Natural Products Association Issues Disinfo Announcement over Dietary Supplement

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(http://www.naturalnews.com/026215.html)

Natural Products Association Issues Disinfo Announcement over Dietary

Supplements and Swine Flu (opinion)

_http://www.naturalnews.com/026215.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/026215.html)

 

The natural products industry leaders are engaged in a clever **disinfo**

campaign to brainwash people into thinking that herbs and nutritional

products are useless for defending against swine flu. Today, the Natural

Products Association (NPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) took part in issuing a joint

warning

against any **natural** remedies that are being promoted as ways to prevent

or treat H1N1 influenza.

 

Their joint statement is classic disinformation, stating, **We are unaware

of any scientific data supporting the use of _dietary supplements_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/dietary_supplements.html) to treat swine flu.**

 

That*s because according to _health_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/health.html) authorities in the U.S., there is no

such thing as any _dietary

supplement_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/dietary_supplement.html) that treats

any

_disease_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/disease.html) whatsoever. If any

dietary supplement were found to treat a disease, it would shift categories to

become a **drug,** not a **dietary supplement.**

 

Thus, it is technically impossible for any dietary supplement to treat

anything, according to the way the terms are used in _America_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/America.html) today.

 

Furthermore, since _swine flu_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/swine_flu.html)

is only a few weeks old, it is impossible for any substance to yet have

**scientific evidence** of efficacy, including government-recommended

_anti-virals_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/anti-virals.html) like Tamiflu.

Technically speaking, there is zero credible scientific evidence that _Tamiflu_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/Tamiflu.html) works to treat swine flu

infections, either. Where are the studies? The scientific papers? There are

none,

precisely because swine flu is too new to have been carefully studied by

anyone.

 

 

The subjugation of the _natural products_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/natural_products.html) industry

This statement from these industry leaders is nearly equivalent to stating

that **no plants have _anti-viral_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/anti-viral.html) action.** And that statement is,

of course, laughable. Not only do

plants contain natural anti-viral _medicine_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/medicine.html) , but it is difficult to find ANY

plant that does not exhibit

some degree of anti-viral action!

 

Why is that the case? Because plants must defend themselves against

viruses, too. And since they cannot run down to the local pharmacy to spend

their

life savings on Big Pharma's drugs, they have to manufacture their own

medicine. Plants are nature*s pharmaceutical factories, generating the most

amazing medicines in the world like resveratrol, vitamin C, and even the key

ingredient in Tamiflu, shikimic acid.

(_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikim..._

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikimic_acid) )

 

And yet it remains the official position of the so-called **leaders** of

the natural products industry that there is no such thing as a plant that

can treat swine flu.

 

That*s a fascinating position, especially given that Tamiflu is derived

from a Traditional herb called star anise.

 

The position of the natural products industry leaders seems to be that

when a medicine is found naturally in a plant, it is inert. But when it is

removed from the plant and branded a drug, it suddenly becomes **active!**

Ridiculous.

 

What you've probably already noticed over the last few years is that the

pharmaceutical industry has subjugated the natural products industry, and

many of the companies that now **lead** the industry are in fact owned in

part by _Big Pharma_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/Big_Pharma.html) , which

pushes its pro-drug agenda through the sponsorship and financial support of

various natural products industry organizations.

 

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, for its part, is focused on

**harmonization** with _the FDA_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/the_FDA.html) and

FTC, pushing its members to avoid making any statements about _nutrition_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/nutrition.html) and disease that might

accidentally inform consumers of the truth about the medicinal properties of

natural

products.

 

When the so-called leaders of the natural product industry actually issue

a press release claiming that no natural products can help with swine flu,

that*s when you know the industry has been taken over. The very idea that

no herb exists anywhere that can help defend people against swine flu is so

ridiculous that it questions the sanity of anyone who dares utter it.

 

If you really want to follow the Natural Products Association, I suppose,

you should take more pharmaceuticals. That alone is an astonishing

realization. It*s as if the apparent leader of the industry stood up and

shouted,

**All the products we represent are useless!**

 

Obviously, plants, _herbs_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/herbs.html) and

real foods are not useless. And they do contain powerful anti-viral medicine.

