Here's another opportunity to contrast the actions of the FDA's actions
on prescription drugs versus herbal medicine. As you are probably well
aware, the FDA aggressively bans herbs that cause just a few deaths.
Ephedra's isolated problems were highly exaggerated and widely
publicized in order to solicit an outcry that would justify the FDA's
actions to ban the herb. And yet prescription drugs receive no such
scrutiny. This story described how a prescription drug named OxyContin
is being crushed and snorted by druggies to achieve a heroin-like high.
Furthermore, the company making OxyContin distributed promotional videos
to
doctors that contained all sorts of unsubstantiated claims, such as
the claim that fewer than 1% of users become addicted to the
drug (many
doctors would strongly argue with that).
So how is the FDA acting to
protect the U.S. public against this heroin-like drug that's being
improperly marketed across the country? It isn't. The
investigation was conducted by the General Accounting Office
(GAO), which had to actually yank the FDA's chain to get the agency
to take a look at this drug. And now, six years after the drug was first
introduced, the FDA has taken no steps whatsoever against the makers of
OxyContin.
This is stunning news: the GAO, which is perhaps one of
the last remaining honest departments in the federal government, is
doing the FDA's job! That's why I'm a strong advocate of FDA reform and
for creating an Internal Affairs department at the FDA so that somebody
is watching over this irresponsible agency that continues to drag its
feet when it comes to protecting the public from the dangers of
prescription drugs.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, January 22, 2004
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