Whitman News Brief, Issue #64 The Vitamin War is on.

[Guest guest]

It's up to us to ensure that vitamins do NOT become a prescription drug.

 

Ian

 

Whitman News Brief

Issue # 64

12-29-99

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONTENTS:

*LEGISLATIVE NEWS

*CONSUMER HEALTH FREE SPEECH ACT

*DIETARY SUPPLEMENT FAIRNESS IN LABELING AND ADVERTISING ACT

*USDA APPROVES IRRADIATED MEAT

*LYME DISEASE VACCINATION LAWSUIT

*FOOD AND YOUR MOOD

*COLLOIDAL SILVER - THE REDISCOVERY OF A SUPER ANTIBIOTIC?

*A DOSE OF VITAMIN C FOR THE HEART

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Important legislation is pending that could limit consumers’ access to

nutritional supplements.

Interest in dietary supplements is no longer limited to a small sector of

the population but is rapidly becoming a multi-billion dollar business. Not

surprisingly, this is fomenting a turf war over control of the industry.

 

The FDA seems to be aligning itself with conventional medicine and the

pharmaceutical industry in a move to get supplements classified as drugs;

many consumers, practitioners and manufacturers of alternative remedies see

this as a real threat to their access. Getting a drug approved by the FDA

can be prohibitively expensive for small companies since clinical trials can

cost many millions of dollars. The FDA has also opposed allowing information

on the established health benefits of supplements.

 

It is a matter of vital personal and public interest to find out what's

going on and voice your opinion. (Opinions ranging from concern to outrage

which were voiced by the public last year about organic standards had a

significant impact on decisions concerning such practices as being able to

label foods " organic " that were produced using sewage sludge, irradiation,

and genetic engineering.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONSUMER HEALTH FREE SPEECH ACT

Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) has reintroduced the Consumer Health Free Speech

Act, which could prevent the FDA from classifying supplements as drugs if

health claims are made. This bill would prevent the FDA from arbitrarily

removing products from the marketplace unless there is a " significant or

unreasonable risk of illness or injury, " which the FDA also needs to define.

To read the bill or download hearing testimony, visit Congress's database at

www.thomas.loc.gov. Then contact your representative to voice support.

Contact your senators or representatives to express your support for access

to truthful information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DIETARY SUPPLEMENT FAIRNESS IN LABELING AND ADVERTISING ACT

Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Dietary Supplement Fairness in

Labeling and Advertising Act in October 1999. It instructs the FDA not to

proceed with its proposed restrictive labeling instructions and allows the

use of truthful peer-reviewed literature in labeling and advertising. This

legislation, if passed, would provide Americans with access to information

about dietary supplements that would help them make informed decisions. The

legislation also addresses the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines for

advertising dietary supplements.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

USDA APPROVES IRRADIATED MEAT

It has been decided for the American consumer, by government agencies, food

processing and packaging industries that exposing the American food supply

to radiation is an acceptable risk, even though no large scale human feeding

studies with radiated foods have been conducted. American consumers will be

paying more money for irradiated foods and receiving less wholesome food

while the large food packagers and processing companies, along with the

nuclear industry will reap higher profits from the sales of the more

expensive, sterilized, irradiated food.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture opened the way for beef produces to begin

irradiating fresh and frozen meat to kill foodborne microbes. The

irradiated meat will be in stores in two months.

 

Initially, irradiated meat is likely to be most popular with hospitals and

nursing homes, because of the danger E. coli poses to patients with weakened

immune systems, said Carol Tucker Foreman, a distinguished fellow with the C

onsumer Federation of America. ``I don't expect you're going to get it for

sale at McDonald's any time soon. It takes a while to build the

facilities,'' she said.

 

Irradiation has been approved for poultry since 1992 and is under

consideration for hot dogs, lunch meats and other ready-to-eat products.

 

Labels on irradiated products will have to carry the international symbol of

irradiation, known as a ``radura,'' and a statement that they were treated.

The symbol, colored green on a white background, depicts two leaves resting

in a semicircle, with a green dot above it beneath a broken-lined

semicircle. Sausage

that contains irradiated meat would also have to be labeled.

 

Several companies, including ConAgra Inc., one of the nation's biggest

meatpackers, have said they plan to use irradiation. But processors say the

government needs to undertake a public education campaign to convince

consumers that irradiation is safe. (It is a sad situation when the

government feels the need to " convince the consumers " because they have not

done adequate testing to determine the " true " safety of a product.)

``Ultimately, consumers' purchase behavior will drive the availability of

this product,'' said J. Patrick Boyle, president of the American Meat

Institute. ``If consumers embrace the product, the industry is in the

business of meeting consumer demand and we will respond with more irradiated

products.''

 

Irradiation had to be approved by both USDA, which is responsible for

ensuring the safety of meat, and the Food and Drug Administration, which has

authority over food additives. The FDA approved irradiation for red meat in

1997.

 

USDA has waived its authority over ready-to-eat products in order to

expedite the approval process for them. Irradiation is seldom used for

poultry, but E. coli is considered a far bigger problem with beef.