 

 

Where is all the Tamiflu?

In fact, it is my position that plants will be the only available source

of anti-viral medicine for most people if an _outbreak_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/outbreak.html) occurs.

 

That's because supplies of government-approved anti-virals are strictly

limited. There's simply not enough Tamiflu to go around, and vaccines don't

even exist yet. Plus, most of the Tamiflu has been sitting around on the

shelves for three years or so, and its potency is questionable. In an outbreak

scenario, herbs and dietary supplements may be the only available

anti-virals many people can get!

 

Is it really the position of the Natural Products Association that during

a _pandemic_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/pandemic.html) , when there's no

more Tamiflu, and no vaccine, and the hospitals are overrun with dying,

infected patients, that consumers should NOT take natural anti-viral products?

 

Are you kidding me? The leaders of the natural products industry are

essentially telling people to avoid buying herbs and just go home and die?

 

Fascinating. That right there tells you everything you need to know about

these natural product organizations.

 

Let me be the first to tell you that in a pandemic outbreak, following the

advice of the Natural Products Association may get you killed. To issue a

statement that implies people should avoid using herbs or dietary

supplements to protect themselves from an approaching pandemic is extremely

dangerous, unethical and in my opinion, downright foolish. It's the kind of

thing I

would expect to hear from the FDA, which is run by unethical bureaucrats,

but not from the apparent leaders of the natural products industry.

 

I seriously question the integrity of any association that would issue

such bad advice. If swine flu does become a pandemic and people start dying in

large numbers, some of those deaths will no doubt be due to these

" disinfo " campaigns pursued by the very industry leaders who should be teaching

people how to protect themselves with the help of _anti-viral herbs_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/anti-viral_herbs.html) and natural medicines.

 

After all, when the Tamiflu runs out, what exactly are people supposed to

do anyway? Eat dirt?

 

 

Take Tamiflu if you can get it, but don*t stop there...

I*m not against Tamiflu. It*s a very effective anti-viral drug, thanks to

the fact that it*s derived from a natural anti-viral herb. If I were

infected with swine flu and offered some Tamiflu, I*d take it, too.

 

But I wouldn*t limit my arsenal of lifesaving medicines to one drug

(because that would be stupid).

 

I would also have anti-viral herbs, tinctures and dietary supplements in

good supply. I'd be growing lemon balm and thyme in my garden and chewing on

fresh culinary herbs every day. I'd be fighting the viral load with

numerous natural products while boosting my own stores of vitamin D and getting

plenty of sleep.

 

And you can bet my chances of surviving swine flu would be far greater

than anyone who was stupid enough to follow the Natural Products Association's

advice to essentially avoid taking dietary supplements.

 

It*s all summed up by this sentence in the joint press release issued by

these so-called industry leaders:

 

**Each of the associations is also committed to recognizing that there are

some health conditions for which the choice of self-care should be

actively discouraged. The current global outbreak of swine flu is such a

condition.**

 

In other words, don*t take care of yourself! Remain a victim that depends

100% on western medicine. That*s the new message from the natural products

industry leaders, folks. Depend on FDA-approved drugs only, and don*t you

dare think for yourself or enhance your immunity with medicine from _nature_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/nature.html) .

 

Welcome to the new natural products industry, which actively encourages

consumers to abandon medicinal herbs and bet their lives on

government-approved pharmaceuticals that are in short supply.

 

 

What the industry should have said instead...

So what should the natural products trade groups have said instead? They

should have said, **Use Tamiflu if you can get it. If you can*t -- or if you

want extra protection beyond what one pharmaceutical can provide -- take

advantage of the natural anti-viral attributes of herbs and dietary

supplements.**

 

That statement would have made more sense. That*s the statement I*m

backing here at _NaturalNews_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/NaturalNews.html) .

Yes,

get medical help if you*re sick. Yes, take Tamiflu if you can get it. But

if not, don*t just give up and die. Enjoy the healing power of herbs and

dietary supplements, and you may just live through a pandemic that ends up

killing those individuals foolish enough to bet their lives on the bad advice

of misinformed trade groups.