How did we end up with a country that prohibits health information under the guise of safety?
Herbs, minerals, supplements and vitamins are all made by nature. They are God given and our birthright as humans to be able to utilize nature to heal us when needed. They are currently classified as public domain.
So far anyway, you cannot take out and own a patent on plants, minerals or other elements found in nature. The FDA is all about patents and profit. Therefore, if something that actually works to heal the body falls outside of their grasp, they must quash it and anyone who tries to bring to light the fact that it works. The FDA has gone so far as to try and ban certain vitamins.
Their party line is very much that pharmaceuticals are the only cure, the only answer, and the only way. This simply isn’t reality. Vitamins, minerals, supplements, and herbs are natures medicine and unlike pharmaceuticals work without side effects.
In doing marketing for a Vitamin Company, due to the FDA’s government mandated and imposed rules and regulations; we are forced to mark every single bottle with the standard FDA disclaimer “This product has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease.”
Somehow the FDA has named them selves the end all be all in declaring “what works”. Strangely the majority of America simply sit back and accepts their verdicts.
Example Letter from the FDA
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
WARNING LETTER
FLA-09-25
This is to advise you that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed your website and has determined that certain products are promoted for conditions that cause the products to be drugs under section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1)(B)]. The therapeutic claims on your website establish that the products are drugs because they are intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.
The marketing of the products with these claims violates the Act.
Examples of some of the claims observed on your website include:
– GREEN TEA: helps lower cholesterol levels. Helpful for … stabilizing blood sugar and insulin levels, and protecting the body against cancer.
– LYCOPENE: has also shown to aid with Cardiovascular Disease. This supplement has shown beneficial in lowering high levels of LDL degeneration within the tissue. By lowering the LDL (bad) cholesterol, it can help reduce one’s chances of heart attack.
– MELATONIN: Research has shown that this supplement can aid those who suffer from insomnia by playing a role in inducing sleep
– OMEGA3: Taking Omega 3 decreases the risk of heart disease. Omega 3 can also be used as an anti-inflammatory to relieve pain around the joints.
– TURMERIC: This well known spice offers many benefits for Arthritis sufferers.
– SELENIUM: Research has shown that Selenium can assist in the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration.
All of the above statements are true and can be backed with scientific study. This does not matter according to the FDA.
The letter continues:
The claims quoted above are supplemented by the metatags used to bring consumers to your website through Internet searches. The metatags include: “anti-inflammatory,” “prostate cancer supplement,” “joint pain,” and “arthritis pain.”
Your products are not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced uses and therefore, the products are “new drugs” under section 201(p) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(p)]. New drugs may not be legally marketed in the U.S. without prior approval from FDA as described in section 505(a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 355(a)].
You should take prompt action to correct the violations described above and prevent their future recurrence. Failure to do so may result in enforcement action without further notice. The Act authorizes the seizure of illegal products and injunctions against manufacturers and distributors of those products [21 U.S.C. §§ 332 and 334].
Essentially if you attempt to inform, educate, and boost people’s health you will be found to be in violation and possibly subject to having your inventory seized.
Access to truthful natural health information is important. Not all of us are walking encyclopedias of herbal and vitamin knowledge.
By limiting the public’s access to information on specific products by way of censoring what producers are allowed to say they are taking away your right to information.
Without information there is no further learning and without the ability to research for yourself your options become more limited – and so does your ability to stay healthy.
To learn more here is a great book written on the subject:
Fight For Your Health: Exposing the FDA’s Betrayal of America
by Byron J. Richards,
Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist
http://www.wellnessresources.com/books/fight_for_your_health.php
