The Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, continues its attack
on your freedom to choose health supplements with their recent
announcement that nine out of ten Americans want dietary supplements to
be proven safe before they are marketed. If the survey question is
carefully crafted, there's no doubt that 90% of the people would agree.
But the real story is the question they didn't bother to ask: "Do you
want health supplements, vitamins, minerals and herbs to be banned and
regulated by
the FDA?" Because that's the real question here, and the
Consumers Union very well knows it.
The Consumers Union and the FDA
have both been pushing hard to either outlaw all health supplements or
regulate them out of existence. If herbs, for example, were subject to
the same hundred-million-dollar clinical trials required of experimental
prescription drugs, no herb company could afford to fund the tests, and
virtually all herbs would be outlawed. This is, of course,
precisely the outcome desired by the pharmaceutical industry, which sees
herbal medicine as competition for its high-priced prescription drugs.
Such testing for herbs, vitamins and minerals is, of course,
ridiculous. The herbs used medicinally today have a long track record of
safe, effective use. Even the so-called "dangerous" herb ephedra is
thousands of times safer than prescription drugs and even
over-the-counter drugs. Skeptical? Consider that ephedra has only been
linked to the deaths of, at most, a hundred people (this number varies
from one report to the next). Meanwhile, over-the-counter painkillers
kill 40,000 Americans each year, and prescription drugs kill another
100,000. With this data in mind, consider the lunacy of the FDA's
branding of ephedra as "dangerous" while OTC drugs and prescription
drugs are apparently safe enough to keep on selling to the population at
large.
I used to think Consumer Reports was a magazine that could be
trusted, but no longer. It seems to be on a crusade to outlaw
nutritional supplements, much to the amusement of the FDA which is
pursuing the same outcome. Make no mistake: certain corporations and
organizations in this country won't be happy until your freedom to
choose natural health supplements has been utterly destroyed,
forcing you and everyone else to rely on overpriced pharmaceuticals.
Your freedom to choose is being assaulted right now. Protect yourself
with information and knowledge. Contact your representatives in
Washington. Let them know you want health supplements to remain on the
shelves so that consumers can protect their health with proven, safe,
affordable supplements like herbs, vitamins and minerals.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. 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. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Monday, June 14, 2004
Email this article to a friend
Share this article on: 
Now Available from 
