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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. They would raid at

gunpoint the medical offices 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.

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.cf

m 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