Posted By: Faune VERY URGENT all USA ALTERNATIVE THERAPY USERS - 04/08/07 07:09 AM
From one of my friends in USA as they will also be trying this one on UK citizens soon too.

'There is a crisis in Health Freedom. On April 30th 2007 the FDA will close the public comment period on "Guidance" which will classify EVERY ALTERNATIVE PRACTICE as Medicine so that only licensed physicians can carry out the procedure AND vitamins, minerals ,herbs etc. will suddenly become "untested drugs" which will be forbidden.

Bad? Real Bad! But public outcry can stop this assault on your health and your freedom.

Spread the word! Tell everyone in your circle of influence, professionals, alternative practitioners, nutrient and herb companies, everyone! Let them know how important their participation is to make sure that the FDA backs off from this repressive course.

Please share this link with them and urge them to TAKE ACTION:'

http://tinyurl.com/2u7ghc

Yours in health and freedom

Rima E Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org

Forwarded by Faune
I am trying to track down documentation on this--in the past, as you probably know, a number of these alerts turned out to be false or even hoaxes. I do know that H 6168, S 3546 did pass, and was signed into law by the President, so that one is a done deal. I could find nothing about this one that contains the actual bill. I like to read these things for myself, even if they do make me halfway crosseyed with all the legal-ese.
As Jeanne has suggested, there have been more hoaxes than truthful articles about these issues in the past.

I'd like to suggest here that we all use a bit of common sense and realize that the licensed medical community is NOT interested in taking over from the alternative practitioners. In fact many of them have come to recognize the benefit of having alternative practitioners around, and also of people taking more charge (not less) of their lives in using vitamins and herbs to aid in good health maintenance.

Also, if such a panic were actually happening, I'm sure the National Guild of Hypnotists (as one organization) would have heard of it, and already made it's members aware of it. No such warning has been given. Along with this, it just shows how ignorant this individual is of the way the legal system in the US is set up, so that most States actually do have protections for Alternative practitioners in place, so that other professional bodies cannot usurp them. The NGH also uses the lobbying force of a very large, powerful union in the States to protect the interests of both the practitioners of hypnosis, as well as the public served by them. And to repeat, then - NOTHING has even shown on the radar in this regard.

This type of fear mongering damages, not aids, our ability to take care of ourselves naturally - it puts all kinds of negative thought out into the Universe, and as most here will agree, we don't need the LOA acting in this manner on our behalf. So lets all instead be putting out some positive energy and thought toward what we DO want, and keep that as our focus.

In Light,
Unis
Hi Jeanne and Unis,

Have you checked out the source website. It does seem to be genuine with a specific concern regarding alternative therapies.

As I said I do not live in the USA but I do trust the person who sent me the Email. I cannot comment on US laws but I do know that the UK government has been making various noises about a very similar strategy. I note that it is at the stage of consultation/ guidance which presumably means that it has not yet begun the legislative process.

On reflection if they did try to ban hands on healing that might affect some religions too, so I can't see that one getting very far. However the vitamins, minerals and herbals bit is something that is easier for Governments to legislate against.

I normally don't go in for protest and petition type stuff but this seemed to be so punitive and draconian that I felt it warranted some sort of action.

I would appreciate if you would keep me up to speed on this if you find out anything further.

Many thanks
Love and light
Faune
Faune, I've seen some other "alerts" that looked pretty genuine, too. But I was unable to verify that this is, in fact, true. I have some emails with the same alert, but all lead to the same website. To sign the petition, you must give out a bit too much personal information to suit me (why not just an address so we can write our own letters?). Nevertheless, I am still looking for a real source, other than this one website.
No sooner posted, then found. Here is where you can get a PDF and see what it says--

http://www.fda.gov/cber/gdlns/altmed.pdf

At first glance, it doesn't look as bad as advertised, but this IS just a first glance--I haven't yet pored over it carefully. It begins:

Quote:

"This draft guidance, when finalized, will represent the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) current thinking on this topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to bind the FDA or the public. You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable statues and regulations."




So I gather from this that currently these are guidelines, not laws. So far.

