Posted on 06/04/2004 7:39:35 PM PDT by Coleus
Herbal alternatives are under attack. Download and print flyers. The flyers urge consumers to tell their congressmen and senators to attend the JUNE 17th Herbal Alternatives Congressional Briefing to learn the truth about herbs & health.
It is critical that Congress attends this briefing because:
HERBAL ALTERNATIVES ARE UNDER ATTACK. News headlines misinform and mislead decision makers. Products you depend on for your health could soon be banned.
MANY CAPITOL HILL STAFFERS AND POLICY MAKERS DO NOT UNDERSTAND NATURAL HEALTH INDUSTRY ISSUES. Since DSHEA was passed in 1994, about 50% of Congressmen and Senators and 80% of Congressional aides have left. New staffers and policy makers need to be educated on the issues that led to the passage of DSHEA.
CONGRESS NEEDS TO HEAR THE FACTS. Herbs are safe, beneficial and cost-efficient. 158 million Americans benefit from natural health approaches.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
1. Send a letter to your Senators and Representatives urging them to attend this briefing today! It only takes a minute at www.citizens.org/briefing.
2. Read more at www.citizens.org/briefing. Both sites include a downloadable flyer that you can distribute.
3. Register to vote so you are ready for the upcoming elections. You can register online at www.citizens.org/vote. Tell your friends to register, too.
4. Join the Natural Health Action Network and receive regular updates and important messages on issues you care about. It's free and easy to sign up at www.citizens.org/join.
Click here to send your message now!
Click here and let your Representatives know how it important it is that they attend the Herbal Alternatives briefing!
Click here to download our store flyer and post in it stores, offices of integrative healing professionals, and wellness and community centers in your area!
There goes the nutritional MLM industry.
Herbs cannot be patented and cannot be owned by thepharmaceutical companies. Herbs are bigger threat to the "free market/free trade" than generics or drugs imported from Canada.
Just what kind of legislation is being considered? The article doesn't specify.
I don't think the herbs themselves are under attack; just the ridiculous way in which they're marketed and touted as a frickin' cure-all for everything from hemorrhoids to hurricanes.
The biggest blunder in the herbal remedy market has been this overuse of "all natural!" Yeah, well arsenic is all-natural, but that doesn't mean you should load up on it.
"As the debate over Senate Bill 722 heats up, one thing is certain- the right to use safe dietary supplements is clearly under attack. This legislation threatens DSHEA and your access to safe dietary supplements. We need you to send a clear message to Washington: Congress is writing the WRONG prescription for health!"
From the website of citizens.org.
I don't know specifically what Senate Bill 722 does, but I have seen for years that Congress and the FDA is trying to keep us from having access to and making out own decisions about vitamins, herbs, supplements and medications which have been safely used for many years in other countries.
Congress may change the DSHEA
Urge Your Member of Congress to attend the Herbal Alternatives briefing on June 17th, to get the other side of the healthcare story. Click here to send your message today!
Herbal alternatives are under attack and news headlines are misinforming and misleading decision makers. Products consumers depend on for their health may well be banned. Legislation in Congress, if passed, could severely restrict consumer access to many herbs and dietary supplements millions of people rely on to keep them healthier. Congress is drafting legislation impacting our ability to make health choices, and they are making decisions after only hearing one side of the story.
Massive misinformation and hype from the media and drug industry lobbyists is misleading the nation’s consumers and decision makers.
The pharmaceutical industry spends millions of dollars and employs hundreds of lobbyists to make their case to you. Now, you need to hear the other side and get the facts:
* Herbs are safe, beneficial and cost effective.
* Extensive science highlights their health and disease prevention benefits. The properties of herbs are well known as they have a 2000 plus year track record.
* They are extremely safe when taken as directed, and they are widely used in America and around the world.
* Over 158 million Americans benefit from natural health approaches that include herbs and dietary supplements.
* There is moral and economic benefit to the wellness approach of botanical products in addition to the conventional medicine taught in medical schools.
