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Join Dr. Randy Wysong for a look at how government regulations
are helping to impede your health rather than empower you to take
charge of your own healthcare needs. Learn at how both people and
pets are being denied their rights by a government that is more
interested in the heath of business over people.
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.
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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.
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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 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.cfm
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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