Fw: Seeing Double Standards

[Guest guest]

Oh yes. The gaunlet has been thrown.

Love,

Doc

 

Ian "Doc" Shillington N.D.505-772-5889Dr.IanShillington Seeing Double Standards>> Health Sciences Institute e-Alert>> January 29, 2004>> **************************************************************>> Dear Reader,>> Emboldened by their recent move to ban ephedra, FDA officials> are chomping at the bit. Now they have three more supplement> ingredients in their sights - all marked for official> extinction.>> Speaking last week at the University Mississippi School of> Pharmacy, FDA commissioner Mark McClellan said that the agency,> "will be doing more work in the coming months to more closely> evaluate the potential safety risk of these products, and we> could take further action to remove unsafe dietary supplements> from the market.">> Mr. McClellan said he was "concerned" about several dietary> supplements, specifically mentioning three that are used in some> weight-loss formulas: bitter orange, aristolochic acid and usnic> acid.>> >From what I've read, those who use any of these supplements> should be careful with them and certainly only take them as> directed. But outlawing their sale with an FDA ban is like> killing mosquitoes with a bazooka. Is the fuss really worth it?>> Don't bet on it. Something else is going on here.>> -----------------------------> No contest> ----------------------------->> Should bitter orange, aristolochic acid and usnic acid be> banned?>> Problems have been reported with all three of these botanicals -> mostly due to their misuse. But unlike ephedrine (the synthetic> form of ephedra that has caused most of the problems for which> ephedra has been blamed), these three have not been associated> with the deaths of any high-profile athletes or teenage boys,> prompting emotional scare headlines.>> In fact, bitter orange, aristolochic acid and usnic acid may not> have contributed to any deaths at all. (In Belgium, several> kidney failures were associated with aristolochic acid, but they> were erroneously reported as deaths.) But of course, a> supplement that has the potential to cause kidney failure or, in> the case of usnic acid, severe liver problems should be used> with the greatest care.>> Which brings us once again to acetaminophen. Just last week, in> the e-Alert "Flick of the Wrist" (1/19/04) I told you how easy> it is to overdose on acetaminophen, prompting liver failure that> results in more than 100 deaths each year. From what I've read> (there's not much out there on this topic) usnic acid has been> cited as "playing a role" with one death due to liver failure,> and nine cases of liver problems from which patients recovered.>> So let's check our scorecard here:>> * Acetaminophen: Multiple deaths yearly.> * Usnic acid: One death, maybe.>> And yet, the day the FDA calls for a ban on acetaminophen will> be the same day that pigs fly south for the winter. But somehow> the FDA has decided that usnic acid is so dangerous that it> needs to be classified as a forbidden poison.>> -----------------------------> Planting the seeds> ----------------------------->> What's really going on here?>> For ten years, FDA officials have been frustrated by the Dietary> Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which limits the> agency's power to regulate food supplements in the same way> drugs are regulated. In the e-Alert "Under the Gun" (11/10/03) I> told you about congressional efforts to give the FDA greater> latitude over supplements, but for the moment those efforts seem> to have stalled.>> So the ephedra ban was a sweet victory for the FDA (provided the> ban survives a court challenge, which it probably will).> Finally, FDA officials got to have things their way. But more> than that, they helped their efforts to pass legislation for> more regulatory control by sending a message to congressmen and> the public: The safety of dietary supplements is unreliable.>> The fact that this message is untrue is beside the point. The> point is to get the message out there and repeat it until people> believe that legislation to increase FDA powers is absolutely> necessary. Is the public really in grave danger when products> that contain bitter orange, aristolochic acid and usnic acid are> on the shelves? That's very unlikely. But with the announcement> that there are three more reckless culprits out there, the idea> is planted again. And it appears that as the year goes along the> idea will be repeated and planted again and again and again.>> -----------------------------> And more to come> ----------------------------- >> In his Mississippi speech, Mr. McClellan stated that new dietary> supplement regulations for manufacturing and labeling will be> announced sometime in 2004. He said, "When these regulations are> finalized later this year, the public will not be faced with> 'buyer beware' any longer.">> But I disagree. The public will be faced with a much more> serious "buyer beware." Buyer, beware: Your health care choices> are being stripped away.>> **************************************************************> Outlawed for 41 Years-Now Legal Again>> ** THIS INVESTMENT launched the largest family fortune> the world has ever seen--And could return 665% in the next> 12 months.