JULY 20-24

This movie has heart, soul, blood, guts, perspiration and plenty of muscle.

-Liz Smith, Cosmopolitan

Pumping Iron

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

Rated PG

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HIGH GEAR/JULY 1977

THE POOP ON POPPERS

Reprinted from GC News, Chicago Journal. June, 1977

By Dr. Louis Parrish, M.D. There is a scene in the popular movie classic, Dinner at Eight, that never fails to generate titters in a certain segment of the audience. Lionel Barrymore, pressured by a failing business, has had a spell, and he orders the nurse to bring him some amyl nitrate.

In the early Forties, when the movie was made, amyl nitrate was used as a strong smelling salts. Even though it's primary pharmacologic action is not that of a stimulant, a brief whiff seemed to revive (perhaps by shocking) a person who had suffered an attack of the "vapors". For this reason, it was kept in first aid stations and even funeral homes. It could be bought without a prescription in a drug store, but it was rarely asked for.

It's only real medicinal value was for relief of angina pectoris, the chest pain that results when the blood supply to the muscular wall of the heart becomes insufficient. It has been used as a short acting vasodilator for this condition for over a hundred years and has the advantage of affording quick relief. After inhalation, it is absorbed into the blood stream from the lungs and its "rush" is felt in seconds.

Like its chemical cousin, nitroglycerin, amyl belongs to a group of drugs known as nitrites, which have the pharmacologic effect of relaxing smooth muscle (muscle over which there is no voluntary control). Smooth muscles are found in most organs of the body, but the smooth muscles most affected by the nitrates are those in the walls of the blood vessels.

This vasodilating effect is responsible for amyl's gaining a reputation as a sexual stimulant. It produces a dramatic flushing of the skin of the face, neck and upper shoulders (the blush zone). As small vessels relax throughout the body, the blood pressure falls. Trying to compensate for this, the heart beats rapidly but the strokes are not strong enough to insure adequate circulation. The blood flow to the brain becomes inadequate and the resulting anoxia produces a lightheaded-

ness.

A flushed face a racing heart and a giddy sensation give the feeling of heightened sexuality. Amyl nitrate fans claim that "poppers" serve the dual purpose of putting them more out of it and at the same time putting them more into it. Perhaps the relaxation of smooth muscles is reflected in reduced tension throughout the body.

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Other aphrodisiac qualities claimed for poppers. Although the sphincters of the anus and vagina are skeletal (voluntary) muscles, both structures are surrounded by smooth muscle fibers, which amyl can relax, making penetration easier and less painful. There are also anecdotal reports that orgasms

are fuller, due perhaps to the relaxation of the smooth muscles controlling the ejaculation.

But the trip on amyl is not always good. Especially in people with hypertension, the fall in blood pressure may be so precipitous and the circulation in the brain so compromised that the person faints. If he is standing, he may even fall and hurt himself. However, this is rare; intolerance of sensitivity to amyl nitrate is more likely to result in nausea, vomiting, cold sweat and weakness.

It is also possible that the compensatory tachycardia (fast) heart rate) can confuse the heart's natural pace-maker, causing palpitations and irregularities in rhythm that can last for more than half an hour.

A more frequent unpleasant effect of amyl nitrate is headache. This probably results from dilation of the blood vessels in the sheath that covers the brain. The headache, usually not noticed until the rush is over, may require aspirin or other pain relievers before it abates. Since the amount of blood circulating in the brain is reduced, there is no reason to believe the rumor that poppers burst capillaries in the cerebral tissue.

The vessels in the retina of the eye are also dilated along with the cerebral anoxia, and that may explain some of the reported visual effects. It has also been postulated, but not proved, that amyl can aggravate glaucoma, a disorder due to increased pressure in the eyeball. A risk that has a strong psychological factor is the possibility of bodily harm. Under the influence of amyl nitrate, a person can become so carried away in his wanton abandonment that he does or permits done to him things that later on he realizes have been painful or injurious.

A final undesirable side effect is the loss of or difficulty in maintaining an erection. This does not happen to everyone and may vary from time to time with the same individual. This could be the result of the loss of smooth muscle tone in the penis or a drainage of the blood from the erectile tissues as the body adjusts to lowered blood pressure. Such an experience does not enhance the reputation of poppers as a sexual stimulant.

Considering the pharmacologic effects of amyl nitrate, are poppers dangerous? As of now, any answer must be hypothetical. Since the medical establishment has only recently become aware of the use of amyl nitrate as an aphrodisiac, it is unlikely any statistical studies have even been started. So experience must serve as the guideline.

It is the experience of most physicians familiar with the "illicit" use of amyl nitrate that, even though untoward effects are possible, they have been amazingly rare. The dangers of

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sniffing a popper are probably much less than taking an aspirin or for that matter, going for a drive in a car. However, this analogy must be qualified.

Who uses poppers and how they are used influences the risk. One or two inhalations by a healthy person right before orgasm is much less likely to cause problems than someone with hypertension or a cardiac irregularity maintaining high for an evening of fun and games in the bedroom or living room. (Poppers are reported to be good for giggles as well as sex.)

Not only the length of time amyl nitrate is used, but also the frequency of its use can be a determinant of its potential danger. People can develop a popper habit. This may have psychological as well as physical repercussions. Having sex without a popper becomes increasingly difficult, often to the point of undermining a partner's feeling of sexual competence.

But for most people, the popper experience is a temporary fad. They are fun for a while, but after a few exciting sexual experiences without them, they are used only for an occasional kick.. Many others do not get beyond the first whiff or two. They dislike or fear the physical changes they experience.

But what about those who like an occasional popper? If the risk/benefit ratio is so low, why are poppers available only on prescription? The answer lies somewhere in the convoluted relationship between governmental policies and social mores.

But as the profits increased, so did the guilt of the manufacturers. Finally, the FDA became persuaded that amyl nitrate was being abused; that is, used for purposes (probably pleasurable) other than its specific scientific indication. Amyl nitrate was declared a prescription drug. So if your doctor refuses to write you an Rx for poppers, try to understand he is not rejecting you, he is simply respecting the law,

The fact that the danger of amyl nitrate is minimal is supported by the seemingly unrestricted sale of butyl nitrite. Its pharmacological effects good and bad are similar to those of amyl but, in general, less intense. But in using it, remember that it too has the possibility, if not the probability, of danger. It is a highly volatile

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