Thermolift II
Thermo-Lift II
By Bob Lefavi, PhD, CSCS, CHES
Chairman, Changes Science Advisory Board
 |
I never thought I'd recommend any nutritional supplement for weight loss other than Thermo-Lift. It's an effective weight management tool, largely because of the thermogenic effect of ephedra (from the Chinese herb MaHuang). Problem is, some people simply have a problem taking an ephedra product. Some folks are sensitive to its stimulatory effect.
The alkaloid compound, called ephedrine, is easy to manufacture and the vast majority of ephedrine you find now is synthetic. The common OTC drug pseudoephedrine is another Ephedra compound.
|
Ephedrine (Ephedra sinica) has been used to assist in therapeutic weight management for centuries. Ephedrine is able to directly stimulate beta receptors on fat cells, activating thermogenesis (the production of heat in metabolism) and thereby burning calories.
A four-month study using ten women who had been chronic dieters, placed on 1000-1400 calories/day, demonstrated that weight loss was four times greater during the ephedrine trial than when a placebo was given. No major adverse health effects were reported by any of the subjects. Another two-month experiment in 1987 by Italian researchers showed that compared with a low-calorie diet alone, overweight women lost significantly more weight if they also took ephedrine (50 mg three times a day by mouth).
New ephedra-free Thermo-Lift has a variety of herbs and nutritional ingredients that appear effective at stabilizing energy and helping the body to burn calories. First, we have added a guarana seed extract at 20% methylxanthines. Guarana stimulates the central nervous system, thereby stimulating metabolism. While there is a small amount of caffeine in this South American herb, it seems to have its own unique effect on thermogenesis.
In addition, the yerba mate leaf (Ilex paraguariensis) has been used by the indigenous of Argentina and Paraguay as a food commodity in times of famine. According to researcher Daniel Mowrey, yerba mate has also been found to quicken the mind, increase mental alertness and acuity without nervousness or jitters. It stimulates a weakened nervous system, yet is not habit-forming, does not disrupt sleep and has no observed side effects.
The Panax ginseng root in Thermo-Lift II has positive effects on both mental and physical energy. Ginseng appears to positively affect cyclic AMP (adenosine monophosphate) and adrenergic systems (systems of nerve cells and fibers in the autonomic nerve system that release the neurotransmitter norepinephrine). This assists in the process of burning calories and producing energy.
In addition, Thermo-Lift II's citrus aurantium has also been shown to have thermogenic effects. When all this is combined with the nutrients that help stabilize energy, we've got a very well-rounded formula. Case in point is chromium and vanadyl sulfate. Chromium helps stabilize glucose levels by potentiating insulin. Chromium combines with insulin and niacin (also in Thermo-Lift II), enabling insulin to do its job at its cell receptor. Vanadyl sulfate is also a glucose stabilizer and appears to maximize energy storage in muscle cells.
References
Blumenthal, M. Guarana: Traditional South American energy source. Let's Live 63(1):60-62, 1995.
Foster, S. Jump start your life with ginseng. Better Nutrition 58(6):62-65, 1996.
Kennedy, B. Herb of the month: Ginseng. Total Health 17(1):48-50, 1995.
Nutritional questions regarding Changes products can be submitted to [email protected].