Congress To Take Away Our Right To Eat & Live Healthy????

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   Getfitjourneyposted 13 years ago

   You’re not dreaming and you did not misread the title. On February 3rd, 2010 Senators John McCain and Byron Dorgan introduced S. 3002, a bill entitled, The Dietary Safety Act. The supposed purpose of this bill is to make things safer for us by dramatically limiting our access to dietary supplements (this may include vitamins, sports drinks, herbal supplements, whey protein, green blends, join supplements, fish oil etc)
   
   If this bill were to pass, consumers would no longer have the freedom to pursue improved health through purchasing the health / dietary supplements they desire. Instead, the government would tell you which supplements you are allowed to buy and which you will not. There is little question that the passing of this bill, if we allow it, will see many of the supplements that you – yes you – take become illegal.
   
   So why is this bill being tabled? Well, as we’ve seen throughout history, there needs to be a beneficiary. In this case, there are two. The first is major sports (baseball in particular). Baseball has been under fire for the past few years. How his ever became an issue that warranted the government’s attention is another story. However, the fact of the matter is that baseball has taken some black eyes and instead of analyzing their own internal policies, the focus has shifted to supplements and steroids. The sad part is that there is a fine line between a dietary supplement (some vitamin C) and steroids (Human Growth Hormone).  Yet this is the reality we are faced with, the death of dietary supplements as we know them and the introduction of a controlled system that picks and chooses what we are allowed to purchase.
   
   The good news is that there is time to stop this! Reach out to your United States Senators. Tell the men and women you put faith in, through voting for them, to stop this senseless piece of legislation.
   
   Visit the Save Our Supplements website (SaveOurSupplements.org) to support the opposition of S. 3002  The time is now! Take a minute and act immediately. Don’t wait until it’s too late then wonder why or how this happened. There doesn’t seem to be a ban on ultra expensive prescription drugs. But our right to keep ourselves healthy avoid health issues is being compromised? Don’t let Congress take our rights away!
   ACT NOW!

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      Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The good news is that there is time to stop this! Reach out to your United States Senators. Tell the men and women you put faith in, through voting for them, to stop this senseless piece of legislation.
      
      If I wait until it is time to vote, wont it already be too late?  You also say to Act Immediately - by doing what?  What will my added support do?
      
      I really want to know - I've heard these lines before, but never know what to do!

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         Ghost32posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Rafini, the first thing to do--and which I've personally done--is hop on over to SaveOurSupplements dot com and go ahead, add your two cents worth.  I like what that site has done in that it gives you the option to include a photo of yourself IF you want, to add punch to your letter.  It also lets you type in your own wording, which is usually more effective than just adding a name to a group petition. 
         
         As to what it will or will not do:  We may never know for sure...but we DO know that doing NOTHING is as good as pushing for the bill's passage.
         
         Then, next, what I'm going to do (as soon as I post this) is write and publish a hub.  Being writers may not guarantee we can turn back a bill in a who's-listening Senate, but we DO have a little louder megaphone here at HP than most folks have.  My contribution will be titled "I Was Wrong To Support John McCain", the idea being that beginning it that way might--just might--draw a few more readers than some drivel about a who-cares Senate bill. 
         
         After than, maybe sleep on it a night or two, see if I think there's anything else I can do to knock McCain out of this year's Republcian nomination for the Senate.  Maybe, maybe not. 
         
         But I don't much like the idea of doing nothing at all, so....

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            rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            good idea. to take no action and complain is worthless.

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      AnimalLover17posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Holy Crud!!! Is this guy a Paper Hat? Come to think of it, John McCain is a paper hat! Why  the heck would the president allow that? I hope he VETOs it!

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   Ghost32posted 13 years ago

   NOW I'm heading to bed, but I do thank you for this thread.  My wife and I live in Arizona and strongly support Sarah Palin for President in 2012.  Until reading this, we had also supported John McCain for reelection to the Senate this year.
   
   No more.  While I'd prefer to read the Bill's language myself, I've read enough (here and on several blogs) to realize Lumpjaw John needs to be Outa There this year if at all possible.  I'll be turning my poison pen in his direction tomorrow night.
   