 

Consumer groups wanted USDA to set a minimum radiation level that meat had

to receive, but the agency decided to leave it up to processors. The

necessary dosage could vary depending what else the processors do to treat

the meat, USDA officials said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LYME DISEASE VACCINATION LAWSUIT

On December 14,1999 a class action lawsuit was filed in Chester County,

Pennsylvania, claiming that LYMErix, the vaccine manufactured by SmithKline

Beecham, which was developed to prevent Lyme disease, can cause an incurable

form of autoimmune arthritis and possibly produce symptoms worse than those

of the illness.

 

The lawsuit claims that SmithKline Beecham neglected to alert doctors and

the public that about 30 percent of the population has a predisposition to a

degenerative autoimmune syndrome which can be triggered by contents of the

vaccine. The assertion is that SmithKline Beecham used high concentrations

of OspA (Outer Surface Protein A of Borrelia burgdorferi) as the foundation

of the vaccine. The amount of OspA entering the bloodstream at any phase of

the three-dose LYMErix vaccine places patients who are HLA-DR4+ at risk of

developing " treatment resistant Lyme arthritis " .

 

The lawsuit further alleges that although the connection between OspA and

" treatment resistant Lyme arthritis " is well documented, SmithKline Beecham

did not include the information in promotional materials and maintained that

LYMErix was safe and generally well tolerated. HLA-DR4+ is detectable by a

blood test, yet allegations suggest that SmithKline Beecham did not

recommend that doctor's screen for the presence of the trait prior to

administering the vaccine.

 

The complaint also suggests that patients already infected with the Lyme

bacteria (either asymptomatic or in the early stages of infection) when they

receive LYMErix could suffer symptoms more severe than had they not received

the vaccine. Negligence is also mentioned in regard to lack of information

about the necessity of booster shots beyond the initial three-vaccination

schedule to maintain immunity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOOD AND YOUR MOOD

It is well-known that your choice of food can affect your overall health, as

well as your long-term risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

You may have noticed that some foods also affect your mood, but did you know

there's a biological reason?

 

Two of the most important mood-affecting chemicals in the brain are

serotonin and norepinephrine, which are neurotransmitters produced directly

from food. Eating lots of carbohydrates raises serotonin levels, which will

relax you and may make you sleepy.

 

On the other hand, protein-rich foods block serotonin from being produced

and boost norepinephrine levels, increasing alertness and energy.

 

Eating too many carbohydrates or proteins can cause an imbalance in the

brain's neurotransmitters, and may result in cravings for the other type of

food. For example, too little serotonin will make you feel sluggish and

depressed, and may result in a search for cookies, pastries and other

sweets. Poor eating habits can result in constant mood swings, sleeping

difficulties, and other emotional problems.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COLLOIDAL SILVER - THE REDISCOVERY OF A SUPER ANTIBIOTIC?

Some people may remember their grandparents putting silver dollars in a jug

of milk to keep it fresh at room temperature. Up until 1938, silver was

commonly used in medical treatments. The discovery of modern antibiotics

and the increased price of silver caused its use to decline.

 

Contemporary studies now appear to support its use again. It's been shown

that colloidal silver disables the enzyme that viruses, fungi and one-celled

bacteria need for oxygen metabolism, causing them to suffocate. Many

researchers have even declared colloidal silver the best all-around germ

fighter available, capable of killing up to 650 different disease organisms

that cause problems ranging from allergies and ringworm to

tuberculosis and warts.

 

Colloidal silver is made of super-fine silver particles suspended in

demineralized water. Usually taken

orally, the solution is quickly absorbed by the body, and effects may be

noticed within three to four days. Modern manufacturing methods have also

made colloidal silver much cheaper than it used to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A DOSE OF VITAMIN C FOR THE HEART

Heart patients with high blood pressure may receive substantial benefit from

a daily dose of vitamin C - something researchers said could be an

inexpensive alternative to prescription drugs.

 

A dose of 500 milligrams each day lowered blood pressure by up to 9 percent,

a level comparable to expensive prescription drugs, according to researchers

from the Boston University School of Medicine and the Linus Pauling

Institute at Oregon State University.

 

" It may provide a way to bring their blood pressure back within acceptable

levels without the cost or possible side effects of prescription drugs, "

said Balz Frei, director of the Linus Pauling Institute and one of the lead

researchers. He was quick to caution, however, that more study is needed

and that vitamin C is not a substitute for medication.

 

The study divided a group of 39 patients with mild to moderate hypertension

into two groups. About half took daily doses of 500 milligrams of vitamin C,

also known as ascorbic acid, while the others took a placebo. After one

month, the average blood pressure of patients who took vitamin C dropped 9.1

percent, significantly more than the patients in the placebo group, who

averaged a 2.7 percent decline.

Both groups continued to take their regular medication for hypertension

during the vitamin C study.

 

Vitamin C may improve the way the body synthesizes nitric oxide, a compound

important for keeping blood vessels relaxed. The vitamin also may work to

improve anti-hypertension medication.

 

Researchers say there is growing evidence that shows vitamin C plays an

important role in maintaining health, primarily as an antioxidant -

something that scavenges the body for roaming oxygen molecules known as

" free radicals " suspected of triggering cancer and other disease.

 

The 500-milligram dosage in the study was more than eight times greater than

the recommended daily allowance of 60 milligrams for adults, but researchers

wanted to be sure the patients got enough to be effective.

 

The National Institutes of Health has recommended raising the daily

allowance for vitamin C to between 100 and 200 milligrams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

..