Two years ago Dr. Wright warned us about Codex Alimentarius — an international “food standardization” program — and how one part of it in particular, called the European Union Directive on Dietary Supplements, could effectively wipe out the availability of natural products in this country. That warning is fast becoming a reality — and time is running out to put a stop to the impending loss of health freedom we are all facing.
If the EU adopts this directive, the U.S. essentially will have to as well, since we are members of the World Trade Organization. Not that this country always abides by its pacts and treaties with other countries. But when it conveniently handles an item already on the Feds’ agenda, honoring an international treaty suddenly becomes much more important.
The FDA is more likely to view the EU directive as an answer to their prayers than something to question and resist. In fact, for them, it’s a convenient backdoor way to change this country’s laws regarding the availability of vitamins and supplements without having to take any of the heat.
The EU Directive is especially convenient for the FDA since this challenge to natural health products is coming at a time when hostilities between the makers of natural supplements and the U.S. government are at an all-time high. We’ve told you all about the various bans on natural products such as red yeast rice and ephedra. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: There is also a systematic move towards shutting down the makers of natural supplements as well.
Consider the case of Lane Labs, an innovative company that formulated some natural products currently being studied by the National Cancer Institute. Of course, natural products that might be effective against cancer present a serious threat to the multi-trillion dollar pharmaceutical industry, so they’re seeking nothing less than annihilation of competitors like Lane Labs. And the U.S. government seems all-too-eager to help.
In their first judgment against Lane Labs four years ago, the government levied a million-dollar fine against the company for making false marketing claims. Mind you, there were no customer complaints, and none of these products were deemed harmful or ineffective. The company continued to sell the products and fight the suit, so the government changed their tactics. In a crushing blow delivered six weeks ago, a judge ordered that all of the products in question be destroyed and that Lane Labs refund the money they collected from all purchased products since September of 1999.
The battle lines keep changing — and more and more natural products are being lost as each of these battles are waged.
It’s up to people like you and me — who know the value of having access to vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements — to fight for our right to keep ourselves healthy naturally.
Start by contacting your state and local representatives and letting them know that you are aware of this threat and exactly where you stand on the issue. (Visit www.congress.org to find out the names and contact information of your senators, congressmen, and local representatives.) And be sure to check out Dr. Wright’s three specific recommendations for making an even further impact in the September issue of Nutrition & Healing (if you’re not already a subscriber, check out the Nutrition & Healing website, www.nutritionandhealing.com, for details on becoming one).
This is one situation that we absolutely must act on right away. There’s just not much time left to make sure that our elected officials take a stand on our behalf — and on behalf of our freedom to make our own individual health care choices.
Sweet relief
Q: I am plagued by recurring bladder infections and often end up on antibiotics for them. Then I usually wind up getting a yeast infection. I’ve heard that cranberry juice is a good natural remedy for bladder infections, so I drink it like crazy when I feel the symptoms coming on, but it doesn’t always work. Can you suggest any other natural alternatives I can try?
JVW: About 90 percent of all bladder infections are caused by a strain of e.coli bacteria — not the deadly strain, thankfully, but one that causes problems, nonetheless. Because it can “stick” to the walls of the bladder, it is not easily rinsed out of your system by urination, and can cause this painful infection.
Antibiotics do kill the e-coli, but they also kill all the friendly bacteria that keep your system healthy and in balance, too. This explains why you get yeast infections when you take the antibiotics.
As far as natural alternatives to antibiotics go, you’re on the right track with cranberry juice, but you can do better. The ingredient in the cranberry juice that actually offers the protective, natural antibiotic effect is a simple sugar called D-mannose. It detaches the e-coli from the bladder walls and allows it to be washed away in the urine.
Despite being classified as a “sugar,” D-mannose is very safe. Very little of it is actually metabolized by the body. Large doses are washed away in the urine, and the amounts not excreted into the urine are so small that they do not affect blood sugar levels — even in diabetics.
The next time you feel symptoms coming on, you might want to consider taking 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of D-mannose dissolved in some water every two to three hours until your symptoms subside.
You or your health food store can order D-mannose from Bio-Tech Pharmacal (479-443-9148; www.bio-tech-pharm.com), or you can order it on-line from various websites. For a complete list, visit the Internet search engine google.com and type “D-mannose” into the search field. (Please note that I have no information on the quality
or reputation of any of these companies or their products).
What is glutamine?
Glutamine is one of the nonessential amino acids — meaning that the body manufactures it internally. It is much more abundant than the rest of the amino acids because it is involved in the most metabolic activities within the body. For example, it can be converted to glucose when your body needs more energy. White blood cells also use glutamine as part of the body’s immuresponse.
Generally people are not deficient in glutamine, however, conditions such as fasting, starvation, cirrhosis, and other critical illnesses have been known to decrease the level of this amino acid.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
“FDA News: U.S. District Judge Issues Permanent Injunction Against Lane Labs-USA, Inc. and Orders Firm to Refund Money to Purchasers of Illegally Marketed Unapproved Drugs,” Food and Drug Administration press release (www.fda.gov), 7/13/04
