all about hitting the hot button. Once they heard ephedra was found, they took it and ran. I would bet $10 he also had ibuprofen in his locker. But we won't talk about that now will we. Bottom line is the bottom line. You can buy ephedrine here in canada for $10, caffeine for $9 and aspirin for another 10. Thats $30 for a 1 month supply of a proven effective weight loss supplement. Lets not start with the price for a 1 month supply of xenical or orlistat. Hell look how much fibrates or bromo costs. And, to my knowledge, the only double-blind, placebo-controlled studies done on the safety of ephedra show that it is safe when taken AS DIRECTED.

 

[Andy2k]

Yea, Id be all over his ATC for not properly hydrating him instead of using ephedra as a scapegoat and an easy resolution for a death that should have been prevented.

WTF was his coach doing letting him get in this state? If I were training anyone who was in this situation, I'd be going apeshit if they turned up without eating, let alone not hydrating properly.
What the hell do these people get paid for? This stuff ain't rocket science - blaming ephedra may deflect the attention for a while, but someone's head needs to roll for this.
A couple of times I've trained people who haven't eaten, - a couple of minutes into a workout is enough to spot this - I bin them on the spot. I've seen people collapse in a gym because of not eating properly (obese who want to lose weight) and basically just shoved the lucozade down their neck - heat on top of this is bound to be the end of someone who is out of shape.
Just add my rantings and ravings to the list here

 

[msclbldrguy]

As harsh as it may sound, its your responsibility and the responsibility of the athletic trainer involved to insure you're properly hydrated, he wasnt. In combination with ephedrine, that probably did kill him. Ephedrines fault, hell no, want to blame someone? Blame him and his ATC. People look for a chemical or someone else to blame in a tragedy, when in fact, it was his fault and his fault alone.

I dont think it sounds harsh at all. It sounds more like personal responsibility (oh, god, here I go again). Another post quoted statistics about supposed ephedrine related deaths. I wonder how many people died because health related problems with being obese because they couldnt or wouldnt control themselves...quit smoking...i get sooo sick of hearing folks complain about this or that and never take responsibility for themselves. then if they take something like ephedrine, now all the sudden its the supps fault! no matter they spent 10 years stuffin their face...

ok, rants over...

 

[Biggs]

the problem that we have here, is most of us expect people to take even a minute amount of responsibility

 

[Talon]

In America you do not have to take ANY responsibilty for your actions whatsoever. You shouldn't have to, right? Just go through life with your head in the clouds running redlights ("-I- didn't see the redlight, it's the other guys fault for not watching for me!!") spilling coffee on our laps while claiming that you didn't know the coffee was even hot, I could go on and on but I think I've made my point. There is a lack of common sense and accountability in this sue-happy society which causes us all to pay for the stupidity of any random person who manages to do something COMPLETELY stupid and sues. Why else would we have warning labels on our grocery bags?
Bleh, this gets on my nerves. People can't follow directions and it's the pill's fault. You can OD on anything, and if something is known to be risky to use such as ephedra it would behoove you to follow the damn directions. It's not THAT hard.

 

[YellowJacket]

In America you do not have to take ANY responsibilty for your actions whatsoever. You shouldn't have to, right? Just go through life with your head in the clouds running redlights ("-I- didn't see the redlight, it's the other guys fault for not watching for me!!") spilling coffee on our laps while claiming that you didn't know the coffee was even hot, I could go on and on but I think I've made my point. There is a lack of common sense and accountability in this sue-happy society which causes us all to pay for the stupidity of any random person who manages to do something COMPLETELY stupid and sues. Why else would we have warning labels on our grocery bags?
Bleh, this gets on my nerves. People can't follow directions and it's the pill's fault. You can OD on anything, and if something is known to be risky to use such as ephedra it would behoove you to follow the damn directions. It's not THAT hard.

Praise the lord! Preach it

 

[Nelson]

Bechler`s History

About Bechler:
* he had a history of borderline high blood pressure;
* he also had liver abnormalities detected two years ago but not diagnosed;
* it was warm, humid weather during the workout when he became ill Sunday;
* he was on a diet & hadn`t eaten much solid food the previous two days;
* family & Orioles officials said he took 3 tablets each morning of Xenadrine RFA-1.

 

[Lifeguard]

3 xenadrines would have me bouncing off the walls.

I'm 18 and in great health....I wonder what it did to him?


LG.

PS: They cant sue Cytodyne because he was taking too many (actualy dose should be 2) at one time.

 

[YellowJacket]

Well 3 to him probably isnt insane, considering he's well over 200lbs, weight certainly plays a factor in dose. Also, they said he hadnt been eating properly, my guess is starving himself, so 3 on an empty stomach would light anyone's ass up....

 

[msclbldrguy]

In America you do not have to take ANY responsibilty for your actions whatsoever. You shouldn't have to, right? Just go through life with your head in the clouds running redlights ("-I- didn't see the redlight, it's the other guys fault for not watching for me!!") spilling coffee on our laps while claiming that you didn't know the coffee was even hot, I could go on and on but I think I've made my point. There is a lack of common sense and accountability in this sue-happy society which causes us all to pay for the stupidity of any random person who manages to do something COMPLETELY stupid and sues. Why else would we have warning labels on our grocery bags?
Bleh, this gets on my nerves. People can't follow directions and it's the pill's fault. You can OD on anything, and if something is known to be risky to use such as ephedra it would behoove you to follow the damn directions. It's not THAT hard.

amen! when i was in school i briefly worked at a gnc and not a day went bu that someone overweight would come in asking about fat burners. i know what they were thinkin...they could pop a pill or two and all the sudden they could eat a whole pizza and look like some fitness model...when i would tell 'em that the ephedra would help but you still had to exercise and diet properly, they looked at me like i had lost my mind....

 

[p_zub]

CNN was saying that the guy also had a history of heat strokes dating back to high school. I doubt ephedra was an issue for him back then.

 

[Sheesh]

From brinkzone.com


- Was Steve Belcher’s Untimely Death Avoidable?

The link to a press released from Miami Research Associates (also written
by Doug Kalmen) that looks at the death of this base ball player the media
is blaming in ephedrine.
http://www.brinkzone.com/Press_Release_Ephedra_in_Spor_1.pdf