OT - Dietary Supplements and Health Freedom

[Guest guest]

Dietary Supplements and Health Freedom

by Rep. Ron , MD (Ron is a Congressman)

from today's www.lewrockwell.com

Millions of Americans take dietary supplements every day, and the numbers

are growing as the Baby Boom generation ages. More and more Americans

understandably are frustrated with our government-controlled health care

system. They have concluded that vitamins, minerals, and other supplements

might help them stay healthy and less dependent on the system. They use

supplements because they can buy them freely at stores and research them

freely on the Internet, without government interference in the form of

doctors, prescriptions, HMOs, and licenses. In other words, they use

supplements because they are largely free to make their own choices, in

stark contrast to the conventional medical system.

But we live in an era of unbridled government regulation of both our

personal lives and the economy, and Food and Drug administration bureaucrats

burn to regulate supplements in the same manner as prescription drugs.

The health nannies insist that many dietary supplements are untested and

unproven, and therefore dangerous. But the track record for FDA-approved

drugs hardly inspires confidence. In fact, far more Americans have died

using approved pharmaceuticals than supplements. Not every dietary

supplement performs as claimed, but neither does every FDA drug.

The FDA simply gives people a false sense of security, while crowding out

private watchdog groups that might provide truly disinterested consumer

information. It fosters a complacent attitude and a lack of personal

responsibility among people who assume a government stamp of approval means

a drug must be safe, and that they need not study a drug before taking it.

The FDA, like all federal agencies, ultimately uses its regulatory powers in

political ways. Certain industries and companies are rewarded, and others

are punished. No regulatory agency is immune from politics, which is why the

FDA should not be trusted with power over our intimate health care

decisions.

The real issue is not whether supplements really work, or whether FDA drugs

really are safe. The real issue is: Who decides, the individual or the

state? This is the central question in almost every political issue. In free

societies, individuals decide what medical treatments or health supplements

are appropriate for them.

Over the past decade the American people have made it clear they do not want

the federal government to interfere with their access to dietary

supplements. In 1994, Congress bowed to overwhelming public pressure and

passed the Dietary Supplements and Health and Education Act, which

liberalized the rules regarding the regulation of dietary supplements.

Congressional offices received a record number of comments in favor of the

Act, which demonstrates how strongly Americans feel about health freedom.

The FDA simply has thumbed its nose at Congress and ignored the new rules in

many instances, by attempting to suppress information about health

supplements. But in 1999 a federal appellate court affirmed that the

American people have a First Amendment right to such information without

interference from the FDA. However, members of Congress have had to

intervene with the FDA on several occasions to ensure that they followed the

court order.

My regular listeners already know about another looming threat to dietary

supplement freedom. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, an offshoot of the

United Nations, is working to “harmonize” food and supplement rules between

all nations of the world. Under Codex rules, even basic vitamins and

minerals will require a doctor’s prescription. As Europe moves ever closer

to adopting Codex standards, it becomes more likely that the World Trade

Organization will attempt to force those standards on the United States.

This is yet another example of how the WTO threatens American sovereignty.

By cooperating with Codex, the FDA is blatantly ignoring the will of

Congress and the American people.