It also gives an address and phone numbers to call for comments, and frankly, I would suggest using these means to comment rather than the website linked here, primarily because that website gathers too much personal information, and who knows what they (or some hacker) will do with it.
Hi All,

The problem is not new and does not apply to the USA only. Indeed it is
a world wide move by the big pharmacy lobby to get rid of an unwanted
competition. A competition which gets more popular with every year.
This seems to cut into the profits of the pharmacy sucks. Yes those who
aim to rule the world have their money in the arms and pharmacy sector.
Until now those were the most profitable sectors. It also permits control
over the life of entire populations.

Not bad I…..
Hi,

I want to provide a bit more detail. This kind of law prohibiting
alternative herbal products, vitamins and minerals are already in
place in Australia and to some degree some European countries.

Here in New Zealand this the same bill supposed to be passed.
There are a lot of protests against such a bill in the major cities.

At least from this side of the world it is not an alarmist reaction
but a real thread. However, you guys are free to be a good Eloy
and pretend that nothing has happened.

Cheers,


Thank you Jeanne and Frodo02,

Well no doubt they will couch the proposals in very cautious language so as not to sound too alarmist. But as Frodo says don't be an Eloy, we will all need to be 'on guard ' and very aware so that nothing gets past us and into legislation in whatever country we may live.

Unfortunately I do have to be off line for a couple of weeks.
Thanks again ,
Love and light,
Faune
Hi everyone,

Here's 2 more cents. The Health Care industry is a very powerful lobby and has been at work for years to exclude any alternative therapy from our midst. They have a huge investment in (for instance) radiology equipment, and hospitals specializing in heart surgery . I expect that they will go to any length to protect their investment and investors from competition. In 1973 the FDA attempted to put most vitamin supplements on prescription. Around 1900 Traditional medicine debunked osteopathy, (now a recognized field in medicine) as quackery.

The drug companies are deeply involved in actions, that are not in our best interest. . The Sergeants benevolent Association of New York City recently fired their health care manager. The reason? He was receiving kickbacks from drug vendors for contacting the members -physicians and getting them to add unnecessary drugs to their patient's drug regimins. It's hard to find anyone anywhere who isn't taking prescription drugs for some "chronic" condition. Drug companies, I believe, would like nothing better than to restrict the availibility of alternative medicines.

We need to keep our eyes open and watch each other's backs. Freedom of choice has never been the goal of traditional medicine. Any proposal setting guidelines or regulation should be viewed with suspicion.
The website from which this originates, healthfreedomusa.com and the organization the runs it, Natural Solutions Foundation, is legitimate. I do not know her personally, but I have seen Dr. Laibow speak on the CODEX issue and its grim implications for health freedom in the US and the world. It is my understanding that she shut down a lucrative Westchester County NY medical practice to devote herself to the cause of educating lawmakers and the public on CODEX. She has flown all over the world to do so over the past few years. If you go to the site, you will see that the Natural Solutions Foundation is a non-profit organization so you can donate to the cause.

Please note that I am not connected to healthfreedomusa.com, Natural Solutions Foundation or Rima Laibow. I am just a concerned citizen who has been following the CODEX issue for the past couple of years and appreciate all the personal and financial sacrifices Dr. Laibow and her husband have made to (hopefully) protect our health freedoms.

A lot of CODEX sounds so ridiculous that its easy for the public to discount it wholesale. This is a global issue. I may be totally wrong on this but I think some CODEX measures have already taken effect in Germany, making vitamin supplements we take for granted in the US very very expensive and only available through a doctor's prescription.

Regardless, please do your own research on CODEX - it's not a lie and it doesn't look like it's going to be going away.
Hi Everyone.
I believe that Frodo02 and Skipper above are correct.
I have just read an excellent book, referring to CODEX, and the above bill that is trying to bet passed by April 30.
It is already law in most of Europe and Australia. The policy was developed by the European Union and adopted by the WTO. All countries under the WTO are supposed to follow their mandates, so it follows that the US will pass this bill. I don't think there is anything we can do to stop it!
The pharmaceutical companies want to make more money by eliminating the ease and low cost of the alternative therapies and want to bring them under their control to make money off of it by charging exorbitant fees and requiring prescriptions to get them. The pharmaceutical companies, FDA, and FTC also have control over the additives in food and can do amazing things here ... to make us sicker not healthier, in order to increase the selling of drugs.
I don't expect you to believe me, but there are hundreds of books on this topic. There is an excellent biography of many of these books by many doctors, scientists and Nobel Prize winners, all found in an inexpensive book called "Natural Cures THEY Don't Want You to Know About" by Kevin Trudeau or subscribe to his newsletter or go to his website: www naturalcures com

You can read about this bill there as well as it has been in the works for many years and is referred to as CODEX as it applies to vitamins, minerals, and alternative therapies.