NNFA's Analysis of DSHEA
Having witnessed first hand the unfortunate results of taking multiple "safe" herbal medications which resulted in overdosing on one chemical (common to three of the products) which is safe in small quantities but dangerous in large doses, I'm thinking that some sort of regulation is needed here.
Water is natural too and if you drink too much you can die from diluting your electrolytes.
Want to regualate water too? It's all natural.
Many herbs DO have medicinal properties and effects which are used to treat diseases. Supplements are used by over 70 million Americans daily and make people more healthy.
Herbs are safe and can treat diseases and conditions if you do your research and take the correct amounts. People should research anything they put into their mouths.
Dr. Duke has a great book on herbal remedies.
Any herbs you take or are interested in taking have potentially dangerous side effects
Specific herbal medicines are appropriate for you given your overall health status
Any herbal medicines can interact with other medications you currently use
You could achieve the same results you desire from herbal supplements by changing your lifestyle — for example, your diet or exercise program
Your doctor may be cautious about endorsing or embracing most herbal supplements. This is most often because relatively few controlled studies have been done on herbal supplements. However, a growing number of doctors are working to better understand herbal therapies so that they can help you make informed decisions about your health care.
Coleus Forskohlii - Forskolin also has a thyroid-stimulating action, which contributes to thermogenesis and an increase in the basal metabolic rate. These properties allow it to enhance the effects of the ephedrine/caffeine combination.
Used for weight-loss, dieting and weight training.
increased force of contraction of heart muscle; relaxation of the arteries and other smooth muscles; increased insulin secretion; increased thyroid function;
The primary thrust of SB 722 is to place the so-called "Natural Supplements" under requirements similar to those met by other products marketed as drugs or medicine; namely that they be demonstrated as safe, that they be accurately labled, that they adhere to strict purity standards, and that any claim made for the product be substantiated. I can certainly understand why the marketers of the popular nostrums would see compliance with such regulations an insufferable burden. How dare the government insist the stuff be safe, effective, honestly labled, and responsibly marketed?
Reducto ad absurdum.
The industry can regulate itself as it has for many years.
We don't need more govt. control and interference.
More people die from prescription drug use, medical mistakes, drug interactions and from just being in a hospital than from any nutritional supplement. The FDA has approved many pharmaceuticals which have killed many.
Let's keep things as they are today.
The Pharmaceutical lobby has a lot of power in DC, they want to regulate the supplement industry out of business.
LOL I thought it was something like that. Thanks for the info.
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Campaign for Healthy Kids, Healthy Families
Consumers who shop in health food stores provide a ready-made grassroots base and a powerful opportunity to engage thousands of concerned citizens in local activities on this critical national issue. Therefore, the Action Guide will be promoted widely through natural health food & grocery stores, targeted media sources and the holistic health practitioner communities. Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and several associations of health food grocery co-ops have already agreed to partner with us in this program.
One of the primary obstacles facing any new initiative is the daunting “how-to” questions from those trying to implement a new idea. The Campaign has identified pilot programs across the country to work with and replicate, and will then publish successful children’s food and environmental health initiatives to educate others on how to do the same—stories like the initiative in Olympia, WA, where five elementary schools have provided organic food and paid for it by removing deserts from the menus, or like the Los Angeles School District that has successfully banned sugar-filled products from their vending machines.
Shaklee is doomed. DOOMED I say!
Many prescription drugs originated as botanicals. My ophthalmologist prescribes gingko and lutein for me.
I have no doubt some supplement purveyors in fact do produce and market their products responsibly. Unfortunately, many don't. and the greater consideration is the overall public welfare. The growth of the scammers and spammers in the field has tarnished the lot. Self-regulation works only with and among those willing to adhere to standards. Claiming exemption from legally enforceable standards applied in the interest of the public welfare is prima facie evidence of skullduggery, as far as I'm concerned. I'm no fan of government interference, but I'm less a fan of snake-oil drummers. It comes down to "Put up or shut up"; prove it is what it says it is and does what is claimed for it, or don't market it. What's so onerous about being compelled by law to live up to your claims ... unless, of course, there's a problem with your claims?
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