From: [l p b] at [daisy.swdc.stratus.com] (Len Bucuvalas)
Newsgroups: ne.politics,sci.med.nutrition,talk.politics.drugs,alt.drugs,alt.pagan,talk.religion.newage,alt.conspiracy,ca.politics,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Summary of FDA NLEA Proposed Regulations on Supplements
Date: 17 Aug 93 22:29:21 GMT

I wish to state for the record that Ted Kennedy supports the
following facist nonsense! If there are any TRUE New
Englanders left in this audoience you will call that so-and-so
and tell him that come next election he is FIRED for lieing to
his supervisors...the American People!.....

DISCLAIMER: My opinions not my employer's....Len

I have posted the following to many newsgroups.
The Whitehouse switchboard number is 202-224-3121
The Rush Limbaugh netaddr is [70277 2502] at [compuserve.com]

Granted Rush does tend to be a tad inflammatory and a raging
conservative BUT....he does have EXTREME radio coverage
nationally and is broadcast on the shortwave bands too!
Perhaps if enough people asked him to look into this he would
and begin talking about it on his radio talk show!

======================================================

Date: 21 Feb 92 22:44:15 GMT
Sender: [n--s] at [sco.COM] (Account for Usenet System)
Distribution: ca


The FDA has drafted a set of proposed regulations to implement
the NLEA (National Labeling and Education Act) of 1990.  The public comment
period on these regulation ends FEBURARY 25th 1992.  These proposed
regulations will certainly cloud the role that nutrition plays in health,
and will *probably* be used to severly RESTRICT OR ELIMINATE VITAMIN 
SUPPLEMENTS AND HERBS from the market.  Do you want to go to a doctor
to get a prescription for a zinc lozenge or some Echinacea???

Below is a fact sheet circulating in the local health food stores 
about the proposed regulations and bills, a sample letter for your
congressmen and addresses to send your letters to.

In the 1970's similar legislation to limit dosage and selection
of dietary supplements was proposed and public outcry
did overcome it, resulting in the Proxmire Law(411).
So please write immediately!  Our freedom to choose our own form of health care is being jeopardized.

Our only hope is the passage of the Dietary Supplements Health
Education Act (DSHEA) introduced in the Senate by Orrin Hatch under S.784 
and in the House by Bill Richardson under H.R. 1709. These bills falling
under the DSHEA will: ensure health claims are accurate based on
scientific evidence; describe the ability of the supplement to prevent
or repair environmentally caused damage to the human system; prohibit
dietary supplements to be reclassified as drugs or food additives;
prohibit restrictions on potencies and combinations; and establish an
Office of Dietary Supplements within the NIH to
coordinate and promote scientific research as well as oversee 
and advise the FDA on dietary supplement issues. 

>From the Herb Room:
********************************************************************************
In 1990, the Congress passed a new law, the NLEA.  The intent of the law is 
to require clear and honest labeling, something the natural foods industry
has desired.  However, the law was sent to the FDA for interpretation and the 
FDA is attempting to pervert the honest intentions of the law.  The FDA has 
produced 2000 pages of proposed regulations, and the public has until Feb. 25 
to respond to these proposed regulations.

If these regulations go into effect as they have been proposed, they will
severly restrict and/or eleminate herbs, vitamins, and all other food
supplements.

FDA proposed reglations would do the following:

1.  The FDA proposals would reduce RDA to RDI (Reference Daily Intake), a
much lower standard. RDI quantities are 20%-40% lower than RDA's.
Vitamins would probably remain available, but in very small quantities.

2. All food supplements, such as garlic, acidophilus, and Chlorophyll
which are not technically vitamins would probably be eliminated from the 
marketplace.  Under proposed regulations, substances sold in quantities larger
than normally found in food would be considered drugs and would be 
therefore unavailable for sale.

3. All herbs with any medicinal value may be eliminated from the market.  Only
herbs which are generally recognized as providing aroma and flavor would be 
allowed to be included in supplements.  It is rumored that the FDA is compiling
a hit list of 150 herbs, including echinacea, golden seal, and dong quai, and
that they especially want to stop the importing of CHinese herbs.

In addition to this, the FDA is seeking more power to enforce and restrict
food supplements:

1. HR3642 The Food, Drug, Cosmetic and DEvice Enforcement Amendment of 1991.
This bill was introduce in Congress last year to give the FDA more power, 
including the power to embargo products *without due process* and to impose
$1,000,000 fines.  This bill died in Congress last year, but seems to be 
gaining support and will be re-introduced in the new Congress.

[In addition S.1982: which would give the FDA the right to hire paid informants
with $250,000 per practitionaer and $1,000,000 per company]

2. HR1662 The Nutritional Advertising Coordination Act of 1991.  This bill
would require the Federal Trade Commission to conform to FDA regulations
in regard to advertisements of health information.  No company would be
able to advertise or communicate the effectiveness of any product without
facing FDA censorship.

3. The FDA appointed a special task force on dietary supplements which
completed its study in November.  The recommendations of the task force
haven't been release yet, but they are expected to recommend elimination
or severe restriction of all food supplements.

[This is already happening with herbs such as ephedra,
pennyroyal, I have heard that ginko is also harder to
get...echinacea may be next as well as ginseng..also amino acids will
be reclassified as drugs and available via prescription only...Len]

The only way to stop the government from restricting our freedom to choose
alternatives to the conventional American diet and conventional western medicine
is to write your Congressmen and Senators.


--
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
The accountability of government has gone to the point where the very
use of the law is the instrument of illegality.
		-- Ralph Nader @ Harvard Law School, 1/15/92