Hands up! Back slowly away from the vitamins!

[Guest guest]

A Free PressFor A Free People

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Founded 1997

Friday, August 22, 2008

Evening Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE News Flashes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WND Directory

 

 

Shop.WND

 

Page 1 News

 

Page 2 News

 

Commentary

 

MoneyNetDaily

 

G2 Bulletin

 

Red Alert

 

WND Poll

 

WND Forums

 

Letters to the Editor

 

SportsNetDaily

 

TV Guide

 

Weather

 

 

 

 

 

 

WND Resources

 

 

About WND

 

WND Scoops

 

WND Books

 

Advertise with WND

 

WND RSS feeds

 

News Alerts Sign Up

 

Voluntary Payment

 

US Newspapers

 

Foreign Newspapers

 

Major News Wires

 

Other News Services

 

Other Sites

 

Writers Archives

 

Government Officials

 

Search Engines

 

Media

 

Entertainment

 

 

 

 

 

WND People

 

 

Contact WND

 

Who's Who at WND

 

Speakers and Talk Show Guests

 

Columnists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIFE WITH BIG BROTHERHands up! Back slowly away from the vitamins!Feds crack down on reports of natural remedy healings

 

Posted: August 22, 200810:33 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh© 2008 WorldNetDaily

 

 

The Goliath-sized Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have launched an attack on a small radio program and its accompanying website for recommending natural remedies to health problems, but in this case, David is fighting back.

Daniel Chapter One, a national Christian radio program and natural healing ministry, told WND today it may end up going to court against the FTC and FDA over the agencies' attempts to censor the information the ministry releases regarding "natural alternatives" to chemical and drug medications.

"If the FTC is successful in silencing Daniel Chapter One, individual consumers seeking to improve their health and the health of American society as a whole will suffer important losses," said Attorney James S. Turner, lead counsel for the organization, which has set up a separate website to track its battle with the federal government over the issue of vitamins, herbs and other natural supplements.

Jim Feijo, who with his wife set up the Rhode Island-based service that operates as a Christian ministry, told WND the dispute arose after officials in the Canadian health service contacted him and ordered him to shut down his operations. After he declined to cooperate, Canadian officials apparently contacted the FTC and FDA to insist on their demands.

 

 

 

 

 

But the issue isn't so simple as someone offering to sell illegal drugs; the products the program offers are natural substances and information about the treatments comes from those who experienced different levels of help, not a flam-flam artist.

According to a letter from Turner, his clients turned down the FTC's "offer to settle its claims" by shutting down operations and paying a substantial fine.

"We have stated your strong belief that you have done nothing that you are not entitled to do and that you have complied with any and all just and constitutional laws that govern your conduct," Turner wrote. "We said that because of your strong belief about the propriety of your behavior and that of Daniel Chapter One you are willing, and intend with our assistance, to present your case for a public hearing before the FTC, and if necessary in court.

(Story continues below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Your deeply held convictions raise serious legal questions for the FTC and the courts. First, what is the nature and intent of the law the FTC seeks to enforce and how does the Constitution restrain government power in enforcing that law? The courts are making it increasingly clear that government must clearly identify health claim wrongs and use the least intrusive power to correct them," he continued.

Regarding FDA intrusion into the situation, Turner said, "regulators must prove that the statements are in fact claims, that they are false claims that are impossible to be true for anyone, and that the defendants knew them to be false at the time they made them."

"Should this action move to court, we will raise the issues surrounding your constitutional rights to make a truthful statements supported by the material you have accumulated in your efforts to help people lead better lives," the lawyer wrote.

"We've lived in communist Berlin, Poland, China, and we've never seen anything like this," Feijo told WND. "They're threatening to come in and confiscated our legal products."

The FDA did not return a WND message today requesting comment, and the FTC could not be reached to leave a message.

Feijo, who's been involved with natural remedies and natural foods for decades, said he focuses on traditional folk remedies – except the federal government wants to ban that phrase – and he describes the government's goals as "mind-blowing."

"This is an absurd attempt to prevent the sharing of knowledge," he said.

He said if the government is successful in its current maneuver, there would be no limit to the dangers ordinary people could face. Grandmother's cold remedy could be called a medical treatment and regulated and taxed, and anyone administering "treatments" such as water for dehydration could be determined to be practicing medicine, he suggested.

One of the website's top promotions today included a fluoride reduction system that is described as the most "advanced cartridge system in the world" and says it can remove 91 percent of the fluoride in the water.

