What About Cycling And Adrenal Exhaustion?
You can read every single medical study on ECA and you won't find anything about cycling or adrenal exhaustion. Not a word. In a way, this situation is really rather funny and absurd. Although there is a ton of scientific research on ECA, bodybuilders and herbalists tend to put their own spin on the data, and most doctors are amazingly ignorant about anything that is not approved by the FDA. So, unless you read the medical research, it's almost impossible to separate the facts from the spin, hype, and political BS.
Lets start with cycling. Once upon a time, bodybuilders found some fascinating information about a drug called clenbuterol in animal science journals. They learned that high doses of clenbuterol can build muscle and, since it directly stimulates the beta 2 adrenergic receptors, it even increases thermogenesis. Cycling clenbuterol was found to be more effective for bulking up farm animals so, of course, bodybuilders started cycling clenbuterol.
What does this have to do with ECA? Not much, but since the drugs are similar in some respects, bodybuilders started cycling ECA. And, of course, a number of companies that try to maintain the appearance of being on the cutting edge also started to recommend that people "cycle" their thermogenic supplements. So, amazingly, obese people are being told to cycle ECA because of some studies with a different drug that bulked up farm animals. As you will see in "The Beta 3 Scandal" section of this post, techniques that are effective with clenbuterol are not such a good idea for obese people who use ECA.
Meanwhile, some herbalists came up with a theory that thermogenic supplements stress the adrenal glands. Why? Well, thermogenic supplements cause the adrenal glands to release adrenaline. Of course, the exact same thing happens in response to the normal stress of daily living, and when you exercise, and when you eat a meal, and when you go outside in cold weather, etc., etc., etc. The adrenal glands certainly don't sound like wimps to me, but why ruin a good theory with facts? Still, it's a shame they came up with such a horrible name that generates an image of the adrenal glands getting worked to death. Poor ephedrine -- it doesn't even get a fair shake from people who advocate its use.
But when it comes to not being able to get a fair shake, obese people win the prize. Unfortunately the "adrenal exhaustion" theory also perpetuates prejudice against obese people because it ignores the fact that, in addition to subnormal noradrenaline release by the nerve endings of the sympathetic nervous system, obese people also release insufficient adrenaline from the adrenal medulla: "Another abnormality being noted with increasing frequency in human obesity is reduced adrenaline (Ad) levels in plasma, both at rest or in response to a stimulus such as physical activity" (17). By the way, this adrenaline deficiency persists even if you lose weight (18, 19-NA), setting the stage for the inevitable regain.
Thus, although ECA causes the adrenal medulla to release more adrenaline, this is actually just bringing us up to a more normal level. Although some herb sellers talk about "stressing" the adrenals, the reality is that ECA merely normalizes this biochemical imbalance. At any rate, undaunted by the fact that obesity researchers have never found a single incidence of "adrenal exhaustion" in all their studies on ECA, the herbalists started selling a variety of herbs to "protect" your adrenals. By the way, the herbalists agree with the bodybuilders that you should cycle ECA. However, their "reasoning" is quite different -- the herbalists believe that you should cycle thermogenic supplements in order to "rest" your adrenals. Ugh!
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