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From the desk of
George Spellwin
gspellwin@elitefitness.com
888-613-9136

Dear friend and fellow athlete,

GHB is Gamma hydroxybutyrate. GHB has been around for years, but in 1999, it took Rohypnol's place when it became known as the date rape drug. Bodybuilders have long been interested in GHB for promoting restorative sleep and for its possible growth hormone (GH) release connection. In the last year a great deal of new research has been done on GHB that indicates that at controlled dosages, its side effects are practically non-existent and that there is a definitely a connection between GHB and GH release.

In this issue of Elite Fitness News, we'll look at the new research on GHB. We'll also look at how bodybuilders are using it to aid in muscle development and improve recovery times. We'll also take a look at some of the latest research that indicates that many of the side effects attributed to GHB by the media were largely unfounded.

In May of 1999, our friends at the FDA recommended that GHB become a Schedule I Controlled Substance. In September of that year, the House of Representatives voted 423 to 1, and the Senate voted unanimously in favor of the FDA's recommendations. And by November, the Drug Enforcement Agency was treating GHB just like heroin and other Schedule I drugs. In early 2000, President Clinton signed the legislation.

However, an important exception was made in the legislation. President Clinton said in a White House statement: "The Act will not impede ongoing research into the potential legitimate use of this drug to treat the special needs of those suffering from narcolepsy. Indeed, this Act creates a special exemption that provides that the manufacture and distribution of this drug for properly approved research purposes will be subject to the physical security requirements of Schedule III rather than Schedule I."

Although GHB is very easily and cheaply manufactured, for better or worse, the FDA gave the drug companies permission to study GHB for possible sale as a pharmaceutical. In essence, what had happened is that GHB went from being an inexpensive and effective sleep aid that had been available as an OTC or as a gray market supplement and re-regulated it for the benefit of the drug companies.

Around this time, Orphan Medical, a drug company in Minneapolis, began research into using GHB for the treatment of narcolepsy. They developed a medically formulated GHB product and given it the brand name Xyrem. Although certainly motivated by profit, Orphan Medical has conducted several studies that indicate that GHB or Xyrem should not be a demonized Schedule I drug. Their research further indicates that GHB is relatively safe and can be an effective treatment for sleep disorders.

All of Orphan's studies have involved the use of GHB to treat narcoleptics. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting an estimated 100,000 to 125,000 Americans. The main symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Cataplexy is a debilitating symptom characterized by loss of muscle control in response to strong emotions such as laughter, anger, or surprise. In its most severe form, cataplexy can cause a person to collapse during waking hours.

Of primary interest to us as bodybuilders is how a narcoleptic's sleep patterns differ from the sleep patterns of a normal person. When you and I sleep, our sleep is divided into 5 stages. Stages 1 through 4 are the non-REM stages. Stage 5 is the REM stage. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement. REM sleep is distinguishable from Non-REM sleep by changes in physiological states, where heart rate increases, respiration speeds up and becomes erratic, and the face, fingers, and legs may twitch. Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity, but paralysis occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups. Here's what happens in a healthy sleep cycle.

The Non-REM Stages

Stage 1
Stage 1 sleep is essentially drowsiness. Polysomnography shows a 50% reduction in activity between wakefulness and stage 1 sleep. The eyes are closed during stage 1 sleep, but if aroused from it, you feel like you have not slept. Stage 1 lasts for about 10 minutes.

Stage 2
Stage 2 is a period of light sleep during which polysomnographic readings show intermittent peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves. These waves indicate spontaneous periods of muscle tone mixed with periods of muscle relaxation. The heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases. At this point, the body prepares to enter deep sleep.

Stages 3 and 4
These are deep sleep stages and the ones we are primarily concerned with as bodybuilders. Stage 4 is more intense than stage 3. These stages are known as slow-wave, or delta-sleep. During slow-wave sleep, especially during stage 4, the electromyogram records slow waves of high amplitude, indicating a pattern of deep sleep.

Studies have tracked the levels of certain hormones during the sleep cycle -- in particular, the release of growth hormone (GH). In men, but not in women, 60 to 70 percent of the body's GH is secreted during the slow-wave stage of sleep. Interestingly, studies have shown that, infants and adolescents have higher levels of GH and also spend much more time in stages 3 and 4 sleep. Obviously, both infants and adolescents are in a state of rapid growth. Other research has shown that as men move from early adulthood (16 to 25 years) into middle age (36 to 50 years), the time spent in slow wave sleep decreases by about 15 percent. This corresponds to a drop in GH production and possibly to what we commonly call "middle-aged spread."

Non-REM Sleep
The period of non-REM sleep is comprised of stages 1-4 and lasts from 90 to 120 minutes, each stage lasting anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Surprisingly, however, Stages 2 and 3 repeat backwards before REM sleep is attained. So, a normal sleep cycle has this pattern: waking, stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, REM. Usually, REM sleep occurs 90 minutes after sleep onset.

After analyzing their findings, the researchers suggested that it might be possible to "treat" the aging process in men by adjusting their sleep patterns. Also, medications that enhance the slow wave phase of sleep could possibly help compensate for medically low GH levels in younger people. More research is needed to determine if this is a practical solution. However the study supports the idea that sleep patterns can be related to metabolism as well.

The five stages of sleep, including their repetition, occur cyclically. The first cycle, which ends after the completion of the first REM stage, usually lasts for 100 minutes. Each subsequent cycle lasts longer, as its respective REM stage extends. So a person may complete five cycles in a typical night's sleep.

A narcolepsy patient typically enters into REM sleep soon after falling asleep. This abnormal phenomenon is part of the diagnostic profile of narcolepsy. As such, the narcoleptic is largely deprived of the benefits of stage 3 and 4 sleep and the associated GH release. So, Orphan Medical began several studies where GHB or Xyrem, as they call it, was administered to narcoleptics. The results were very promising both for narcolepsy patients, aging men, and for bodybuilders.

Platinum members, please click here to read the rest of this 7 page report. In this report, you'll find:

• The data from the GHB trials.
• Optimal GHB dosages determined by the trials.
• GHB Side Effects.
• New Information on GHB induced respiratory failure.
• Cycline GHB with Modafinil for optimizing sleep cycles.

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Yours in sport,

George Spellwin

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gspellwin@elitefitness.com
888-613-9136
212-823-1000