   In the meantime, yes, we'll take a quick hop over to your site and see about adding our two cents worth to Kill Bill.

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   carolina muscleposted 13 years ago

   Everyone who takes supplements - from Glucosamine to Creatine to Whey Protein is potentially at risk of losing their rights to purchase them. It's simply going to put more $$$$$ in the pharmaceutical companies pockets.
   
   I already sent my letter to my Congressmen and the President- and every one concerned are urged do the same.
   
   STOP the needless and wasteful restriction of supplements!
   
   Thanks for this post!

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   MikeNVposted 13 years ago

   Government on both sides just keeps growing and intruding.  At the top of every problem is this simple formula.
   
   Profit over people.
   
   The vitamin industry is also to blame as there are so many vitamin companies who will also put profit over people.
   
   People need to be able to make up their own minds!!! Government needs to stay the he^& out of the way and do their job which is to create laws that truly protect people from unethical companies.
   
   But seriously... they continue to tax and condone cigarettes and they want to take away vitamins?  That's a sick irony that proves the Profit over people argument.
   
   I am not Republican nor Democrat.  But I am certainly not a fan of John McCain.  I have read his entire history.  He was a major player in the Savings and Loan Scandal.  How do people like McCain continue to get re-elected?  Answer:  Money.
   
   Breaking Story yesterday:
   
   Lawsuit Claims Fish Oil Supplements Contain Toxic Compound
   
   Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 02:29 PM
   In a lawsuit filed in a San Francisco court on Tuesday, an environmental group alleged that 10 types of fish oil and shark oil supplements contain a toxic substance that may cause cancer.
   
   The group, Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation (MEJF), claims that California's Proposition 65 mandates that the producers and sellers of the supplements in question are legally required to inform consumers that their supplements contain the substance, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
   
   The more than 100 brands of fish oil are currently available, MEJF tested only 10 products, all of which had some level of PCB.
   
   "People buy fish oil to improve their health," David Roe, the plaintiff's attorney, told the news source. "We have no way of knowing if all of the other fish oil products have PCB, too."
   
   PCBs, which were once used to insulate electrical devices, were banned more than 30 years ago after scientists found that exposure to the compound was linked with cancer, reproductive problems and damage to the nervous system.
   
   The defendants named in that case include CVS, GNC, Now Health Group, Omega Protein, Rite Aid, Solgar, Twinlab and Pharmavite.
   
   Doctors have also noted how consuming large amounts of fish oil can create a significant drop in blood pressure, Myomancy.com reports.

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   KingDrewposted 13 years ago

   You would think that the government has better things to do than to waste time on bills as unimportant and useless as this one is.  In my opinion, this is just one more step that the U.S. government is taking to fully control our daily lives. Everytime a bill passes, our 'freedom' tightens.

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   Mamelodyposted 13 years ago

   dam you Americans really have strange problems...

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      AnimalLover17posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      We Really do Mamelody, we do........

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   buzzybloggerposted 13 years ago

   Big Pharm has already been trying to get control of supplement companies. Just look up who owns Boost, a supplemental vitamin drink. Would you trust a vaccine company to sell you vitamin drinks?

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   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   here's an interesting article I found on facebook feed:
   
   http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic … stock.aspx
   
   approved by FDA.  find local farms or markets to buy your food.

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   ralwusposted 13 years ago

   There is too much money spent on this stuff for them to  do that I think. It would be another blow to the economy I would think. All smoke and mirrors maybe? or a pony show?

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      livewithrichardposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Plus, the producers of these products would just reclassify them as something else.  Remember it was the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 that reclassified these products from food additives to dietary supplements. This $100 billion industry isn't going away anytime soon.

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    hot dorkageposted 13 years ago

    Unregulated and usually MUCH cheaper supplements are encroaching on big pharma's territory, make no mistake about it.  This is big pharma trying to crush the competition. 
    
    I am aware that some supplements are scammy.  However, let ME make the choice.  We have the internet, and scams are generally exposed and can be found by people who choose to look.   Informed consumers are healthy consumers.  I depend on herbs and I don't want to have to go to some AMA endorsed pill pusher to get them.