Interestingly, WND reported only a few weeks ago that the National Kidney Foundation has withdrawn its support for the chemical water additive and the American Water Works Association has been notified it must not eliminate or tamper with documents concerning fluoridation of water as they could be needed in potential lawsuits.

Feijo told WND the federal agencies had demanded customer lists and purchase records of all customers. The agencies also had demanded that a letter go to all customers from Daniel Chapter One warning everyone that its products didn't work.

But that doesn't make any sense, Turner insisted.

"Some products can be proven safe and effective for everyone, and some can be proven unsafe and/or ineffective for everyone. There are also some claims that can be proven as always true and some that can be proven as always false," he said.

But in the case of the natural remedies, the statements "are either in the area where they are always true or in the gray area [where results of treatment vary by individual.]"

The FTC, however, "mandates that consumers may only receive health information from producers and sellers that the FTC has determined is proven by the 'science' it selects. No historical knowledge, consumer experience, or traditional practice satisfies FTC demands," the protest website said.

Therein lies the dispute.

"By depriving consumer choice and the right to hear sellers' knowledge about health aspects of their products, the one-size-fits-all FTC health information standard deprives consumer access to alternative health approaches. If the FTC had enforced this standard against Daniel Chapter One over the past 30 years, hundreds of people who provide testimony that Daniel Chapter One products improved or even saved their lives may not have survived," the organization said.

"The Constitution allows individuals to make potentially risky choices for themselves. The FTC does not. Instead, the FTC makes highly risky choices for consumers who have no way to object," the organization said. "Daniel Chapter One's goal is to help people honestly and the help of consumers will be crucial to take this historic stand."

 

 

 

Special offers:

SCARY MEDICINE: Exposing the dark side of vaccines

'Vaccines: the risks, the benefits, the choices': Must-see DVD for parents on the fence about whether to vaccinate

Reclaim your health!

 

 

Previous stories:

Lawsuits threatened over forced fluoride

Fluoride unsafe for dialysis patients?

Citizens uniting against fluoride

Fluoride: Miracle drug or toxic-waste killer?

600 pros urge Congress to stop fluoridation

Florida company recalls 'toxic' Chinese toothpaste

Feds eye control of vitamins, supplements – even water!

Food supplements targeted by trilateral deal

Texas House: We won't force vaccine on schoolgirls

Civilians could be facing mandatory anthrax shots

Food supplements targeted by trilateral deal

Civilians could be facing mandatory anthrax shots

 

Bob Unruh is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E-mail to a Friend

Printer-friendly version

 

EMAIL BOB UNRUH | GO TO BOB UNRUH ARCHIVE

 

 

 

| Page 1 | Page 2 | Commentary | MoneyNetDaily | G2 Bulletin | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact Us |

 

 

Copyright 1997-2008. WorldNetDaily.com Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's WNDNews Highlights

 

 

1st time: Entire 'Lost tribe of Israel' allowed 'home'

 

Scientific breakthrough! No embryonic stem cells needed

 

PP website promotes oral sex, casual encounters

 

Unearthed transcript shows Obama backed infanticide

 

Obama bashes Corsi for 'makin' stuff up'

 

'The Obama Nation' tops New York Times list

 

Get ready for another Obama exposé

 

Officer accused of raping woman

 

Clash with university over beliefs strands student

 

Cops kill free speech at 'gay' event

 

Petition seeks freedom for Christians in Yemen

 

Challenge to 'gay marriage' expansion launched

 

'Jihad' suspect's statements to be allowed

 

Muslims crack down on transplants for Christians

 

U.S. still naked to EMP threat

 

Wanted: 'Gay' spies

 

Police tell owners: 'We're inspecting your guns'

 

Prophecy-theory surprise! Russia not about to invade Mideast

 

Has 'Temple' author discovered location of lost Ark of Covenant?

 

Oil prices drive up food costs

 

ENERGY FREEDOM: The Next American Revolution

 

 

 

Today's WNDCommentary Highlights

 

 

A candidate to support!- By Joseph Farah

 

Can Obama answer 6 questions honestly?- By Melanie Morgan

 

McCain's neocon warmonger- By Pat Buchanan

 

Swiftboating's real definition: Telling the truth- By David Limbaugh

 

Oh, my Gog!- By Hal Lindsey

 

Hitler snubbed Michael Phelps at '72 games?- By Humberto Fontova

 

How abuse shelters teach women to game the system- By Carey Roberts