- INTRODUCTION
-
- July 2005 produced several international regulatory challenges
that will heavily impact the nutrient industry and alternative healing.
As one observer's blog put it, "Pro-Illness forces are pushing hard
to consolidate their gains at CODEX last week when the Vitamin and Mineral
Guideline (VMG) was passed without any dissenting voices."
-
- The battle has just begun. Read more below about how
you can help and the Vitamin Lawyer's Industry Support Program (ISP)
-
- More up to date info on Codex and related health freedom
issues can be found at http://www.healthfreedomusa.org,
http://www.thenhf.com and http://www.iahf.com.
-
- I've been on two web radio shows on this issue in the
past week or so - http://www.rense.com
and http://www.thebyteshow.com.
More information is available through my http://www.vitaminlawyernews.com
and http://www.inhere.org.
-
- WHAT'S HAPPENING - WHAT TO DO!
-
- My take on this all is that both the threat to freedom
of choice and the opportunity to turn around the international agencies
are at the highest levels they've been in years.
-
- A new anti-vitamin bill has been introduced in the House,
HR 3156, but several pro-freedom congresspeople are also getting involved
(see Rep. Ron Paul's web site, for example).
-
- Contact your congresspeople to oppose HR 3156.
-
- Use this link: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/
healthfreedomusa/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=678
-
- In recent weeks the EU high court upheld the very restrictive
(treats dietary supplements like toxins!) Food Supplement Directive (EU
regulation) BUT, according to the Alliance for Natural Health attorneys,
limited its application to synthetic supplements, not natural dietary substances,
thereby alleviating some concern about those rules.
-
- Also, the Codex committee adopted similarly restrictive
guidelines (the VMG - Vitamin and Mineral Guidelines), but, the "upper
limits" are still in dispute and Codex's parent orgs, WHO and FAO
have told Codex to "review its mandate" and consider how nutrition
and supplements can help health - something it has tried to avoid so far.
-
- The central issue here seems to be the clash between
international bureaucracies regarding what "science based" approach
to take regarding dietary supplements. We know the choice that was made
in the US, when Congress unanimously adopted DSHEA (Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act) in 1994: Dietary Supplements are FOODS and are
not subject to toxic material (drug) controls. This also needs to be the
choice made at the international level. Currently, Codex (the international
Food Code) treats Dietary Supplements as though they were toxic substances,
seeking to use the science of toxicology to determine upper limits. This
is just junk science and will result in upper limits so low as to be ineffective
as nutrition. The proper science to use to determine possible adverse effects
is the science of Nutrition.
-
- WHAT TO EXPECT
-
- What are the practical results of this distinction? Under
the Codex toxicology model, for example, Vitamin C upper limits are set
so low as to merely prevent the deficiency disease, scurvy (about 60 mg
daily). However, the metabolic role of Vitamin C is much, much more important
than just preventing scurvy. The amount of C that a healthy person needs,
according to Nutritional Science, for optimal health, is several grams
a day (2 to 3,000 mg a day).
-
- Thus we are fighting for continued access to effective
levels of nutrients. Many people believe we are fighting for our lives.
-
- I was not sure about this, so I decided to try an experiment.
After 30 years of faithful daily high dose vitamin taking, I stopped, about
June 21st. By July 10th I was feeling so ill, with numbness in my fingertips,
out of breathe, unable to concentrate, and uncomfortable heart palpitations,
that I ended the one month experiment early and started taking my supplements
again. Within about 48 hours I was feeling normal. Now I know what I'm
fighting for. If I'm ever deprived of the nutrients I've been taking, it
is the same as a death sentence. I know what I'm fighting for. Do you?
-
- THE CHALLENGE
-
- The challenge is this: the large nutrient companies are
either owned by pharma interests, or soon will be. They will not support
freedom of choice efforts. Only the small and struggling nutrient companies
- like those to which this email is being sent - have the true incentive
to support the various groups I've discussed in this email.
-
- I've intentionally limited my law practice over the past
year or so to just advising nutrient companies and alternative practitioners
and institutions. I am willing to devote myself full time to defending
the nutritional world. What I need to do is generate funding for these
efforts. I am working with a number of nonprofits and we are putting together
Industry Support Program to get the industry to support greater efforts
by the Vitamin Lawyer in conjunction with pro-freedom forces. More about
ISP in a later email.
-
- NEXT STEPS
-
- This is war! When we ask for YOUR help, will you be ready
to give it? The detailed proposal we will be making will be for regular
monthly support for the efforts to Defend DSHEA. Consider it part of your
public relations budget. The companies will get up-to-the-minute information
about market developments and a strong voice advocating their interests,
which are the interests of their customers: ready access to high quality,
high dose, nutrients.
-
- I'll be contacting you individually over the next couple
weeks regarding the ISP. In the meantime, please circulate this email and
let me know if you are ready to support these efforts.
-
- Ralph Fucetola JD
http://www.vitaminlawyer.com
|
