I've never considered myself to be much of a rebel rouser. However, I recently learned of pending
legislation in Congress that could have a devastating effect on the entire nutritional industry in
this country. Congress is about to vote on a bill innocently titled "SB 722".
This bill has made it through the committee and is about to be introduced into the Senate for a
vote. Its purpose is to basically reverse the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).
This act was passed by Congress about ten years ago which gave citizens in this country free access
to all the nutritional supplements that we have so readily available in the marketplace. DSHEA was
passed largely by grassroots support of consumers with millions of individuals writing letters to
their congressmen and senators in support of that bill.
The current bill, SB 722, would give the FDA even broader regulatory powers under the guise of
consumer protection. It is my understanding of this pending bill that the FDA, at its sole
discretion, could remove entire classes of supplements from the market if they receive just one
complaint of a serious adverse reaction. Think about that for a moment. Suppose someone consumes an
herbal supplement or something as harmless as vitamin C and then reports a possible reaction to the
FDA. The FDA could then, with the new power granted them by this bill, actually take vitamin C off
of the market.
Nutritional supplements have historically been extremely safe. Toxicity levels for most supplements
are extremely high and usually not serious. According to Congressman Dan Burton, a maximum of
sixteen deaths were attributed to a nutritional supplement last year. Presumably ephedra was the
culprit. On the other hand, there is little mention made of the fact that over 100,000 people in
this country died last year from prescription drugs. There are likewise tens of the thousands of
deaths and other complications such as kidney and liver failure from such seemingly innocuous over-the-
counter products such as Tylenol and aspirin. You may not be aware that prior to the passing of
DSHEA, the FDA did some outrageous things. As just a couple of many examples, they raided the
offices of Jonathan Wright, M.D., a nutritional physician, at gunpoint. On another occasion, they
authorized removal of co-enzyme Q10 from health food stores claiming that the nutrients were
illegal. If we allow the FDA to regain this type of power, the consequences will be devastating. It
won't be long before your $5.00 bottle of nutritional supplement will be costing $50.00, being
controlled by pharmaceutical companies and the like.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!
It is my understanding that SB 722 may be approaching the Senate floor as early as the next week or
two. Your actions can make a difference. I implore you to email your senators today and urge them to
vote "NO" for SB 722. A call to your senators would likewise be helpful along with a fax. And by all
means, let as many people in your circle of family and friends become aware of this and encourage
them to act as well. If we are not able to muster this grassroots support, I am fearful that the
nutritional industry as you and I know it will be a thing of the past.
PLEASE ACT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!