[Alternative Medicine Forum] The Fix Is In: More on S. 722

[Guest guest]

Sorry if this is getting repetitous to some... But it is so

important to get the word out, now, while we still can...

Thank you if you have already let your voice be heard...

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

The Fix Is In

 

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030722_p.shtml

 

The Fix Is In

 

Contributing Editor: Health Sciences Institute, 7/22/2003 Members

AlertThe Fix Is In

 

" This bill will save lives and restore America's confidence in the

use of dietary supplements. "

 

Those were the words of Senator Dick Durbin last March when he

introduced Senate Bill 722 (S. 722) titled the " Dietary Supplement

Safety Act of 2003. "

 

What Senator Durbin didn't mention is that S. 722 will broadly

expand the FDA's authority to control the dietary supplement market.

 

Simply put: these regulations will seriously inhibit your current

freedom to make your own health decisions. But there is something

you can do to help prevent this from happening.

 

Lives left behind

 

 

First let's talk about saving lives.

 

There are many hundreds of deaths each year associated with aspirin

and acetaminophen. (By some estimates, aspirin-related deaths alone

number more than 1,000 per year.) These pain killers are

manufactured by many companies, but the major players are Bayer (the

maker of Bayer Aspirin, of course), and Johnson & Johnson (the maker

of Tylenol) - two of the largest drug companies in the world. They

both have deep pockets to fuel very aggressive lobbying efforts in

Washington.

 

So don't expect to hear any senators calling for a ban of aspirin or

acetaminophen. (Deaths? What deaths?)

 

Ephedra, on the other hand, is a sitting duck.

 

S. 722 doesn't mention any specific supplements, but Senator

Durbin's press release uses the recent controversy surrounding

ephedra to promote the fear of supplements. Senator Durbin states

that 117 deaths have been attributed to ephedra. (That's 117 deaths

TOTAL - not 117 per year.) What he doesn't mention is that almost

all of these deaths involved a synthetic form of ephedra - a drug,

in other words - called ephedrine, in which the active agent of

ephedra is boosted to levels that can be dangerous if not taken as

directed.

 

When used properly, ephedrine is a strong weapon in the battle to

control your weight. And, more important, the actual herb ephedra is

an effective treatment for asthma. If ephedra is banned, the main

winners will be pharmaceutical companies that make asthma drugs.

 

So when you hear lawmakers talking about " saving lives, "

and " protecting the public, " be aware that their targets are very

selective when it comes to the products they want to see banned.

 

Get out your handkerchiefs

 

 

Senator Durbin wants you to think that the poor folks over at the

FDA are working with their hands tied behind their backs. His press

release states, " The burden is currently placed on the U.S. Food &

Drug Administration (FDA) to prove that they are unsafe before the

agency can take any action against dangerous dietary supplements. "

And according to Durbin, " this places an unreasonably high hurdle in

the path of effective agency action. "

 

Senator Durbin knows better. The FDA currently has the power to pull

any product off the market that it deems to be unsafe.

 

The inquisition

 

 

Under S. 722, the FDA will have the power to remove an entire class

of supplements from the market if there is even a single serious

adverse reaction complaint filed. This will be the case even if the

complaint is filed by someone who has used the supplement in

contradiction to the instructions and warnings of the manufacturer.

 

In such an instance, the manufacturer will be required to

demonstrate the safety of the supplement. This process is expected

to put a heavy financial burden on accused manufacturers - heavy

enough to drive some out of business. For those supplements that do

reach the evaluation stage, the FDA will set the standards for the

evaluations and then determine if the standards are met. In effect,

the FDA will act as prosecutor, judge, and jury, while accused

manufacturers foot the bill against a stacked deck.

 

That's like asking a death row inmate to pay an electric bill in

advance for his electrocution.

 

Chipping away at freedom

 

 

Will S. 722 save lives? I seriously doubt it. Behind this bill

there's a naive idea that a law to strengthen regulations can make

everything all right. And yet the current regulations that promise

safety for prescription drug users somehow let many thousands of

lives slip through the cracks every year. Increased regulations

can't guarantee safety, but they do guarantee greater power for

regulators.

 

And when that power is increased, what then? Here's a comment from a

recent e-mail I received from HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D.: " I'm

convinced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act is merely a stepping

stone to complete control. The FDA has been very upset about the

passage of DSHEA (the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act

(DSHEA) of 1994 - specifically designed to help protect the

supplement industry from unnecessary constraints). I think the FDA

will piecemeal DSHEA away as fast as possible, if possible (and I

believe it is). "

 

S. 722 may come before the Senate for a vote before the end of this

month. And although it has good support, its passage is not a

foregone conclusion. I strongly urge you to take a moment to send a

brief letter or e-mail to your state Senators. (You can easily find

Congressional addresses and e-mail addresses at

http://www.congress.org just by entering your zip code.)

 

Tell your Senators that you oppose S. 722 (the " Dietary Supplement

Safety Act of 2003 " ), which will limit your freedom to make your own

health care choices with the responsible use of dietary supplements.

Tell them that S. 722 unnecessarily expands the authority of the

Food and Drug Administration, while offering no more protection for

consumers than is already granted under the Dietary Supplement

Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994.

 

Think of S. 722 is a staging area from which the FDA will prepare to

slowly but surely dismantle the dietary supplement freedom that

we've enjoyed for almost a decade under DSHEA. The first line of

defense is to convince our senators that this act is unnecessary and

will do more harm than good.

 

Please share this e-Alert with a friend and help get the word out

about S. 722.

 

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030722_p.shtml

 

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

Sources:

" Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2003 " Senate Bill 722, 3/26/03,

congress.org

" Durbin Moves to Prevent Sale of Dangerous Dietary Supplements like

Ephedra " Dick Durbin Press Release, 3/26/03, durbin.senate.gov

" FDA Moving to Dismantle DSHEA " Smart Publications, 4/25/03, smart-

publications.com

" An Urgent Call to Action: Your Right to Use Nutritional Supplements

is in Jeopardy " Julian Whitaker, M.D., 7/17/03, drwhitaker.com

" Toxicity, Acetaminophen " Susan E. Farrell, M.D., emedicine.com

1997 - 2003 by Institute of Health

Sciences, L.L.C.