Our Health and Freedom of Choice Is Threatened

OUR HEALTH AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS THREATENED...

An alarming development in the health industry has seen the spread of fear among the public regarding natural therapies. So much so, that the US, Australian, UK and Canadian governments are suggesting new legislation designed to remove natural health products from our shelves or to brutally regulate access.

The question is, are Natural Supplements a Safe Form of Medicine? Only three recorded deaths have ever been associated to vitamins, two of which are debatable and one which was a known overdose of vitamin A, taken to intentionally kill. Although on the other hand, doctors have admitted to around 18000 fatalities per annum in Australia that are caused by pharmaceutical drugs. Herbal remedies were used safely by all ancient civilizations for thousands of years, and proved to have beneficial effects. Historically, pharmaceutical drugs are the (very profitable) newcomers on the scene.

In reaction to the PAN Pharmaceutical fiasco, there has been wide spread hysteria amongst the Australian community. In May 2003, PAN was served with a "class one" removal of all products from shelves after products caused death. 1600 products with no adverse reactions reported were eliminated from the shelves of all pharmacies around the country, most of these being natural supplements. How this logically follows the problems caused by one purely synthetic, chemical, pharmaceutical product (there was nothing natural about "Travacalm") has yet to be explained.

Following the humiliation that PAN Pharmaceuticals endured, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has assembled a Close Door Committee made up of representatives and pharmaceutical industry peoples from the TGA. This group will release new proposals for the Australian community and the health industry and these suggestions don't look good. A key member in the TGA, Prof. Alistair McLennan, is famous for his comment on the subject: "We shouldn't support the complementary medicine (industry) or subsidise it. It's a bit like subsidising the tobacco industry or the gambling industry."

Australia aren't the only ones coming down on natural supplements like a tonne of bricks, but England and the majority of Europe are doing the same. A law on all conventional medicines is being initiated. Continuing to be on the market is getting harder and harder, all herbal and natural products must have been on the legitimate market for 30 years or more (15 of which must have been in Europe). Of course the end product is no more independent producers and retailers but most importantly no new movements in the herbal industry.

But of course this movement wouldn't be complete without the United States