Posted on 04/10/2005 11:55:32 AM PDT by Sarah
This brings up a couple questions:
Many millions of Americans take supplements. In Europe there is no equivalent to the GNCs, etc., in every mall in America. Supplements are part of American life in a way that they aren't in Europe. And I can't see Congress--especially a Republican Congress--permitting it.
I agree. I use supplements and know many others who do as well. There will be an incredible uproar in this country if the Congress tries to do something like this.
My understanding is that vitamin C would not be outlawed but the amount that you could buy would be limited.
This fits with what I've heard. I think this is an excellent issue to educate the American people concerning the evils of GATT and the WTO. There will be a huge uproar if this is actually implemented. In Fort Collins, we have at least 3 natural food stores that are well stocked with supplements and the regular groceries are adding them as well. A lot of people use supplements.
When cod liver oil is outlawed, only outlaws will have cod liver oil.
:)
In that case, I guess we'll all have to go fishing. :-)
.... assuming, of course, that the pharmaceutical industry hasn't had fishing poles reclassified as prescription drugs.
BTW, please add me to your nutrition ping list.
My daughter was put on a new medicine (one I have been on for 8 years and was told that she should take prenatal vitimans. I ran to the store to get them (hard to find) and was told by the pharmacist that they were govt. subsidized so the price is very reasonable.
I do feel better and recommend them to anyone.
I don't know about prenatal vitamins but, other than a requirement for truth in labelling, I prefer that the government stay out of the supplement business.
It may not be just Big Pharma. I'm told that physicians in Europe supplement their income by selling supplements. European physicians may be trying to build walls to keep others from getting into the supplement market.
done!
Funny you mention this. Just the other day I was flipping through Fernand Braudel's History of Civilizations (a book written for the French academy as the official text on world history), and he has a line in there which amounted to "those nutty Americans and their vitamin pills and chrome covered cars". He specifically mentioned vitamins. Apparently vitamins really are seen in Europe as an American thing.
The US is close behind.
According to our government,
outlawing vitamin supplements will be "for our own good."
This had better not happen.
I don't think you're paranoid, but I don't think it's the pharma companies. The EU has a fetish for micro-control, and this is but one manifestation of it.
They also have a commission for the evaluation of industrial chemicals--yes, all thousands of them, and they have a rather wierd, compulsive woman in charge of looking at all chemicals present in all products to be produced and/or sold in the EU.
I know, it sounds insane, and it really is bureaucracy gone berserk-- but there it is. It's real.
If there is any ulterior motive, imo, it is to protect against imports from the US, generically.
Thanks for pinging my post, I was hoping to get some enlightened information by posting this.
My husband and I no longer live in the States, but recently consulted with a visiting American Naturopath.
He told us that we wouldn't be able to get the supplements he prescribed us for long here in Europe, (I was joking that we could probably get them for free with the generous Sécurité Sociale (national health plan)) Then he added that the WHO, as the US is a signatory nation, would soon have to follow suit.
Please see my above post, and also ping me to nutritional posts. (I didn't know of such a ping...)
One thing we did notice as we tried to procure the doses here in Europe is that every naturopath found our doses to be too elevated. The stores understood the new law to be two-fold:
one: to keep out US imports
two: to avoid over dosing, as in the States, due to the lowered quality of food, people must take higher doses for the same effect. (I'm not agreeing, just quoting)
They are afraid of the ruling, just not too prone to fight it as they see the major point to exclude the United States suppliers.
Please see my above posts
ping for additional info above.
I hate to be paranoid, it's just that I've really found natural solutions to be better (yes, more expensive, as everything is out of pocket.)
And then if this is true, I'm really frightened to have to turn to synthetic solutions, as the side-effects have to do with mood and emotional balance.
Even here in Europe, normal Western medicine is reimbursed close to 100%, and natural medicine much less (at least it is recognised!)
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