ANH Update

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Threats - and patterns

 

Natural products used freely by consumers and practitioners for

healthcare purposes have never been so greatly under threat. New EU

laws on food supplements, herbal medicines, novel foods and

pharmaceuticals, pose some of the most severe obstacles to large

numbers of natural products that are based either on ingredients

that have been part of our food supply, or have been used

medicinally in different parts of the world, for thousands of years.

 

These obstacles only exist for the smaller companies, who have

actually been the main pioneers in the natural health field. Big

business, generally more interested in synthetic products, or

synthetic variants of natural products, generally embrace these

laws. The proposed EU Nutrition & Health Claims Regulation is an

exception. Businesses of all sizes having lobbied the EU Parliament

intensely to create one of the biggest disagreements between the

elected Parliament and the unelected Commission and Council yet seen

in the European Union's history.

 

Patterns on how the threats to natural healthcare actually manifest

themselves are becoming increasingly apparent. Misrepresented

scientific studies, pushed hard by biased media provide imaginary

black clouds over natural products that give the regulators

sufficient powers to potentially legislate natural products out of

existence. In Europe, regulators currently have the arbitrary power,

to be used at their own discretion, to categorise any food or food

supplement as a drug. This can hardly be right!

 

Transatlantic affiliation

 

Owing to these recurring patterns, it's becoming more and more

important to see improved coordination and joined up thinking and

strategy both sides of the Atlantic. In short, European and US

organizations need to work much more closely together. As part of

this process, the ANH is exploring, together with the American

Association for Health Freedom, the possibility of a formal

affiliation, so that consumers, practitioners and companies can

benefit directly from the combined work of the affiliated

organisations. ANH and AAHF introduced this possibility to around

10 of the key, US leading-edge, innovative manufacturers, when Rob

Verkerk and I from the ANH, and Brenna Hill, Executive Director of

the AAHF, undertook a `whistle-stop' tour (29 January to 10

February) of the US. The idea was received very well and a draft

agreement is being considered at the time of writing.

 

These companies, who are leaders in the manufacture, formulation

and/or sale of therapeutic natural products, have all become

increasingly aware of the legislative pinch in different markets, or

they have seen the risks that face them in the future. By working

closely together in the ANH Innovators Club, they will be able to

influence ANH's strategy so that their interests, and therefore

those of the millions who use their products, are protected as far

as possible.

 

Articles of Interest

 

4th February. EU Parliament at logger heads with the Commission and

Council over health claims.

 

There has been an unprecedented battle over nutrition and health

claims on foods, between the EU Parliament and the unelected

European Commission and Council of Ministers. The European

Parliament, responding to pressures from consumers and industry,

drastically amended the Commission's original proposal, after it was

first thrown out of the Parliament in April 2004. Central to the

lobbying has been the European small business association, UEAPME.

Following the recent publication of the Commission and Council's

Common Position, the European Parliament has been outraged, seeing

all its work undone with a legislative proposal that now is not far

from the one originally proposed. Is this further evidence of the

breakdown of democracy? See full report.

 

9th February. ANH legal challenge still alive and well!

 

Trade associations and others have labelled the European Court of

Justice ruling handed down last July as a loss for natural health

and a failure. ANH, based on the opinions of its legal counsel, has

never felt this way and wants to see the `wins' in the case

transferred into Member State laws. To this end, we have met with

the UK Food Standards Agency, and made public our intention to

proceed with the case in the High Court in London, where we

initiated the case in 2003. Funds are urgently needed to support

this work, so please donate now if you are able to. Read the full

report here.

 

10th February: The health effects of waste incinerators.

 

A detailed report released from the British Society for Ecological

Medicine, the UK doctor's society headed by ANH's Medical Director,

Dr Damien Downing, states that, contrary to the view of government,

there is good scientific evidence that pollution released by waste

incinerators damages health and increases mortality. It states that

superior methods of waste disposal do exist that now make

incineration " the least preferred option " , and asserts that

incinerators are a violation of human rights. Read this important

report get more information on a further link between a modern

method of waste disposal and diseases like adult and children's

cancers, and disorders such as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD), delinquency and depression to name a few.

 

27th February: UK National Farmers Union (NFU) spokesman refutes

unhealthy fruit and vegetable claims.

 

On a broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Peter Kendall, deputy president of the

NFU, has strongly refuted suggestions that modern farming methods

have resulted in the mineral content of fruit and vegetables

becoming seriously depleted. He is quoted as saying " So whatever

we're producing, however well farmers are now doing, people are

living longer, they're growing taller, they're healthier and I think

that just refutes this notion, " he said. Read the full report here.

 

 

 

Bird flu update

 

Some of you will know that ANH has formed a new Expert Committee on

Avian Influenza to research this issue, given that, should a

pandemic arise, natural systems of modulating the immune system are

likely to be of critical importance. Yet, regulators and certain

opinion leaders are trying to dismiss natural products as worthless.

See what ANH's Medical Director has to say about this.

 

Drs Damien Downing and Rob Verkerk will be lecturing on the immune

system at 2.30 pm, 10th April, at the Natural Products Expo at

Olympia in London (see below).

 

Please refer to the article (Avian Influenza – might natural

products have a role to play in a pandemic?) by Rob Verkerk and

Julia Pendower, published in the ICM newsletter. Read it here.

 

ANH on the move

 

12th & 13th March. Natural Trade Show, Brighton, UK. Please come

and visit the ANH Team at Stand No 367 at the Natural Trade Show

being held at the Brighton Metropole, East Sussex, UK. Rob Verkerk

will be speaking on Monday 13th at 13.55, hope to see you there.

 

" Let food be thy medicine - using good science to stay on the right

side of the law " .

 

Based on media reports and various utterings in the trade press you

may have felt that the European Court ruling on food supplements

achieved nothing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Find

out in this presentation what's really going on and learn how

manufacturers, distributors, retailers and practitioners can use the

Court's ruling to their business' advantage. Directives affecting

herbal products, novel foods and GMOs are perceived as obstacles for

many products of therapeutic value. Although other legislation in

the pipeline may create serious obstacles, discover how ANH is

helping people to stay the right side of the law. Book here or call

the Natural Trade Show helpline on 0870 020 3464.

 

9th & 10th April. Natural Products Europe Trade Show, Olympia,

London, UK. Drs Damien Downing and Rob Verkerk will be speaking on

Monday April 10th 2.30pm.

 

" Winter colds, influenza or bird flu: The use of natural products in

immune system modulation "

 

Find out why so many people's immune systems struggle to cope with

viral infections. Drs Damien Downing and Rob Verkerk present the

latest evidence on how natural products can be used to modulate the

immune system and show how some well known immune boosters can be

counter-productive. A must for practitioners. More details on how

to book in the next eBlast.

 

A call to ACTION from you, our Supporters

 

PLEASE DONATE NOW!

 

As you know, the ANH is a non-profit organisation. We operate

entirely on donations. Without you and your continued financial

support well, the bottom line is - we would cease to function.

 

 

Please help in any way you can.

 

We give our sincere thanks to those of you who continue to donate on

a regular basis and would ask those of you that don't as yet, to

please consider making a monthly contribution to us, of whatever

amount you can afford. Any support that you can give us makes a

difference.

 

Please also forward this eBlast on to friends and contacts that are

concerned about continuing health freedom and who might be

interested in contributing to our work.

 

As always, your comments are always appreciated and noted and we'd

be interested in any feedback or suggestions.

 

In health,

 

Meleni Aldridge