Personal Fitness Professional - March 2008 - (Page 9) A Glance Backwards The Phen-Fen drugs were a whopping success, not for weight loss but for the drug companies during the time Phen-Fen was being prescribed. The combination of phentermine and fenfluramine combined a stimulating, appetite-suppressing compound with a serotonin boost. Phentermine, in its molecular structure, is an isomer of methamphetamine, perhaps the most addictive substance on the planet, and it acts upon the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine to stimulate the CNS, stimulate the fight-or-flight response and, in that, suppresses or switches off appetite. By combining the stimulant with a feel-good serotonin reuptake inhibitor, the sense of anxiety typically present with CNS stimulants is minimized. It’s very much analogous to cocaine and Laxapro or ephedrine and Prozac. There was a problem. After millions of Phen-Fen prescriptions were written by medical professionals, it became evident that there was an alarming correlation between the emergence of the drug combination and both valvular disease and a life-threatening incurable condition known as primary pulmonary hypertension, so the FDA pulled the drug combination from the market. The reaction was shocking, at least to personal trainers. People wanted their PhenFen! And the drug companies and supplement companies recognized the financial power of the stimulant: feel-good combinations and all sorts of hybrids emerged, and they haven’t gone away! professionals have, which is to, at the very least, understand the effects of the non-food substances that clients are ingesting. Your clients may not be gullible, but they can easily be victimized by partial truths designed to make pills in bottles appealing. Several supplement companies have tip-toed on the lines of legalities and have lobbied effectively to question laws. In recognizing the appeal of CNS stimulation, both in the performance arena and the weight loss marketplace, they’ve have found stimulant compounds that are readily embraced by the public, and they reinforce their appeal by using words such as “herbal” and “natural.” The resulting perception is that these are somehow safer than drugs. Crank ’Em Up “Naturally” Caffeine is a readily accepted CNS stimulant, and, thanks to the product marketers, caffeine has a variety of herbal sources. Supplements that simply say “caffeine” are not likely to corner the market, but there are many opportunities to attract consumers wanting fat loss in a bottle. By buying a “natural, herbal” product containing guarana, kola nut, green tea and cha de bugre or featuring trimethylxanthine, caffeine, theine, mateine, guaranine, methyltheobromine and 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine on the ingredient label, you’re simply buying caffeine. Add in yohimbe bark, L-tyrosine, barberry extract, yellow thistle juice, sandalwood and gotu kola, and you’re stacking one stimulant upon another. By designing formulas aimed at marketability and relying on unrecognizable ingredients, caffeine is in greater demand than ever. Is a reliance on an herbal stimulant combination much different than a stimulant drug addiction? If you were in the business of selling supplements and didn’t care much about people’s welfare, wouldn’t it be in your best interests to sell addictive compounds? If you were in the business of selling supplements and didn’t care much about people’s welfare, wouldn’t it be in your best interests to sell addictive compounds? Is the Public Gullible? Before the Mayo Clinic released reports of Phen-Fen-induced disease, the public bought into the drug with little reservation. Why? Because doctors said it was okay, and the users lost weight. That oddly placed trust in the pharmaceutical-medical combination, and it threw the doors wide open for the weight loss drugs to follow. So why are we discussing drugs in an article about fitness, wellness and personal training? Because it’s a reality we deal with more often than we may even know. I couldn’t begin to address the complexity of the issue in a single article, but I can give you enough insight so you begin to recognize the responsibility fitness They can then add in diuretic herbs, such as dandelion root, stinging nettle or yarrow, to amplify rapid water loss, creating the instant illusion that the compound is “working.” Finally, add in a compound or two that might increase serotonin production, and you might very well have a weight loss formula with much of the appeal of Phen-Fen. My intention is not to turn you against supplements, as many have great virtues (including caffeine compounds, with the right applications). My intention is not to turn you against prescription drugs, as many medications serve as important and efficacious treatments and cures, but when the goal is fitness, and we are asked to serve as guides, it’s important that we recognize the biochemical alterations our clients’ actions might bring about. The lines between prescription drugs, OTC medicines and nutritional supplements are becoming significantly blurred, and in this jungle of overwhelming information targeting the fitness and weight loss-wanting consumers, confusion abounds — and confusion is the greatest enemy of achieving desired fitness results. Are Our Clients at Risk? We must remain within our scope of practice, but we also have to recognize risk. While we should never prescribe a drug or supplement regimen, it is purely within our scope of practice to acquire a list of all supplements and medications that each of our clients ➤ MARCH2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 27 9 http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM
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