Regulatory Hooey "Protects" Us From Our Own Health
Legislation is getting legs to further curtail your use of
nutritional supplements. Not too long ago, prior to passage of
the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) - which
was accomplished by millions of letters to legislators by people
like you - the FDA acted like a Gestapo against supplements,
manufacturers and professional advocates. They would raid at
gunpoint the medical offices of doctors advocating the merits of
nutritional supplements, shut down manufacturers, harass stores,
confiscate products and prevent education of the public on
nutritional labels. You know, because so many people were dying
of supplements like Coenzyme Q-10 and herbs like the natural
sweetener stevia.
Not really. Actually, not at all. While they were busy making
sure natural and safe substances were tightly controlled,
millions of people were becoming ill and dying from their
"approved" pharmaceuticals. It's like a policeman arresting
jaywalkers while letting rape occur in the alley. I'm all for
regulation that makes sense. The tight control over nutritional
substances, however, is nonsense. Yes, there can be found
evidence somewhere that some natural substances have caused
harm. But so can water and oxygen cause harm if not used
properly. Everything has a risk, but many things have great
benefit, too. That is why full and honest disclosure is
important and should not be impeded. This is actually a free
speech issue that we should insist upon.
The FDA is basically an arm of the conventional medical
establishment. Supplements and self-care are a threat to that
establishment, and the resultant paranoia is what underlies
onerous and picayune regulatory intrusion.
On to pet food regulation. Here it gets even more ridiculous.
The freedoms extended by DSHEA to humans are not given to
animals. Why? Because legislators forgot to write it in. So pet
food regulators approve "dehydrated garbage" (actual listing in
the pet food regulators' handbook) and "dried poultry waste,"
but ban beneficial substances like Coenzyme Q-10, most amino
acids, pollen, chondroitin, glucosamine, quercitin, ginkgo,
certain omega-3 fatty acids and many others. Regulators busy
themselves editing pet food labels to make sure the lethal "100%
complete and balanced" claim is stated carefully and placed in
the right label spot, and issue "stop sale" orders on products
with labels not perfectly complicit. (To review these issues in
detail, see Chapter 21 in The Truth About Pet Foods.) Each state
(count 'em - 50!) has its own regulatory body, which can have
its own rules. Plus there are regulations from The American
Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) as well as the FDA
and USDA. The cost to manufacturers for scrapping and revising
labels adds huge costs to the end consumer ... and not only
brings no benefit but creates immeasurable harm by distracting
from the central issue of pet health, namely, pets should be fed
in variety and enjoy fresh foods offered, not force fed
so-called "100% complete" processed foods at every meal.
How do regulators justify not at least extending the freedoms of
DSHEA to animals? Well, they say what is generally recognized as
safe (GRAS) in humans may not be in animals. They can then cite
the potential toxicity of chocolate or aspirin in cats. These
are the same people who justify millions of animals tortured in
laboratories to prove the safety of drugs in humans. In other
words, GRAS substances should not be used in animals because
human physiology is different than animals, but pharmaceutical
substances and biocides can be used in humans if they are deemed
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safe in animals. You figure the logic in that.
I'm sure there are many well meaning, hard working, honest folks
in regulatory agencies. They are just doing what law mandates.
On the other hand, there are some budding little Hitlers amongst
the groups as well.
But this is America and in America the government is supposed to
be servant to the people, not vice versa. Your voice is
important and does have incredible power. Legislators want votes
and that is the currency you can use to swing the system to your
favor.
Tell regulators and legislators you want at least the rights
afforded under DSHEA maintained.
Please go to
http://www.wysong.net/ehealth/appropriationscommittee.htm For
contact information
E-mail your senators today.
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cf
m Ask them to vote to preserve your rights to free access to
dietary supplements and that you would like your pets to have
these rights as well. Fax also is effective, but mail will be
too slow and may not even be opened for fear of terrorist bugs.
Forward this to your friends and encourage them to take action
also.
About the author:
Dr. Wysong: A former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college
instructor, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional,
athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for
the company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong
Institute. http://www.wysong.net. Also
check out http://www.cerealwysong.com
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