Upsetting news about nutritional supplements

[joyfulgirl]

CODEX ALIMENTARIS ENDS U.S. SUPPLEMENTS IN JUNE 2005

By Dr. James Howenstine, MD.
March 6, 2005
NewsWithViews.com

Working stealthily BIG PHARMA has rapidly pushed their legislative program (Codex Alimentaris) in Europe that will eliminate the free choice Americans now have to purchase vitamins, herbs, minerals, homeopathic remedies, aminoacids and nutritional supplements. This elimination of all competition for the pharmaceutical industry will produce an enormous increase in the already exorbitant profits earned by the pharmaceutical firms. Of even greater significance the lack of free choice to stay well by taking effective nutritional substances will promptly be followed by a sharp increase in illnesses that will only be treated in the future with pharmaceutical drugs.

The new Codex Alimentaris adopted in a secret meeting in Europe in November 2004 is scheduled to take effect in June 2005. Because the United States belongs to the World Trade Organization WTO any changes approved in Europe automatically become law in the United States superceding our own laws (we are no longer a sovereign nation). Failure to comply with these changes institutes lawsuits which can not be won as they are settled in international courts which care nothing about U.S. laws. Incidentally, Europe has been very leery of genetically modified foods because of serious concerns about their safety. By this same WTO mechanism Europe will be forced to accept importation of U.S. GMO foods even if they know they are bad for health.

The features of Codex Alimentaris are:

No supplements can be sold for preventative or therapeutic use.

Any potency higher than RDA levels (pathetically low) is a drug that requires a prescription and must be produced by drug companies.

Codex regulations are binding internationally

New supplements are banned unless given Codex testing and approval (certain to expensive and lacking in scientific merit). Norway and Germany are already operating under the new Codex regulations. The price of zinc tablets has gone from $4 to $52. Echinacea has risen from $14 to $153.

Codex regulations are not based on science or research findings. These regulations were developed by 11 appointed persons. Guess who appointed them?
Why Haven't I Heard About This?

The controlled press has been instructed to avoid commenting on this issue until it becomes a fait accomplis. At that time your congressional legislators will say they are sorry but there is nothing they can do to reverse the Codex. The truth is they were, all but a few, bought and paid for back when the World Trade Organization was ratified by the U.S. Congress.

Can Anything Be Done To Stop This Codex?

I hope so but the remaining time is miniscule and the enemy has carried out a brilliant strategy. There is no reason for any optimism about the possibility of reversing the Codex regulations. A brilliant English lawyer (Anderson), considered to be the top lawyer in that nation, has agreed to fight the Codex in court because he thinks he can win. This fight needs money because it is against the incredible financial resources of the pharmaceutical industry. Two other sinister Directives need to be reversed in Brussels as well as the implemented Codex Directive. Donations to the http://alliance-natural-health.org/ are vital. These funds will be used to try to overturn Codex and hire lobbyists to oppose the other 2 Directives.

Contacting your congressman and senator is desirable. If millions of persons get involved the legislators may take notice. The New World Order leaders were shocked when meetings in Seattle in 1999 and Quebec City in 2001 resulted in riots. When the responsible U.S. citizens that have kept themselves well with intelligent use of supplements learn that there is nothing available from now on they are likely to be very angry. For many persons this may crystallize the realization that they are living in a police state and that there is no longer any power in the hands of private citizens.

What Can Concerned Individuals Do To Preserve Good Health?

If our donations do not stop this pharmaceutical juggernaut some planning may still be worthwhile. Many large natural health product providers seem to be oblivious to this danger. Perhaps they are planning on selling out to BIG PHARMA at the last minute.

Buying a stock of the supplements that have helped you seems wise. Remember the expiration date on a bottle is simply an educated guess. Manufacturers want to error on the side of public safety and setting dates close to the time of manufacture encourages increased sales volume. The U.S. military has taken advantage of the probable safety of medicines beyond their expiration date by continuing to use expired bottles for many months beyond their expiration date. This program has saved the military many millions of dollars in pharmaceutical costs. To determine safety of products involves expensive testing for evidence of oxidation and other deterioration of products so it is not done very frequently by most companies.



) 2005 Dr. James Howenstine - All Rights Reserved




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Dr. James A. Howenstine is a board certified specialist in internal medicine who spent 34 years caring for office and hospital patients. After 4 years of personal study he became convinced that natural products are safer, more effective, and less expensive than pharmaceutical drugs. This research led to the publication of his book A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work. Information about these products and his book can be obtained from amazon.com and at http://www.naturalhealthteam.com/ and phone 1-800-416-2806 U.S. Dr. Howenstine can be reached by mail at Dr. James Howenstine, C/O Remarsa USA SB 37, P.O. Box 25292, Miami, Fl. 33102-5292.

E-Mail: jimhow@racsa.co.cr

 

[joyfulgirl]

I am speechless.