>> ** Most Americans know almost nothing about this vehicle,> which has been used by the world's wealthiest families (like the> Rothschilds, DuPonts, and Morgans) to protect and grow their> dynasties.>> View full report at:> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/TRW/WTRWE174/home.cfm>> **************************************************************> To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit:> http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopy.html> Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to> receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert.>> **************************************************************>> .. and another thing>> Blinding blinders and the blind people who insist on wearing> them...>> I almost got into an argument at my gym last week. Nothing> serious - just a slightly warmed-up exchange of ideas with a> woman who casually commented on the recent news reports that the> Atkins diet had been modified to downplay the fat intake.>> I'd just read the New York Times article about Atkins, and the> reply to the article on the Atkins web site, so I told her that,> in fact, the Atkins diet was no different than it ever was.>> No, she said - I was wrong. She saw it on TV.>> And, I said, no, the TV reports had just picked up the New York> Times misinformation and run with it without checking the> facts.>> "Well," she said, "my cardiologist wouldn't let me do Atkins> anyway.">> You know I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I pushed it a> little further, mentioning that a Duke University study found> that subjects using the Atkins plan scored equal or higher marks> in all of the heart-health categories when compared to subjects> using the American Heart Association's "Step 1" low-fat diet.> The Atkins subjects had not only lost more weight, but also had> a much larger increase in HDL cholesterol, and a far greater> drop in triclycerides. In addition, neither diet showed a change> in LDL cholesterol.>> Now you would think that this information would carry some> weight, right? But the woman responded by saying, "I know. I> read that study.">> Well, she had me there! If she read and (apparently) understood> the study, then she already knew that Atkins has not been shown> to do any harm to the heart. In fact, just the opposite!> Nevertheless, her cardiologist wouldn't "let her" do Atkins.>> I guess for some folks, blinders are a comfortable fit.>> To Your Good Health,>> Jenny Thompson> Health Sciences Institute>> **************************************************************> REVERSE PROSTATE CANCER AND PREVENT PROSTATE PROBLEMS!>> Until now modern medicine has been looking in all the wrong> places to reverse prostate cancer and prevent prostate> problems! There is good news though, in spite of the fact> that...>> * Every 15 minutes another man will die from prostate cancer> * Every 3 minutes a case of prostate cancer is diagnosed in> the U.S.> * 90% of American men will have some sort of prostate> deterioration by the age of 60>> .. there's an all-natural prostate program that can reduce> your chances of ever hearing 'you've got prostate cancer.'>> To find out more, visit:> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/610SPROS/W600E134/home.cfm>> **************************************************************>> Sources:> "U.S. Probing Dietary Supplements, Besides Ephedra" Lisa> Richwine, Reuters Health, 1/21/04, reutershealth.com> "FDA Plans to Expand Inquiry" Elizabeth Weise, USA Today,> 1/21/04, usatoday.com> "FDA Plans More Scrutiny of Supplements" Scott Spoerry, 1/20/04,> cnn.com> "Atkins Diet Beats Low-Fat Fare" Associated Press, 11/18/02>> Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C.> The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without> written permission.>> **************************************************************> Before you hit reply to send us a question or request,> please visit here> http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.html>> **************************************************************> If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past> e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like> to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com>> **************************************************************> To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSID618/home.cfm.>> **************************************************************> If you want to end your HSI e-Alert subscription or you need> to change your e-mail address, please follow the instructions> below. Your changes will be effective immediately. However, if> you do not follow the instructions below and simply hit reply> instead, we may not receive your request and cannot assure you> that it will be completed.> *******> To manage your e-mail subscription, use our web interface at:> http://www.agoramail.net/Home.cfm?List=hsiweb> To cancel or for any other subscription issues, write us at:> Order Processing Center> Attn: Customer Service> P.O. Box 925> Frederick, MD 21705