WASHINGTON UPDATE*

Health Self-Defense

The FDA’s failures place responsibility for our health into our own hands.

September 2009

In 1994, the landmark Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) established that while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would regulate dietary supplements, it would never be responsible for pre-approving supplements, since they are classified as food.

As DSHEA was enacted, Congress concluded that “preventive health measures, including education, good nutrition and appropriate use of safe nutritional supplements, will limit the incidence of chronic diseases and reduce long-term healthcare expenditures.” Given today’s chaotic healthcare climate it is remarkable that as far back as 1994 the key to enhanced well-being was revealed to be personal health responsibility and good nutrition.

Failure to Act

DSHEA set America on a course of natural preventive wellness—that is, until the FDA stepped in. In recent years the agency has implemented poorly conceived regulations that complicate matters. Some believe the FDA’s ever-increasing scrutiny of safe, natural dietary supplements may lead to the ultimate revocation of Americans’ free access to health-enhancing nutrition.

According to the FDA, its actions are intended to protect the public. But this statement does not seem to ring true. As part of the FDA’s leadership role, DSHEA gave the FDA the power to implement good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations for supplement makers. Executed properly, GMPs could ensure that manufacturing procedures would help yield quality, safety and purity across the industry.

Given this amazing power for positive change, what did the FDA do? Nothing. Supplement GMPs were idly discussed for years before DSHEA was enacted. After DSHEA explicitly gave the FDA authority over GMPs, it was another 13 years before the agency actually finalized GMP regulations for dietary supplements.

Sound familiar? In a previous Washington Update, we saw how the FDA took over ten years to implement enhanced sunscreen labeling regulations. The FDA’s lackadaisical attitude towards dangerous synthetic drugs matters, as does its repeated failure to protect us from contaminated foods.

Protect Yourself

This pattern points to one conclusion: The solution is health freedom. As DSHEA has always suggested, it is up to the consumer to take personal health responsibility. No one, least of all the FDA, can ensure our well-being—so we must regulate our own health and make well-informed nutritional choices.

Consumers should seek out quality-oriented supplement manufacturers that transcend minimum GMP processes and use state-of-the-art technology to test incoming raw materials. Consumers should look for products that have an independent laboratory assay, which provides objective proof that the label accurately reflects what is in the product. Consumers should look for herbal supplements that are “standardized,” which enables reputable manufacturers to guarantee consistency and potency from batch to batch. Finally, consumers should seek out supplement manufacturers that offer all of these measures and more—not because it is required by the FDA or mandated by law, but simply because it is the right thing to do.

The American public cannot rely on the FDA. In fact, many do not want the FDA involved in their health at all, and are tired of passively waiting for this overburdened, underperforming government agency to take action. Instead, by proactively taking control of their own health destiny, many Americans are elevating to a state of exhilarating health freedom that will define our nation’s well-being for decades to come. For more information on how to realize this healthy future, visit www.nha2009.com.

*This editorial is a public service announcement sponsored by the Nutritional Health Alliance (NHA).