 

[melon]

This whole thing bleeds "conspiracy theory." Secret, shadowy international organizations creating laws that no one knows about until they come into effect and doing things outside American jurisdiction--but forcing the U.S. to be subject to them. Yup, classic conspiracy theory.

And a hoax:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/vitamins.asp

"Codex Alimentaris" is actually already in existence and has been since 1962. It is a UN guideline, not a WTO guideline. But none of this is actually in the "Codex," and even if it were, nations are fully free to ignore it. "International law," for the most part, is a fallacy, because nations have to elect to allow international provisions to apply to it. Hence, the U.S. is fully free to elect itself outside the permanent war crimes tribunals established by the U.N., and there's really nothing the U.N. or anybody can do about it. In all "international law," a nation, essentially, has to adopt it internally, so it's really not "international" at all.

The fact, as the Snopes article shows, is that any semblence of truth about this article actually refers to proposed Congressional legislation within the U.S. and would only give increased regulatory oversight to "dietary supplements," which are under a different classification than "vitamins and minerals." The latter already has a considerable regulatory infrastructure, as Vitamin A and Potassium supplements are already banned or severely limited.

With that, I oppose additional regulatory oversight of dietary supplements, as I think current oversight is sufficient. Dangerous products are removed when found, and, as far as I see it, as long as a product isn't dangerous, it should be on the market. If it's a useless placebo, then so be it; but a lot of people will disagree. However, even if more oversight was given, it would likely target "hot button" products like diet pills (ephedra) or body-building pills (androstenedione). But these products have been banned already, as they've been proven to be dangerous.

In short, the above article is an internet hoax.

Melon

 

[BVS]

 

[nbcrusader]

Thanks for digging up the truth Melon.

The statement:

any changes approved in Europe automatically become law in the United States superceding our own laws (we are no longer a sovereign nation)

had me suspicious.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Thanks, melon. It didn't make sense to me either and I should've checked it out before posting it but it came to me from a reputable clinical nutritionist I know personally so since I did not have time to check it out I just accepted it from the source. Sorry.

 

[melon]

Thanks, melon. It didn't make sense to me either and I should've checked it out before posting it but it came to me from a reputable clinical nutritionist I know personally so since I did not have time to check it out I just accepted it from the source. Sorry.

It's okay. I'm just a natural skeptic of everything.

Melon

 

[Tania]

I work in Reg Affairs and Codex definitely does not have the ability to become "law".

However, a lot of their recommendations are ratified by various countries to determine specifications for various active ingredients and so ensure that they meet a purity level that reduces possible toxic issues. Codex is actually a very highly reputable organisation which does a lot of good work especially with countries such as Africa and is part of the WHO.

There has been some review of vitamin and mineral supplements and the like, because of the manner in which many of these products are manufactured, the lack of available scientific evidence to confirm many of their claims and because sampling of some of these products has shown major inconsistencies between the reported amounts of the various ingredients within the formulation and the actual amounts. This is not to say that all manufacturers are like that, but there are some. Australia recently had a huge recall of products (I think it was about 300+) when one of these companies was found to be doing some very shady things.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Well despite my embarrassment over posting this hoax, and thus a desire for this thread to quickly slide to page 2, I find that I would still like to talk about nutritional supplements. The reason I was so upset about it, when I thought it might be true, is that I take a lot of supplements each month working with a clinical nutritionist, who also happens to be one of my best friends (so I get the supplements at wholesale prices otherwise I would never be able to afford the quantity that I take). And they have changed my life. Literally. I haven't taken a prescription drug in over 20 years except on rare occasions I take Ambien to help me sleep. I got a prescription for that after a bad bout of insomnia on a business trip so I always have some on hand but have only used it a couple of times. I am completely blown away by the effectiveness of supplements and the homeopathic 'flu shot' I have been taking as my friend's guinea pig for a several years. I haven't been sick at all since I started this program with him 3 years ago. If I feel something coming on, I take any number of immune system boosters which I would never have heard of otherwise and it zaps whatever it is right away.

He is also doing important work with people with HIV and plans to publish his findings in medical journals. We have a friend with HIV who makes too much money to qaulify for the state's free HIV meds program, yet still has difficulty paying the $600 a month it costs to buy his meds. So he actually goes on and off them all the time but works with our friend constantly in boosting his immune systems with nutritional supplements. As a result, it's probably keeping his liver healthier by not being on the meds all the time. His viral load is undetectable and his t-cells are pretty high.

I really feel now that all I need a medical doctor for is to get a diagnosis, to get an x-ray, or to have surgery or stitches but even after getting a diagnosis my first choice would be some form of alternative healthcare. I have seen incredible success with many of our friends and myself in treating everything from depression to MS to environmental illness to allergies and AIDS and a lot more. And while there may be some companies that are doing shady stuff with supplements, I think the pharmaceutical industry is disgusting, as are the doctors who receive kickbacks from them for pushing their products.