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I'm writing about the proposed Federal legislation, "FDA Docket 2006D-0480, Draft Guidance for Industry on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Their Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration" and promoted by the pharmaceutical industry.
I have found no mention of this in the media. I contacted AARP thinking that they would sound the alarm, but they are supporting the pharmaceutical industry instead of their membership.

"According to consumer surveys," AARP writes, more than 60% of Americans take some type of dietary supplement-vitamins and minerals, herbal products, and/or specialty products-every day. Dietary supplement sales have grown nearly three-fold since 1994."

"While AARP believes that consumers who want supplements should have
access to them, we also believe that procedures should be established
to monitor these products' safety."

The FDA also intends to add warnings to vitamin containers etc. stating "This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." For instance, one could no longer claim that vitamin D prevents rickets.
Yet this bill, when passed, will regulate not only all vitamins and dietary supplements (by requiring prescriptions) but will make all food products that promote themselves as healthy' illegal. For instance, cereals, such as Kellogg's Smart Start, would become illegal if they continue to advertise their product as remedies for ailments such as high cholesterol. The seller could be arrested for practicing medicine without a license. Selling herbs in a grocery store might get one arrested as a "drug dealer." Health food stores would be severely limited in providing inventory, and may even have to close.

I know the pharmaceutical industry is very powerful, but this new regulation of theirs is going to extremes.

This bill will outlaw all over-the-counter vitamins and supplements and make it necessary for one to go to a doctor to get a prescription for their vitamins, which will increase the cost many times, not counting the doctor's visit, putting control of all dietary supplements into the hands of the pharmaceutical industry, thus dramatically increasing their profits.

Learn more about this author, Eliot Chandler.
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