Posted on 04/25/2005 9:33:08 AM PDT by jmc813
Millions of Americans take dietary supplements every day, and the numbers are growing as the Baby Boom generation ages. More and more Americans understandably are frustrated with our government-controlled health care system. They have concluded that vitamins, minerals, and other supplements might help them stay healthy and less dependent on the system. They use supplements because they can buy them freely at stores and research them freely on the internet, without government interference in the form of doctors, prescriptions, HMOs, and licenses. In other words, they use supplements because they are largely free to make their own choices, in stark contrast to the conventional medical system.
But we live in an era of unbridled government regulation of both our personal lives and the economy, and Food and Drug administration bureaucrats burn to regulate supplements in the same manner as prescription drugs.
The health nannies insist that many dietary supplements are untested and unproven, and therefore dangerous. But the track record for FDA-approved drugs hardly inspires confidence. In fact, far more Americans have died using approved pharmaceuticals than supplements. Not every dietary supplement performs as claimed, but neither does every FDA drug.
The FDA simply gives people a false sense of security, while crowding out private watchdog groups that might provide truly disinterested consumer information. It fosters a complacent attitude and a lack of personal responsibility among people who assume a government stamp of approval means a drug must be safe, and that they need not study a drug before taking it.
The FDA, like all federal agencies, ultimately uses its regulatory powers in political ways. Certain industries and companies are rewarded, and others are punished. No regulatory agency is immune from politics, which is why the FDA should not be trusted with power over our intimate health care decisions.
The real issue is not whether supplements really work, or whether FDA drugs really are safe. The real issue is: Who decides, the individual or the state? This is the central question in almost every political issue. In free societies, individuals decide what medical treatments or health supplements are appropriate for them.
Over the past decade the American people have made it clear they do not want the federal government to interfere with their access to dietary supplements. In 1994, Congress bowed to overwhelming public pressure and passed the Dietary Supplements and Health and Education Act, which liberalized the rules regarding the regulation of dietary supplements. Congressional offices received a record number of comments in favor of the Act, which demonstrates how strongly Americans feel about health freedom.
The FDA simply has thumbed its nose at Congress and ignored the new rules in many instances, by attempting to suppress information about health supplements. But in 1999 a federal appellate court affirmed that the American people have a First Amendment right to such information without interference from the FDA. However, members of Congress have had to intervene with the FDA on several occasions to ensure that they followed the court order.
My regular listeners already know about another looming threat to dietary supplement freedom. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, an offshoot of the United Nations, is working to “harmonize” food and supplement rules between all nations of the world. Under Codex rules, even basic vitamins and minerals will require a doctor’s prescription. As Europe moves ever closer to adopting Codex standards, it becomes more likely that the World Trade Organization will attempt to force those standards on the United States. This is yet another example of how the WTO threatens American sovereignty. By cooperating with Codex, the FDA is blatantly ignoring the will of Congress and the American people.
Ping
Ron Paul. We could use a couple hundred more just like him. Libertarians should've drafted him for president instead of Badnarik or whatever his name was.
"But we live in an era of unbridled government regulation of both our personal lives and the economy"
Buyer beware but for those who take the effort to learn how and when to use drugs they can avoid the costs driven by the regulatory need for a doctor visit.
It's not laughable. Many of us "vitamin takers" were against the anti-smoking push, too, simply on the basis that we realized once tobacco's "legislated" into obscurity, no telling who's next. Supplements save my life daily, and your laughter is not very funny.
The FDA and drug companies are threatened by vitamins because they take potential consumers of their products away. Currently most vitamins cannot be patented and so out of the reach of the drug companies. However as the revenue stream in the vitamin industry edges up and it is several billion dollars a year already, look for more legislation to make that only available by prescription. The worst nightmare of drug companies are people like me who spend over $100 a month on vitamins but have not taken a pharmaceutical drug in 20 yrs. If enough people did that a lot of the drug companies will go bust. Their whole game plan is to keep people on drugs that only cure symptoms and never cure a root cause. My wife works in one of the biggest Pharmas and her and her friends never take the drugs that they make because they have seen the stats of people thaht die from the "SAFE FDA APPROVED DRUGS".
