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Supplements At Risk
The FDA's battle against natural and alternative health care could produce
the following casualties:
All Free Form Amino Acids.
These essential nutrients would be eliminated from the market to
be studied for "safety" and then handed over to medical
pharmaceutical corporations to be made into highly expensive
prescription-only drugs. Amino acids have been safely used by
consumers for over 20 years. The ban would include N-acetyl
cysteine (NAC) which is very promising in treatment for HIV and
has been used successfully to treat bronchitis.
Selected Herbs.
Many immune-boosting herbs and treatments for HIV and cancer may
be eliminated. All medicinal herbs are in jeopardy because the FDA
has never granted "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status to
any herbs used as medicines. Garlic, for example, is recognized as
safe when it is in food or as a flavor enhancer. But garlic as a
food supplement in a capsule or extract is not GRAS and is
therefore subject to FDA restrictions. Again, ALL medicinal herbs
are not recognized GRAS. The FDA can remove any herb from the
market which is in any way associated with health claims.
All Medicinal Claims For Herbs.
Since medicinal herbs cannot exist without claims, and claims put
an herb in the "unapproved drug" category, the FDA could and would
effectively *censor* much information regarding herbal treatments.
Consumers would be denied access to products and information.
Since the FDA has little respect or understanding for traditional
ethnic herbal treatment and folk remedies, the agency's judgement
with regard to the regulation of claims for products that have
been safely used for hundreds of years is suspect.
Breakthrough and "New Supplements".
As research mounts on newly emerging nutrients, natural compounds,
and herbs, promising treatments are denied to consumers because
the FDA does not understand that which it regulates. Products
which could be benefitting millions of people may become
unavailable because the FDA insists on defining these new products
as "unapproved food additives" or "unapproved drugs."
Cutting Edge Supplements in Jeopardy:
Co-enzyme Q10 All chinese herbs
Evening Primrose Oil Golden Seal Root
Black Currant Oil Selenium
Chromium
This is what we have already lost:
Chaparral Comfrey Stevia
L-Tryptophan Sassafras Pennyroyal
For more information, contact:
Citizens For Health
Natural Health Care Alliance Of San Francisco
1348 La Playa Avenue #2, San Francisco CA 94122
Telephone Michael at 415-292-4055
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| Kayvan Sylvan, Sylvan Associates, kayvan@satyr.Sylvan.COM, (408) 978-1407 |
| Consulting, Training, Development, SysAdmin, {BSD,SVr3,SVr4} Unix Systems |
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| Proud Dad of Katherine Yelena (born 8/8/89) & Robin Gregory (born 2/28/92) |