Alternative remedies such as natural health supplements using vitamins and herbs, natural herbal remedies and holistic treatment are at risk. Coast-to-Coast just released a taped interview about the bill yesterday. Senator John McCain proposed The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA ), February 4, 2010, to put the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in charge of regulating natural health supplements.
Alternative remedies bill
Alternative remedies are protected because they are classified as food. However, the new bill reduces potency a product with 1/2 carrot's worth beta carotene for example and provides a list of acceptable ingredients.
FDA in charge?
This is the same FDA that allows dangerous prescription drugs on the market with long lists of side-effects. Watch any commercial on television that has 15 seconds on therapeutic effects of the drug and 45 seconds on side-effects including 4 hour erection and “sudden death.” Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
New natural health supplements at risk
The new bill even requires minor adverse effects from natural health supplements to be reported which is believed opens the door of harassment and allowing the FDA to pull products from shelves they deem appropriate. “A dietary supplement which contains a new dietary ingredient shall be deemed adulterated under section 402(f) unless there is a history of use or other evidence of safety.”
This wording means new ingredients can be squashed. The difference between regulation of drugs and natural health supplements is astounding. What is suggested is drugs are safe and food is not. If alternative remedies are to be protected, many feel this bill needs to be stopped.
Protect alternative remedies by contacting legislators
To do so, contact your representatives and ask they do not vote for the Dietary Supplement Safety Act (S. 3002). Then contact your friends and ask them to do the same. The John Birch Society offers a very easy-to-use form to do both.
If complementary and alternative medicine is to remain viable and to continue to buy vitamins, then legislators need to know about this bill. Vitamins and herbs, nutrition products and natural health supplements are at risk for continued use as alternative remedies.
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Comments
Excellent work, Deborah!
I know for a fact that the FDA has allowed dangerous drugs because I was a guinea pig for one of them and they still allowed it go on the market despite the serious side effects.
McCain is clueless. He knows nothing about supplement regulation or even the content of his own bill: "On Monday, Senator McCain released a Senate Floor Statement defending his Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. He lashed out at “opponents of the bill and their well-paid Washington lobbyists” who have “spread false statements and rumors about the legislation”.
The Alliance for Natural health(USA) posted a response on their website. It is a must-read: Senator McCain – Please Read Your Own Bill.
A part of the problem with misguided federal lawmakers like McCain is this. Citizens evidently don't understand that the Founders made the 10th A. to reserve the lion's share of government power to serve the people to the states, not the Oval Office and Congress. In fact, while citizens now seem to think that Supreme Court decisions are final, citizens have forgotten that, historically, the state legislatures have twice "overturned" USSC decisions with amendments to the Constitution.
As a side note, who didn't know that the states, not the federal Congress, have the unique constitutional authority to amend the federal Constitution?
So the states can essentially surprise federal lawmakers like McCain with a constitutional amendment which says that the federal government shall not mess with our vitamins.
Finally, readers should surmise that people like McCain are not the main problem with "the system." It's state lawmakers who are not doing their jobs who are the problem.
Keep our natural supplements natural and out of the hands of the FDA, contact your reps. It's far too dangerous to let them get their hands on it.
Good job on this, Deborah!
Third culture kids examiner
Seattle stay-at-home moms examiner
It's all about power and money. The FDA wants power over everything-- never mind that they aren't up to the responsibility. Big Pharma gets away with too much because they have big pockets stuffed full with campaign donations for (mostly) GOP lawmakers. It's a lose-lose for the American Public.
-Dallas Healthy Trends Examiner
-Dallas Ethnic Foods Examiner
Thank you for your support and for sharing information on this issue. I'm encouraged to see others are as passionate about this as I am. Hopefully, we'll be able to put a stop to it.
Thanks again.
Deborah
power and money is often at the root of everything that is for sure.
I agree that money has a lot to do with this. Alternative medicine is a 43 billion dollar per year industry.
Thanks for the support everyone. I hope you send this article to others so we get this bill stopped.
Deborah
I think that you may be partly right but if company's are allowed to say that there pill can do this and that just to get people to buy it then don't you think someone has only your money in mind not your health. I think that if you say your product does this then it dam well better or you should be put in jail.
Yes, there are unscruplous products and companies in all fields. That's why it's important to know who you are dealing with.
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