We can't be naive to think that our govt has our best interests at heart. They don't they are part of the corporate machine and they are into Profits.
Yes Nanina,
I have come to the same conclusion about this woman who left her lucrative practice to inform the world and work for preserving our right to use alternative therapies.
If CODEX goes through, it will drive the cost of vitamins, minerals, etc. to a ridiculous cost, from 5.00 to 150.00 for a bottle of Vitamin C, for example.

Much of what the pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, and FTC have already done sounds ridiculous and against the law but that is because they are writing the laws and can exempt themselves from following some of the laws, such as eliminating freedom of speech when advertising alternative therapies in the media.

To learn more about what I'm talking about and what CODEX is about, read Natural Cures THEY Don't Want You To Know About, by Kevin Trudeau. It is inexpensive and can be bought in your local bookstore or healthfood store.
Hey Esther,

I am well versed on the horrors of CODEX. Getting the rest of us sheeple to understand what is really going on and take some action without looking like a nut or conspiracy theorist has been a frustrating challenge! Glad to see you and some others get it.
Imagine if a few of us had large investments in millions and
billions. We would like to make our investments even more
profitable also it would harm many people.

There would be no way to discuss those plans in public. So
we would use hidden channels and even use pressure and
threads in order to promote our plans.

Since we cannot fool everyone some would discover the
plot and call it by its name. We would then hire many of
the most creative journalists and writers to create all kinds
of conspiracy theories mixed with half truth and a lot of nonsense.

We would set up websites, create books and magazines to
promote those “conspiracy theories”. Most people would become
confused and would not be able to separate facts from fictions and
therefore decide that any conspiracy report is nonsense.

It would further make people feel week and small and therefore
say nothing and just ignore those information.

So we could make our plans come true and you wouldn’t even
need the law of attraction to do it.


Cheers,
Here is an update from New Zealand where the same
kind legislation is proposed.

http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/NationalNews/tabid/184/Default.aspx?ArticleID=25966
Has anyone actually looked at the guide. It lists the proposed contacts for who to go to if you're concerned about being sold snake oil alternative medicines. It's in fact trying to recognise that there are alternative medicines

{quote]This draft guidance, when finalized, will represent the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) current thinking on this topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to bind FDA or the public. You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations. If you want to discuss an alternative approach, contact the FDA staff responsible for implementing this guidance. If you cannot identify the appropriate FDA staff, call the appropriate number listed on the title page of this guidance.

Good or bad it's trying to protect the public and give them somewhere to go and look after the existing statutes.

It's also helpful to teach the public that a little may be good ... more is not necessarily better so regulating it and just because it's "natural" doesn't make it good for you nor is it necessarily desirable that you import the natural product (rhino horn powder comes to mind). So it's unfortunate that stuff like that has to be written down somewhere so the practitioners and the general public has somewhere to go.

Did anyone see the resent research that alcohol damages the female brain faster than the male? That harmless unregulated substance has been consumed by humanity for as long as recorded history can tell. It has long been noticed that more is not necessarily good for you. But to us it's a natural product and used as alternative therapy by some individuals.

There are many ways of looking at this issue. Having read the pdf it seems to me it's only trying to put order to the statutes already in place otherwise this guide could not have been produced so quickly.

Alex
Alex,

The "alternative remedies" bill is designed to stop people from buying
their vitamins and minerals from a health shop. Instead they have to
see a doctor (MD), pay him some extra fees and get prescription to
buy this stuff at a pharmacy.

All off the arguments in favour of this are bogus including yours. For instance
some argue that people overdose themselves with that minerals or vitamins.
Or some take it with alophathic remedies (from a doctor) which then produces
a poison cocktail.

