FDA and supplements

[Guest guest]

My aunt sent this to me - thought it was worth forwarding.

Cris

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Ready to rumble?

Many HSI members have written to ask how they can become more involved

in opposing government efforts to put unnecessary restrictions on

dietary supplements. Now here's your chance.

The FDA is currently reviewing the Dietary Supplement Health Education

Act (DSHEA). In a nutshell, DSHEA classifies and regulates dietary

supplements as food. Under DSHEA, the FDA and the FTC regulate the

manufacturing of supplements, as well as labeling and advertising. And

yet critics of DSHEA would have you believe that the act doesn't

regulate supplements at all. What they're really saying is that DSHEA

doesn't regulate supplements in the same way that drugs are regulated.

In fact, DSHEA has been a boon for the supplement industry, by not

hampering the manufacture of supplements with unnecessary regulations.

But now the FDA is considering new regulations that could restrict

access to dietary ingredients and supplements that were not on the

market when DSHEA was first passed in 1994. Currently the FDA is

accepting comments from the public on this matter until February 1,

2005.

If you'd like to voice your opinion about these regulations, an

organization called Health Action Center (HAC) has made it very easy

to do so. The HAC web site (healthactioncenter.com) has provided a

simple way to send an e-mail to encourage the FDA to not create new

regulations that would violate the original intent of DSHEA.

If the FDA decides to propose these new regulations, the process

required to introduce new dietary supplements may become so convoluted

and expensive that manufacturers would be discouraged or simply

incapable of bringing new products to market.

So the time to act is now. Join with me in writing the FDA to let them

know that we support DSHEA and our freedom to access a wide range of

dietary supplements.

To Your Good Health,

Health Sciences Institute

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