Fighting a New War

Fighting a New War
Health Alert #241

You can hear the missiles whistling by, one after another, aimed straight for the alternative health industry. And next August, international governments plan a massive attack. An assault that will wipe out vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements by 2007 if it goes unchecked.¹

That means thousands of supplements Americans use to improve our health will disappear. You won’t be able to walk into a store and buy vitamin E. Or amino acids. Or essential fatty acids. You won’t even be able to buy enough vitamin C to do you any good. You’ll have to go to a pharmacy. And pay three to four times more!²

Today I’ll tell you what you can do to keep your right to manage your own health-and continue to have access to vitamins and minerals at a reasonable cost.

* Dealing the Deathblow to Supplements *

For over a decade world governments have tried to restrict your access to supplements through something called the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex was set up among 165 nations to govern food standards…supposedly to ensure international food safety. But like most things governments get their hands on, it turned into something much different.

In the late ’90s German drug companies got Codex to start pushing the idea to classify all supplements as DRUGS! Plus, under the German proposal, Codex would create its own list of “approved” supplements. All others become illegal.³ Two years ago, the European Union accepted this directive and plans to enforce it starting next August. It is a deathblow to supplements in Europe.

I thought the U.S. would never adopt such an extreme restriction, but I’ve had to think again. In 1997, only an 11th-hour blitz by consumer advocates prevented it from happening here. And the matter has come under consideration again.

But Codex isn’t the only threat to supplements in the U.S. A recent action in Europe- spearheaded by the Germans-may still get those restrictions enacted another way: through the World Trade Organization.⁴

When we signed on with the WTO, we agreed to revise our regulations to comply with WTO policies. If we don’t, the WTO can bring us before their Dispute Resolution Panel and force us to do so!⁵

If they have their way-you’ll lose access to thousands of natural products forever.

It recently happened in Australia. Over 1300 products were recalled by a government agency. Under very suspicious circumstances. And it devastated health stores there. They had to pull 80% of their inventory off their shelves!

* What You Can Do *

If we want to keep our rights to alternative medicine, we have to stand together. And here’s how you can help. Support the case brought by the British Alliance for Natural Health. They’ve filed suit to overturn the European Food Supplements Directive. You can get more information about it a www.anh-usa.org. Write your state and national politicians and tell them oppose these two acts: S.722, the Dietary Supplement Act, and H.R. 377, the Dietary Supplement Access and Awareness Act.

Time is running out. Promise yourself to do these two things today.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears MD

Sources:

1. Dr. Jonathan V. Wright; Three Steps-and 11 months-to diffuse the ticking time bomb threatening your access to vitamins and minerals; Nutrition & Healing; September 2004

2. Alliance for Natural Health

3. Kathleen Deoul; A Different Kind of Threat From Abroad; www.cassandrabooks.com/articles/0603/prinform.html

4. Alliance for Natural Health

5. Kathleen Deoul; A Different Kind of Threat From Abroad; www.cassandrabooks.com/articles/0603/prinform.html