| In the past few years, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and State Attorneys General have warned, fined, jailed, shut down, threatened, and maligned hundreds of companies not on the basis of customer complaints, but solely on the basis of expressed or implied claims that these companies made to cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent disease conditions.
In 2008, FTC did an internet sweep of 130 companies who the FTC said implied that they have effective integrative help for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. In all FTC cases against dietary supplement companies filed last year for allegedly making claims to cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent cancer, not one was based on customer complaints. Instead, all were based on websites seeking to educate the public about the benefits of historically beneficial dietary supplements, including herbs and nutrients that have had significant impact on cancer.
In the majority of these cases, the owners of these companies were required to send out a letter dictated by the FTC to every person who had bought their products, saying "only conventional cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation) are scientifically proven to be safe and effective in humans."
The FTC requires double-blind placebo controlled studies to establish a statement as scientifically proven. According to the FTC's own expert, such a study would cost $100 million per ingredient. This is the way that FTC and FDA prohibit the public from getting sound information that can improve their health. This is the problem that HR 3394 (The Freedom of Health Speech Act) and HR 3395 (The Health Freedom Act) are designed to eliminate.
If you believe that you have the right to make your own decisions based on the truthful, non-misleading evidence of research and historical data about the benefits of particular dietary supplements for your health, and don't want the FTC and FDA to make those decisions for you, read on, and take appropriate action!
The Citizens for Health Natural Health Freedom Defense Network urges passage of HR 3394 (The Freedom of Health Speech Act) and HR 3395 (The Health Freedom Act). Write to your Congressional Representative today and ask them to co-sponsor these Bills that have been introduced by Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas).
--HR 3394 says that the FTC has the burden of proof if it alleges that a dietary supplement claim is false or misleading, and that it cannot prosecute a company without giving 30 days notice that such claim violates the law.
Click here for more on HR 3394, including bill text and cosponsors.
--HR 3395 says that FDA has the burden of proof if it alleges that a claim is false or misleading, and says that FDA may not take action to prevent use of a truthful, non-misleading claim that any nutrient in a food or supplement can cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent any disease. Click here for more on HR 3395, including bill text and cosponsors.
Today over 100 million people use dietary supplements. The FDA, which is funded in large part by pharmaceutical companies and their research dollars, in cooperation with the FTC and State Attorneys General, have worked diligently to search for companies recommending dietary supplements for disease conditions by combing websites on the internet. They have fined companies in some cases millions of dollars, putting many out of business.
You have the right to know the truth about dietary supplements' usefulness in improving health. Please write your Congressmen today and ask them to co-sponsor HR 3394 and HR 3395. These Bills will ensure your right to read and hear the truth about dietary supplements' positive benefits for health.
Thank you for supporting this legislation! Thank you for taking action. Thank you for making a positive CHANGE in our healthcare system. Thank you for caring for all who are looking for answers for wellness and for chronic health conditions by taking a few minutes to write to your Congressional leaders today.
James S. Turner
Chairman of the Board
Citizens for Health Jim Illick
Project Director
"Sponsor and Pass" HR 3394 and 3395
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment