Dear Health Conscious Reader,
The assault by the FDA on your supplements has turned into an all out war.
In a letter from both the FDA and FTC, Dr. Andrew Weil was threatened with criminal prosecution.
I’m not making this stuff up. Look at what the letter actually said:
“If your firm fails to take corrective action immediately, FDA may take enforcement action, such as seizure or injunction for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act without further notice.”
What did Dr. Weil do to risk “possible criminal prosecution for violations of the FFDC Act”?
He made true statements about his immune-boosting formula containing Astragalus.
On his website, he said “During the flu season, I suggest taking a daily antioxidant, multi-vitamin-mineral supplement, as well as astragalus, a well-known immune-boosting herb that can help ward off colds and flu.”
How does something like this happen? How can the FDA interpret this as a violation warranting “criminal prosecution”?
Because the FDA has a strong and direct conflict of interest.
They make money from drug companies.
In 1992, Congress passed the landmark Prescription Drug User Fee Act, effectively putting the FDA on the pharmaceutical industry’s payroll.
To speed up the approval of drugs, the law authorized drug companies to pay user fees to the FDA, making it dependent on the very industry it regulates.
Today, industry-paid FDA employees constitute more than half of the agency’s staff involved in approving drugs.
Since the law was enacted, 13 prescription drugs causing hundreds of deaths have had to be withdrawn from the market.1
This war is nothing more than a censorship racket designed to protect big pharma and big government profits.
So, just how dangerous are supplements and natural remedies that has the FDA declaring war on your right to purchase natural alternatives?
You’re not going to believe this one.
There was not one death caused by dietary supplements in 2008. Not one.
A recent report in the journal Clinical Toxicology shows that there was not one death caused by any vitamin including A, B, C, D, and E.2
What’s more, there wasn’t one death caused by amino acids, herbals, homeopathics, or mineral supplements.
Not a single man, woman, or child died from nutritional supplements.
Yet nearly 125,000 people die each year from FDA-approved prescription drugs. That’s twice the number of casualties we suffered during the Vietnam War.
That’s a tragedy. And it’s a war that is happening every year.
In addition, prescription drugs cause 2.2 million adverse reactions each year.3
That’s not all.
Nearly five percent of all hospital admissions – more than 1 million per year – are due to drug side effects.
What’s worse, the FDA and corporate America have a history of suppressing safe alternatives that work. CoQ10 is a good example of this.
Back in 1990, Merck knew that statins deplete CoQ10. They knew that this could contribute to heart disease. In that year, Merck was granted a patent by the FDA for Mevacor and other statin drugs containing CoQ10.
These statin drugs with CoQ10 help prevent congestive heart failure.
However, Merck has not brought these drugs to market. Nor have they educated physicians on the importance of supplementing CoQ10 to offset the dangers of these drugs.
They patented it and let it sit there simply to keep it off the market.
But because they hold the patent, other drug companies are prevented from coming out with a statin/CoQ10 product that could save lives.
The bottom line here is that you need to stay informed and not be misled by those who don’t have your best health interests at heart.
The good news is you’re already being proactive by reading this e-letter.
You can also tell your congressman about your views on restricting your access to natural supplements. The Alliance for Natural Health is a nonprofit organization that makes it easy for you. They have letters already written, which you just sign and send straight to your congressman via the Internet. You can check out their latest campaigns and action alerts here.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
- The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It by Marcia Angell M.D., published by Random House, 304 pp.
- Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR Jr, Green JL, Rumack BH, Giffin SL. 2008 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS): 26th Annual Report. Clinical Toxicology (2009). 47, 911-1084.
- Schardt, David. “Are Your Supplements Safe?” Nutrition Action Healthletter 2003; 30(9): 3-7.