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    Poppa Bluesposted 13 years ago

    Of course! Don't you get it? Onlt the government knows what's best for us! We're too stupid to make wise decisions for ourselves that's why government has to make them for us. That's why they want to take over health care too,  And the banks, and education, and energy...and on and on!

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    RNMSNposted 13 years ago

    does anyone smell a fire? as in fahrenheit 451?
      and yes before you snicker, its on the surface a story of book banning and book burning...deeper than that it is already centuries away from where the govt starts its insiduous slide into our very minds/thought/actions so we will no longer raise our voices and scream war what is it good for absolutely nuthin or so you say you want a revolution...it is already at the point in the future where govt has won and people just sit placidly in front of their consoles watching tv or playing video games and  the govt watches them from the inside of those very consoles and listens to every word....
    
    I really need to get off the grid but oh my hubbers I love thee so   lol

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    AEvansposted 13 years ago

    What a ridiculous Bill! I wonder are we becoming Imperialistic or Communistic? Either way I would like to make my own choices without our government invading our Rights.

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    Oona Seckarposted 13 years ago

    They keep trying this in the UK and Europe.  One year someone got hold of the statistics for illness and death caused by food supplements the year before, as opposed to iatrogenic illness and death caused by prescription medicine.
    
    Food supplements - NONE.
    Prescription medicine - loads and loads and loads...
    
    So which should we ban?

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       Madame Xposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Big pharma

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    Deborah Sextonposted 13 years ago

    Too many people use supplements as though they are candy.
    When someone who has a normal immune system takes vitamins and minerals they can cause their immune system to become so strong it develops life threatening autoimmune diseases...ie..cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus etc...Most people are not aware of this..
    
    Steroids cause brain tumors to form and advance quickly..
    
    Amino Acids (polypeptide proteins) and Vitamin A help cells to change and gives strength to tumors already in the body.
    
    Boosting your immune system can become life threatening and should be done only if a physician has diagnosed you with a weak one. 
    
    This may not be what you want to hear but it's truth.

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    Madame Xposted 13 years ago

    Not many people take it that far. Besides, the government has no business telling anyone what they may or may not ingest.

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       Deborah Sextonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Well since about 400,000.00 people have Multiple Sclerosis (an autoimmune disease) which is caused by a too strong immune system..and this is just one illness..it affects our health care and health insurance..so government regulation.
       
       Not many go that far? A person with a healthy immune system can boost it to a dangerous level with a 30 day supply of supplements.
       
       The government controls lots of things..but most of the time it is beneficial.

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          Madame Xposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          This is where we're different Deb - most of the time is isn't

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             Deborah Sextonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             We can be different..I don't expect even half the people to see eye to eye with me.
             Since I am a Nurse..I see more of what is happening with illnesses.

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    Michael Willisposted 13 years ago

    The Government we now have will do whatever they can to receive benefits for themselves. They get financial support from the Industry that support whatever they want.
    The real problem is that Now they don't even follow the Constitution anymore! They can just by-pass it and Deem it Law. What a mockery.

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    thisisoliposted 13 years ago

    The reason they want to introduce monitoring of health suppliments is because the companies who produce them are often claiming benefits which are unsupported, or using additives.
    
    Saying that I am not sure a fully controlled government body is the way to go. (I am not a McCain fan by the way)
    
    Oona Seckar, I would like to see where you got your statistics from, because I have a little trouble believing them. I might also like to point out that
    
    Live saved and medical conditions solved by -
    
    Food supplements - NONE.
    Prescription medicine - loads and loads and loads...
    
    Also check out the link between unaffiliated scientists and a review commisioned by the suppliment manufacturers.
    
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7349980.stm
    
    The pharmacuticals crushing the suppliments industry though?
    
    They are two seperate markets.
    
    Suppliments do have their uses, but they should be used as a temporary solution, many people take them daily for months, or even years at a time, when what they should be doing is improving their actual diet.

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    Pandoras Boxposted 13 years ago

    I know people who take 30 pills a day with no idea about their long term effects or interactions in the body and brain.
    
    I don't want supplements banned, or taken over by big pharma, but I do think a little education is in order on this growing fad. The companies making money off of it aren't gonna do it.

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