This of course happens but they are exceptions. Remember that kitchen knives can also be dangerous. Some injure themselves and other with it but nobody so far has come to the idea to ban them.

For you in Australia it now already a reality that you do not have free access to natural remedies.

What a petty.

Cheers,
Quote:

For you in Australia it now already a reality that you do not have free access to natural remedies.




That is not true. We are able to purchase natural remedies. without scripts. Just what appears on the shelves is regulated so that it does not make claims that it's a cure for ailments when it hasn't been proven and provides recommended amount. Here in Australia there are colleges for alternative health and yes it is regulated. For example that someone who does remedial massage is trained so they don' injure the person. Also Alternative health practitioners are trained and better understand the natural health products. People take off with a little information and think they have the cure all. Having these people regulated just provides accountability. And where one gets advise about one's health I see that as a good thing.

And what is being discussed is not an alternative remedies bill. Read the PDF. It's a guideline for identifying who's looking after the bills already in place.

I'm not saying it's a perfect idea can see the benefit of it and I realise there is reasonable cause for opposition. But alternative health options are alive and strong here in Australia. In fact people are able to embrace it because those providing the services have done college training.

As for traditional medicine, doctors, knives and chemical drugs I have a personal aversion. I will go for alternative any day. There is another benefit... doctors here in Australia are also looking more and more at alternative health. Simply because the industry is regulated it's now possible to start proving that it works and people can choose the natural products over synthetic ones.

Alex
Thanks for the information Alex,

This story is as old as the health food business is. I worked in that industry for many years, and it probably is true that the pharmaceutical companies are trying to control the situation, after all they are in the patent business.

However-

I have seen dangerous claims made by *some* sellers and producers of natural medicines. Especialy the multi level marketing types! I have also seen contaminated and unsafe materials being sold. So far, the legislattion I have seen passed has encouraged producers and sellers to provide eduational materials to consumers, and forced many to follow the Good Manufacturing Practices and ISO systems.

Health consiousness in very mainstream now, so much so that you can get organics, nutrients, and herbal remedies in almost any supermarket. While the buyers are much more educated than they used to be, there still needs to be protection for those who do not follow the current nutrition research, and for those who may not recognize that many "natural" remedies are in fact pharmacologicaly active (they DO work, after all, dont they?) and there may be a posibility of adverse reaction when combined with other drugs or therapies.

vitaman
Quote:

I have also seen contaminated and unsafe materials being sold.


I can attest to that - my mother and aunt were taking some liquid stuff that was supposed to do all sorts of miraculous things - they both ended up severely infected with parasites. My mother ended up with a large worm. My aunt (who at age 85 is easily lead and just a bit of a fanatic about "health food") still doesn't believe this was the cause, and she's still slurping the stuff, as supposedly it WILL help her. In the meantime she is picking her skin off her body, where some of the parasites are supposedly coming to the surface to die. I had my mother's stuff analyzed, and that's how I got her off of it.

As vita-man indicated, there are some wild claims made by these multi-level marketing people (this was one such case), and a bit of regulation at least on these kinds of things would definitely be in order.

I'm not cheering on the pharma-mafia's out there either - but we do need to find a better way to know what is or is not safe to use.

Cheers!
Unis
Unis,

That is absolutely horrible.

Did you report the manufacturer of that stuff?
No - because I also noticed that shortly after this, many of the people, at least locally in Ontario, stopped offering it. I had noticed several web-sites of holistic practitioners (reiki, hypnosis, etc.) offering this as a "side-line", and all of a sudden they stopped. So someone must have complained.

My aunt, at 85 is a bit shoeless in the head department, and won't here of it that this is what is at the base of her "parasitic infestation" problem. She get's her stuff imported from the US by a local distributor (who apparently doesn't care whose health they ruin). I haven't talked about it with my mom for a while, so maybe she finally did convince her sister to stop taking it - hopefully.

Cheers!
Unis
http://www.newstarget.com/021838.html
Good news...

The government in New Zealand had a similar bill on the agenda.
Due to massive pressure on the political parties and MP's the
bill has been canceled.

The govenment did not have the numbers to make it law.

Well done follks...

© Forum for PhotoReading, Paraliminals, Spring Forest Qigong, and your quest for improvement