Writing On The Wall

[Guest guest]

This information was too frightening not to pass on...

 

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WRITING ON THE WALL

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

April 29, 2002

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

Imagine dropping by your favorite health food store to find it

boarded up and out of business. So you go around to your local

drug mart to pick up some vitamin C, but the only dosage on the

shelf is ridiculously low. The druggist informs you that 60 mg

is now the maximum dosage available without a prescription. So

if you've been taking a mega dosage of vitamin C to help fight

heart disease or build up your immunity against cancer, you'll

have to find a doctor willing to prescribe that dosage - you're

no longer free to decide on your own how much of this natural

vitamin you want to take.

 

Sounds like a nightmare? It gets worse.

 

Imagine that all of this is the result of new legislation

imposed by lawmakers with direct ties to pharmaceutical

companies - powerful companies that will use the law to create

an enormous new source of profits. Now that's a real nightmare.

But what makes it truly nightmarish is that, incredibly, it will

soon become a reality in the United Kingdom and most of Europe -

if the global pharmaceutical industry has its way.

 

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Outlawing prevention

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On March 13th the European Parliament - a 626-member legislative

body representing the 15 European Union countries - passed the

" EU Directive on Dietary Supplements, " which classifies vitamins

as medical drugs rather than food supplements. The Directive

grants a transition period of three years for vitamin

supplements already on the market. But in 2005, every EU country

will be required to implement the Directive.

 

As it currently stands, in just three years a wide range of

natural remedies will be banned across most of Europe, making as

many as 300 ingredients - including chromium picolinate, yeast,

lysine, and selenium - illegal for over-the-counter sale. Other

supplements that remain in stores will contain very low dosage

amounts - not enough to provide any real therapeutic value.

 

It's almost like they're passing a law against prevention. So

not only are the pharmaceutical companies eliminating

competition from natural products for treating illnesses, they

are essentially forcing greater need for prescription products

for citizens of the EU. After all, without prevention, where

will people be forced to turn when they get even the slightest

bit ill? To physicians who will prescribe mainstream

pharmaceuticals or super-strength, prescription-only vitamins

supplied by - guess who - the Pfizers, Mercks, and Bayers of the

world.

 

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Nothing strange about these bedfellows

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To make things even worse, a number of European Union

Commissioners have direct links to international pharmaceutical

companies. For instance, a prominent EU Commissioner, Frits

Bolkenstein of the Netherlands, is also a member of the

supervisory board of the second largest pharmaceutical company

in the world - Merck, Sharp and Dohme. The blatant

pharmaceutical industry influence on this directive would be

laughable if the consequences weren't so great.

 

In a smooth double-speak that's almost frightening, the EU

Directive states: " In order to ensure a high level of protection

for consumers and facilitate their choice, the products that

will be put on the market must be safe and bear adequate and

appropriate labeling. "

 

The good news is that the " consumers " are not buying it.

" Protection? " To " facilitate their choice? " More than 600

million people read that and shouted back a resounding, " No! " In

what is believed to be the largest global online petition ever,

a staggering 604 million people (to date) have added their

names, demanding continued free access to natural remedies.

 

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Lend your voice - no matter where you live

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I have signed the petition and I encourage you to do so too if

you believe the availability of natural supplements should not

be controlled by the international pharmaceutical industry.

Anyone can sign the petition - you don't have to be a citizen of

a European Union nation to add your name - and you can find more

information and read the petition at vitamins-for-all.org. This

web site was created by Dr. Matthias Rath, a leading researcher

in the field of natural treatments for cancer, and one of the

most prominent campaigners against the EU Directive.

 

And for those of you who think this is a European issue - that

this couldn't happen here - consider this: the United States and

the European Union are each other's largest trade and investment

partners. In 2000, two-way trade in goods and services between

the EU and the US totaled more than $557 billion. With economic

ties this deep, any European law that gives the global

pharmaceutical industry such sweeping power over the health

choices of millions, will have global effects. Once they've

conquered Europe, how long before they set their sights on the

US marketplace? Just look at recent directives from the FDA;

it's already happening.

 

The EU Directive is not yet law. Our HSI associates in London

believe that by the time the Directive is implemented in 2005

there's a chance that the most oppressive aspects of the

legislation might be eliminated, especially if enough people

raise their voices and mobilize against it. But you can be

certain that the Commissioners of the European Parliament, with

special interests and billions of dollars in the balance, will

not back down without a prolonged fight.

 

In the meantime, we'll be watching, and I'll keep you informed

of developments as they unfold. And we encourage you to sign the

petition demanding open, unrestricted access to natural medicine

and supplements for ALL of us.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

Sources:

Health Confidential; May 2002, Vol 1, No 3

European Union " Directive on Dietary Supplements, "

healthchoice.org.uk

European Union in the US: eurunion.org

Petition 450/2001: vitamins-for-all.org

 

Copyright ©1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.