Sic semper tyrannis
I apologize in advance for the length of this post.
Vitamins. Minerals. Supplements. Naturally occurring and readily available in the food you eat and in the many health store venues that exist. These are things that were intended to sustain our life and our bodies from nature. Whatever your faith, the supreme being made these things in nature to support life.
Your Gestapo rogue government agency known as the FDA is campaigning once again to take away your freedom. Your most very basic freedom...choice.
Choice in deciding how to care for the most precious gift you have...your body and by definition your health. Surprisingly the FDA cares little for either. At least based on their actions and decisions. If you believe otherwise then the brainwashing marketing tactics of the government are working. And they work very well.
I will give you the most criminal example I can think of...cancer treatment. Did you know it is virtually illegal for a doctor to treat cancer in any way other than three FDA approved methods? This is a true statement, how ever it may be spun. Doctors can only prescribe some form of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy as recommended protocols to treat (and I use that term loosely) cancer. If you are diagnosed today with ANY form of cancer, those are your treatment choices.
Cutting and disfiguring or poisoning...those are your choices. Go here to see other choices. I have read this book cover to cover.
That however is a larger subject for another post. Today, the FDA is undertaking its battle once again to deprive you of being able to make the choice of natural cures and low cost treatments. Low cost treatments that are made from naturally (the real nature not the FDA's definition of "naturally") occurring substances that have been used all over the world medicinally for centuries. Why would they do this? Only one word...MONEY.
There's no money in it for the drug companies (Big Pharma) when it comes to supplements. They cannot patent natural substances. Only the Frankenstein drugs they develop with their many side effects can be patented. That's where the money is. Natural substances are forever...patents only a few years. Pills that cost only a few cents to make cost you hundreds of dollars a month. Yes, the FDA is not on your side. Can you see this is part of the health care problem in this country? High priced drugs that do little and create a whole host of secondary conditions.
Seventeen years ago Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). In its essence the Act provided for prohibiting "the Federal Government from taking any actions to impose unreasonable regulatory barriers limiting or slowing the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers."
Now in 2011, the FDA is doing precisely that. They are proposing heavy regulations that threaten to eliminate your access to nutritional supplements. Supplements you can buy in a health food store, over the Internet, or in your local CVS or Walgreens. Supplements that many of us count on in place of over-priced research-cost recovering drugs. It is clear to see how the money is involved. How can Big Pharma make a profit if you are allowed the choice of a $20 a month supplement versus a drug (with side effects nonetheless) costing 10 or 20 times that amount? Their lobbying efforts (billions of dollars) in Washington are another cost passed on in their drug prices.
It's not that the drugs are expensive to make, but average cost from start to finish to develop a new drug is near the $400 million mark. You bet you are going to start helping the drug companies recoup that investment. And who is going to help them? The FDA and the doctors who prescribe these drugs. Don't you love those constant TV commercials that tell you, "to ask your doctor if (insert drug name) is right for you." Trust me, if its not another one just like it will be. How many offsetting commercials have you seen promoting natural health products for any of these same conditions? Virtually none.
Know why? FDA says you can't say that. No manufacturer can say in any way, shape, or form that any supplement can treat or prevent any disease or condition. In fact it's the exact opposite...every bottle and package for every supplement has to state that it does NOT do those things. Look at any vitamin bottle you have to prove it.
Now what does the FDA want to do? They want any supplement ingredients introduced or modified since October 15th, 1994 to be classified as "new dietary ingredients" and in order for them to remain on the market they would have to undergo extensive safety testing and an approval process similar to that of new drugs. This to me is like running a battery of tests on a hand gun to make sure the safety is actually on.
I quote from Dr Julian Whitaker's Health & Healing newsletter for September 2011:
"It doesn’t matter if the ingredient in question is a naturally occurring nutrient present in food that has been on the market for 17 years. It could no longer be sold without going through this expensive and cumbersome process. This has nothing to do with safety or efficacy. The intention is clear: to destroy the entire nutritional supplement industry. And guess who’s waiting in the wings? That’s right, Big Pharma.”
Since the passage of DSHEA, the pharma lobbyists have been pressing the FDA to disrupt the manufacture and sale of supplements. They have the money to throw at the testing that the FDA is proposing. They want nothing more than to take over the supplement market and jack the prices through the roof. They know these products are safe despite the smear campaigns they use to scare the public. They could fast track the approval process and have both ends of the market…drugs and supplements. I thought monopolies were illegal in this country??
This is the most significant threat we have faced since 1976. Then as now, the FDA has tried to turn vitamins and minerals into prescription drugs. I, like many others, are vehemently opposed to this.
I have done a large amount of study and taken supplements religiously for over 2 decades now. I abhor prescriptions drugs. Sadly I have family and friends who blindly believe and trust in everything their doctor tells them and prescribes for them. I have tried to at least point them in the direction of educating themselves on natural alternative options for the their treatment. Even as adamant as I am about this subject, I know a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. I am glad I have at least half-convinced my wife on taking supplements.
I apologize again for the length of this post and trust me I could write volumes more but I will wrap up here with this…I have subscribed to the Health & Healing newsletter from Dr. Julian Whitaker for almost 15 years now. I have done much study on this subject of natural healing and supplments. Considering that Dr. Whitaker is one of the most respected advocates of natural healing, and having come from a traditional medical background, I am a more than willing promoter of the cause. The real beauty of his passion is that he really practices what he preaches. The Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, CA is on my to-do list. I invite you to check out the site if you are interested in this subject.
I have written to my Senator and Congressman in support of proposed legislation to prohibit the FDA from getting away with their plan. Feel free to do the same.
I have a few more posts along this vein but they will be done in divided doses.
Take care, be healthy, and keep the government out of your affairs!
Til next time….
