Thursday, May 29, 2008

Attack on Health Freedom in Canada Threatens US Health Freedom

Couldn't have said it better myself, so I'm posting Charles Frohman's comments here:

Loss of Canadian natural healing rights will threaten U.S.
Posted by: "Charles D. Frohman" cfroh@yahoo.com cfroh
Date: Wed May 28, 2008 7:03 pm ((PDT))

Sat nam, ji.

Some yogis resist politics on 3HO's international kundalini yoga yahoo group, and given the emotions that politics inflames, this moderator agrees on that goal.

Unfortunately, as happens with sages throughout history, although one may wish to just "live and let live," and avoid the sturm and drang of powermongering (politics), sometimes the manipulators won't leave you alone. So you have to strike back, or be driven into oblivion.

This is the case with natural therapies, nutrients and wholesome food, each of which is very important to yogis. Healthy living is the chief competitor to industrial medicine, and the special interests of the latter refuse to let us "live and let live".

I've posted previously on the "guidances" Big Medicine has been able to cajole FDA to publish, dealing with impossible scientific agreement requirements for claims, prohibitions on natural treatments that state licensing cabals condemn, manipulation of risk studies to ban safe nutrients, forced irradiation/degradation of safe food, nondisclosure of genetically altered seeds, dumbing down of organic standards, and bankrupting regulations for mom-and-pop supplement makers. It's all at www.Globalhealthfreedom.org.

Now Big Pharma is making an end run around the U.S., by imposing a full frontal attack in Canada. To show honesty in my post, I'll let you learn about this issue from the other side, good ole' Michael Shermer's Skeptic site:
http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/08-05-28.html.

And due to FDA's requirement to harmonize with Codex trade requirements at the United Nations, whatever happens in one country eventually happens in other countries, under threat of WTO sanctions. And with Canada, it's even worse because of a trilateral agreement with the U.S. [That's exactly right Charlie! FDA posted its HARMonization policy in the Federal Register on Oct 11, 1995. R]

If Shermer's group hasn't dissuaded you from contributing to health freedom in Canada, and thus in the U.S., here's the main advocacy site for your review:
http://www.stopc51.com/.

In my opinion, in the Aquarian Age more of life will be based on voluntarism and less on coercion. But while the Piscean Age of control still holds sway, we need to play with the hand with which we are dealt. And we are suffering under the zenith of Oligopolistic Control. Our health freedom for natural living is at stake, and yogis are welcome to click on the above links to participate in this great debate.

Before you strike, however, make sure and do SADHANA, so whatever energy comes from you to others is heart-centered, and true, and neutral.

Blessings,
Amar Atma (Charles Frohman)
www.cfrohman.com
http://dcflow.com/blog
www.KundaliniYogaDC.com

Friday, May 16, 2008

GSK Petitions FDA to end weight control DS claims

A Guest Blog Posting from a Natural Solutions supporter, Heather Johnson:

More Dietary Supplement Propaganda from Big Pharma

It seems that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will stop at nothing to rub out the competition when it comes to weight loss supplements. (No matter what your opinion is on weight loss supplements, this issue affects the vitamin industry as a whole.) A petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been filed by GSK, which claims that any over-the-counter weight loss product that has not been approved by the FDA is ineffective and has no basis in science. Writes the petition, "Each of these studies concluded that there is little, if any, evidence to support the efficacy of supplements marketed for weight loss."

Furthermore, GSK hopes to remove any weight loss claims from such dietary supplements. It should be noted that there is currently only one over-the-counter weight loss product with FDA approval: the struggling alli. Of course, it should come as no surprise that alli is manufactured by GSK. Indeed, this petition seems to have little to do with the physical well-being of the public and everything to do with snuffing out alli's over-the-counter rivals.

It should be noted that alli has been associated with some fairly disturbing side effects (according to this MSNBC article), yet it still boasts a coveted FDA stamp of approval. Among other things, the supplement can cause anal leakage if one strays from a strict diet of low-fat foods. In fact, GSK even recommends that first-time users wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes with them to work.

This petition, which was filed on April 17, 2008, also had the support of three other organizations: the American Dietetic Association, the Obesity Society and Shaping America's Health. Despite the fact that some over-the-counter supplements may very well be ineffective, there are also many supplements that have been extensively tested, despite the fact that they have no FDA approval.

This petition, which can be read in full here, is an attack on both the First Amendment and our health freedom. The Natural Solutions Foundation has filed a similar petition in protest of Big Pharma's involvement in natural supplements, which can be found here. Those who wish to protect our freedoms where natural health is concerned are heartily encouraged to sign the latter petition. You can join the Natural Solutions Health Freedom eAlert system at:
http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?page_id=187
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By-line:

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of top online universities. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.