Urgent! Your Natural Health Supplements are at Stake!

Imagine finding out you can no longer take the natural route to guide your health–no fish oil, omega-3 or vitamin D. Imagine that these supplements and others are no longer easily available at your local grocery or health food store, or the cost has skyrocketed.

This could become reality if a bill introduced by Sen. John McCain gains momentum in the Senate. The bill in question is named the “Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010,” or (DSSA)–a name that effectively obscures its real purpose.

The bill purports to protect consumer safety by increasing regulation of nutritional supplements, but Senator McCain has referenced the controversy over illegal steroids in pro sports to make his case. The FDA already has power to do more to stop illegal steroids — this misguided bill would threaten access to dietary and health supplements many Americans depend on.

On paper it might not sound too bad — more regulation and more safety is better, right? However, the interests of the bill’s backers are not entirely on consumer safety — but also with powerful profit-driven pharmaceutical companies.

Pharmaceutical companies know that profits going to natural supplements are profit lost for their pharmaceutical products.

This new bill gives the FDA broad new powers to remove natural products from the market. Since pharmaceutical interests weigh heavy in the FDA (and Congress), this new bill helps keep profits in the hands of pharmaceutical companies. They can tell the FDA what supplements to allow in stores, and which to hold off on so consumers are forced to pay higher prices for prescription drugs.

Sign the petition to stop John McCain’s Anti-Supplement Bill, and contact your senators to tell them not to co-sponsor DSSA.

Read more about the DSSA bill:
McCain Attacks Dietary Supplements: Fight For Your Health Freedom — from Care2 Cause Channel
New Bill Seeks to Ban Consumer Access to Dietary Supplements — from LifeExtension

Update: Sen. McCain has withdrawn support for the bill! Thank you Care2 members for this tremendous grassroots success!

Read more: Diet & Nutrition, Do Good, Health, News & Issues, DSSA, supplements

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

New G.

5:09PM PST on Jan 3, 2012

Thank you.

send a green star

Cyril H.

1:24AM PST on Jan 3, 2012

If this bill was passed, our lives reverses back to 400 or 500 years back when people use herbs for their health conditions. This act is surely an attack on general public. http://www.serofin.info

Myraida D.

9:18AM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

Cont...
China used a "medicine" to treat respiratory diseases (all their life).The base of that medicine is today the base of a famous medicine (antibiotic) and lately I think the vaccine included the same ingredient: Anise seeds!
A big lab bought the 90% of the production of this product In Africa I think. After disaster of "outbreak" and vaccine campaign, now they were talking about the possibility to let China produce the medicine or vaccine or both,( generic inclu-
ded) and Viet Nam also. Viet Nam ask for permission to study
the seed and they apparently found the "specific" element responsible of the benefit for health. - - - China used it,big pharma registered it's combination and sell it worldwide and now, if things change, cake can be divided. China could make it and Viet nam could make it.Both produce Anise.
.Business anyway . - In Europe is happening the same with supplements and remedies.Ancient chinese remedies will be "studied" by labs and those that are interesting will come back. Do you think China needs to study remedies they use for years and years? big pharma wanted a chunk for sure.But I am very sure China will not let go of their remedies because labs say so.They will bring them back with European brands and who knows if they will produce them for South America in the traditional way and european way. This is all business. Labs will always sell their things and now will sell some other after being " re - examined/ tested" with the colaborati

8:40AM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

Brian:
FDA does NOT test by itself. They believe what labs say and MD's believe what labs says and we take what labs says.And we "cover" symptoms in case of chronic illness but chronic are still there as the first day .Last Dec my cousin died
of Cirrhosis caused by high pressure medicine (never used alcohol).She was a med student in her younger years. He ex husband is an MD and her son is an MD. - Lab won.-
She couldn't believed herself. Why do you think all advertisement of medicines on TV are telling you about possible side effects? Including death?
We only have to count how many people die related to common medicines and how many to natural remedies.What we don't see or accept is when a person is sick that deterioration and complications occur, many times are medicine related.See that on TV you hear after possible side
effects alert that you should consult with your DR to see if that medicine can be good for you. - how does he (her) knows until you try it? And his(her )info is that of the labs! - Medicine tested on animals .Animals and people are very different.People are different from other people! How could they REALLY KNOW? People are leaving common medicines in favor of alternative and big pharma does not want to loose control Other detail:.Supplements will be tested on animals! And they will decide which or what combination you can take. We can talk later about medicine plant exploitation.But I can tell you now that before H1N1 famous "outbreak", China

KS G.

4:23AM PST on Feb 25, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Judy S.

9:57AM PST on Dec 5, 2010

The idea isn't to make sure what is said is on the label is in fact on the label. The main goal here is to classify all "supplements" as toxins so that we can't use them to maintain our health as we see fit. Imagine your chamomile tea being as illegal as cocaine. There's a 4 part video on You Tube about the Codex Alimentarius Commissions (a trade organization) goals and their alliances.

Brian M.

11:30AM PDT on Oct 19, 2010

I personally don't understand why anyone wouldn't want some form of federal regulation to ensure that health supplements contain what they claim, that they don't have toxic additives, and that they don't negatively impact human health. Many health supplements couldn't be sold if the general public were more aware of just how ineffective many of them are.

Darle W.

9:25PM PDT on Sep 19, 2010

Thanks

Linda W.

8:49AM PDT on Aug 29, 2010

This is starting to happen where I live to. We have tried many petitions but who knows what the end result will be.

Hanan W.

4:21AM PDT on Aug 29, 2010

Thank you for the info and the related links!