My doctor who I see out of necessity once a year to get a physical is 280 lbs and the picture of bad health and she is going to tell me how to live a healthy life ???
Exactly. If we really lived in a free country we wouldn't have to get permission to treat ourselves.
The more I read about Ron the better I like him.
Yes. Many prescription drugs are synthetic versions of natural products. Natural products cannot be patented, so drug companies make synthetic versions, which can be patented, and thus sold as prescriptions. Whenever a patent is about to run out, the drug company just changes the 'content' slightly and gets a new patent, thus extending the 'prescription required' life of the drug.
Annually, $billions are spend on natural products. The drug companies would love to regulate them with prescriptions so they can increase the costs and make better profits without having to do all the synthetic product research & development.
I take 3 deep water fish oil caps a day, plus 1 tablespoon of olive, and my GOOD cholesterol (HDL) doubled which has greatly decreased my risk for a heart attack (which runs in my family).
My doctor said my HDL was VERY impressive, but it's funny that he never asked me how I did it.
Having worked for a vitamin supplement company for about 2 years now, I have mixed feelings about the FDA.
On the one hand, I understand the need for regulation and rules - you can't have just any crack-pot with an herb garden bottling "supplements" and claiming it'll cure cancer.
Also, I've seen all kinds of metrics that prove how "unsafe" all the FDA-approved drugs are...but nothing about how many lives the drugs save. Lord knows I'm here today because of the advances brought about by Western Medicine (including the FDA), so I'm kind of a fan.
However, on the other hand, the FDA should be brought to trial under some form of anti-trust violations for making it almost completely impossible for supplement companies to do business. The amount of nonsense we've had to go through (hoops to jump through, etc.) is just rediculous.
We make a number of great products that help a lot of people, so I hope the company I work for is able to exist for a good long while. If you're interested, I'll post a link to our website...don't want this to sound like an advertisement...
Most doctors have their head in the sand about vitamins and supplements. Doctors are the primary marketing agents for the pharmaceutical industry and with few exceptions have disdain for vitamins. Some very highly regarded hospitals in the Boston area go as far as to strongly discourage patients from taking a multi vitamin but have no problem prescribing an expensive drug with horrendous side effects for twice the cost of a vitamins. The consumer really has to look out for themselves here and not run to take drugs as the first resort for every health challenge. However drugs fit so well with the "instant meal quick fix lack of personal responsibility" culture that we live in today. This is all linked to the larger culture war that we are fighting against the liberals although there are plenty of Republicans that are on the wrong side of this issue.
Why not? People need to consider the source when deciding what to take. And stupid people will always find dangerous things to do. Lots of teenagers are sniffing glue, because some friends told them it was a safe way to have fun.
What the FDA should really be focusing on is policing the concrete claims of what the bottles contain, in what strength. I should be free to decide that that substance X is worth trying for my ailment. A company which wants to cater to my decision should be free to do so -- but it should not be free to sell bottles of tablets that say "10 mg of substance X per tablet" when they really contain a lot more or a lot less, or an unpredictable mixture of dosages. We already have plenty of laws against that, but the FDA would be an appropriate agency to handle random testing, responses to consumer complaints, and referral for prosecution when warranted.
Consider that I am type 1 diabetic using and insulin pump (FDA controlled) the pump needs cartriges that hold the insulin (FDA controlled), infusion sets to injest the insulin into me (FDA controlled), and analog insulin (FDA controlled). I also take Lipitor to reduce the incidence of cardivascular disease (FDA controlled) and an ACE inhibitor generic (FDA controlled). All of these require a doc's script (AMA controlled). Now if I was in Thailand I could go to the local hospital get all my blood tests and walk to the pharmacy and get the drugs cheap all without the FDA or FDA like controls or a doc's script. FDA represents tryanny over the ill in this country.
End the FDA, open pharacies for non-narcotic drugs, and educate more doc's and we will end the health care crisis in America.
I agree.
Natural products cannot be patented because GOD holds those patents. LOL.
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