Challenge the Regulation of Dietary Supplements THIS WEEK IN THE HSI HEALTHIER TALK COMMUNITY If you were trying to sell a car, how would you feel if a government regulation unfairly blocked you from advertising the attractive selling points of the car? You might feel angry, but what could you do? Well, you could start by supporting a Congressional challenge to the regulation. And that's exactly what's happening with right now with dietary supplements. In the e-Alert "Body Armor" (11/17/05), I told you about an important new Congressional bill: the Health Freedom Protection Act (HFPA). Current FDA and FTC regulations limit truthful claims that can be made for food products and dietary supplements. HFPA would eliminate these unfair regulations. HFPA is the topic of a Healthier Talk community forum thread titled "Health Freedom Protection Act HR 4282." HSI member hhglenn starts off the tread with this comment: "Hey guys! Let's get behind this. Call your congressmen and tell them you support HR4282. Here's a little snippet by the author of the bill Rep Ron Paul of TX… "Before the US House of Representatives, November 10, 2005. "This bill restores the First Amendment rights of consumers to receive truthful information regarding the benefits of foods and dietary supplements by codifying the First Amendment standards used by federal courts to strike down the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) efforts to censor truthful health claims. The Health Freedom Protection Act also stops the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) from censoring truthful health care claims. "The American people have made it clear they do not want the federal government to interfere with their access to dietary supplements, yet the FDA and the FTC continue to engage in heavy-handed attempts to restrict such access. "FDA bureaucrats have even refused to abide by the DSHEA section allowing the public to have access to scientific articles and publications regarding the role of nutrients in protecting against diseases by claiming that every article concerning this topic is evidence of intent to sell a drug. "Specifically, the Health Freedom Protection Act stops the FDA from censoring truthful claims about the curative, mitigative, or preventative effects of dietary supplements, and adopts the federal court's suggested use of disclaimers as an alternative to censorship. The Health Freedom Protection Act also stops the FDA from prohibiting the distribution of scientific articles and publications regarding the role of nutrients in protecting against disease. "If we are serious about putting people in charge of their health care, then shouldn't we stop federal bureaucrats from preventing Americans from learning about simple ways to improve their health? I therefore call on my colleagues to stand up for good health care and the First Amendment by cosponsoring the Health Freedom Protection Act." In response to hhglenn's posting, a member named Ralph offers this comment: "Thanks for this posting. We all need to support it. Call and send letters - those are easy things to do, and we pay their salary, so we are their bosses." Hhglenn notes a web site (thomas.loc.gov) you can use to read the bill in its entirety. You can also use this site to send comments to your Congressmen. Other topics being discussed this week in the Healthier Talk community forums include: - Diabetes: What is a good glucose number?
- Fibromyalgia: Raw onions for fibromyalgia
- Depression: Compartments of the mind
- Auto-Immune Diseases: Who gets MS?
- Health for Men: Hair loss
- General Health Topics: Milk causes diseases
To join in with any of these discussions, just go to our web site at www.hsibaltimore.com, choose "Forum," and add your own insights and comments about health, nutrition and natural treatments. | 
