Thread: IMMEDIATE CONSUMER ACTION TO SAVE YOUR ACCESS TO SUPPLEMENTS

As this e-mail reaches you, a Big Pharma-driven campaign is underway to undermine your health freedom and deny your access to therapeutic nutritional supplements. This plan is being implemented under the guise of consumer safety, which is totally false. We must act now, today and tomorrow, to preserve our access to therapeutic nutrition.


The bill in question is known as AER (Adverse Event Reporting) legislation (HR.6168/S.3546) It will have the net effect of blaming the debilitating effects of drugs, which kill several thousand Americans a week and send 50,000 Americans per week to the hospital with drug injury, on extremely safe nutritional supplements.


This is a Big Pharma ploy to shift blame and run its competition out of business. The author of the bill, Senator Durbin (D-IL), receives the majority of his financial support from law firms that handle Big Pharma and biotech clients. Also, Senator Hatch (R-UT) has now become an enemy of health freedom, and is one of the top recipients of Big Pharma money.


On December 6, 2006 (last night), the Senate version of this bill was approved by voice vote. The bill was never debated and no testimony was ever given. This is the work of Durbin, Hatch, Harkin, Kennedy, and Enzi. This is government paid for by Big Pharma and entirely opposed to the will of the people.

These horrendous Senators are now applying extreme pressure to the House.


IMMEDIATE CONSUMER ACTION IS REQUIRED TODAY TO SAVE YOUR ACCESS TO THERAPEUTIC NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

There is a massive campaign by many in the health freedom movement to get the message across and stop this bill in the House. YOUR CALL MATTERS.


This is what YOU can do to help:

1. Contact Congressman John Boehner, House Majority Leader, tell his office you are strongly opposed to HR. 6168 and do not want Congressman Boehner to put it on the House agenda (he controls this). We know he is being heavily pressured by Hatch to put this on the House suspension calendar, which must not happen.

John Boehner (Republican Ohio):

Washington DC Office - Phone (202) 225-6205, Fax (202) 225-0704


2. Contact Congressman Joe Barton, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Commission, and tell his office you are strongly opposed to HR 6168 and do not want Congressman Barton to attach S.3546 to his NIH bill or any other legislation. Note: Senators are holding up his NIH bill in the Senate and want him to add their S.3546 to house version of the NIH bill so it is passed as an amendment to his legislation. He must know that he cannot use health freedom as a bargaining chip.

Joe Barton (Republican Texas):

Washington DC Office - Phone (202) 225-2002, Fax (202) 225-3052


3. Call Congressman Dennis Hastert (Republican Illinois), Speaker of the House. Tell his office you are strongly opposed to HR 6168 and do not want it to come up for a vote before the end of the lame duck session.

Washington DC Office - Phone (202) 225-2976, Fax (202) 225-0697


4. Call your own Congressional leader and do the same. To find contact information, click here: http://www.thenhf.com/oppose_S3546_nhf_ ... v_2006.htm


If you would like more information about this legislation go to www.TruthInWellness.com and read the headline article on the home page.


Once you are done calling, please fax your message as well. It is vital to get the point across. Please pass this information on. Your help is greatly appreciated.

And I thought Durbin was on our side! Seems everyone in the house and senate are wolfs in sheeps clothing! You might want to check into this book!
I am going to start stocking up!


http://www.truthpublishing.com/sevenlaw ... t21261.htm

The Seven Laws of Nutrition

Citizens for Health Mobilizes in Support of H.R. 6168
2006/12/08 - Citizens for Health

Washington, D.C.--Citizens for Health commends Representative Christopher Cannon (R-UT) for introducing H.R. 6168, the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act (the House counterpart to the bill that passed the Senate this week).

This bill will require manufacturers to notify the FDA of all serious adverse events (AEs) for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and dietary supplements reported to them.

[Editor's note: industry organizations that wish to blast the action campaign out to their consumer lists may use the following link: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/or ... n_KEY=6205]

"This is a very important piece of legislation that advances consumer interests within a safe, credible dietary supplement marketplace," says attorney James S. Turner, chairman of the board of consumer health grassroots powerhouse, Citizens for Health.

Citizens for Health has a history of not only backing the right legislation—but of also powerfully opposing bills that would have hurt consumers and the industry, such as 2004’s Senate Amendment 3225, a 2004 piece of legislation that would have set an unacceptable precedent that could have undermined the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Citizens for Health generated 25,000 letters to Congress on this, and the bill was withdrawn.

Today, joining with other consumer groups, trade associations—including the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Natural Products Association—and industry companies (such as Jarrow Formulas) in support of H.R. 6168—Citizens for Health also thanks the dietary supplement industry for having worked hard over the years by working hard to voluntarily log and submit the comparatively small number of

serious adverse events (side effects) that may (or may not) have been definitively associated with the use of dietary supplements but which have been submitted in good faith, regardless.

Not only does the bill show a serious commitment to consumer safety and protection by the dietary supplement industry—it also includes appropriate safeguards so that unjustified burdens are not placed on responsible companies. It emphasizes how well-regulated the dietary supplement industry actually is and how committed supplement companies already are to safety and to making the existing regulations work more effectively.

The bottom line: H.R. 6168 supports existing legislation and provides additional consumer safety protections while also protecting responsible dietary supplement companies from unjustified burdens.

Citizens for Health applauds the passage of the Senate counterpart of H.R. 6168 this week and looks forward to the passage of H.R. 6168 by this Sunday, if not before.

# # #

Contact: James S. Turner, Esq. 202-462-8800

http://www.npicenter.com/anm/anmviewer. ... &print=yes

This is just a way to prevent people from using the suppliments. Doctors dont report adverse reactions to meds until a certain number of people have died.

Date: November 09, 2006 11:54 AM

Author: VitaNet ® Staff (support@vitanet.net)

Subject: Barking Up The Wrong Tree – Dietary Supplements are targeted while foods sicken millions.


The FDA and our enemies in Congress want you to believe that non-causal Adverse Event Reporting (AER, as presented in the S.3546 bill in Senate and the HR.6168 now in the House of Representatives) for supplements should be implemented to protect our health. The latest nationwide E.coli outbreak casts a shadow of doubt on S.3546/HR.6168 supporters’ motives, however-because these bills are treating safe, natural supplements as dangerous threats while foods wreak havoc on our nation’s health.

By the time this issue went to press, 187 people had been sickened and as many as three people had died from toxic E.coli bacteria found in contaminated bags of spinach. Tragically, this is nothing new; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that food borne disease cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United Stages each year. More than 200 known diseases are transmitted through bad food.

Despite these staggering figures, there is no adverse event reporting system in place for foods. So if our enemies in Congress truly want to protect us, why are they pursuing non causal AER for safe, natural dietary supplements and not foods? The unfortunate answer is that non-causal AER supporters are either ignorant or in pursuit to non-disclosed political agendas. The latter is extremely disturbing especially when these self serving political agendas, promoted in the name of “protecting health,” will actually harm public health by taking away our supplements.

Puzzling priorities

Not only are AER supporters barking up the wrong tree, but the AER bills that they have constructed are totally destructive. S.3546/HR.6168 is based on association and not causation. That’s right—S.3546/HR.6168 disregard what actually caused an adverse event, and instead use “guilt by association.” These poorly constructed bills are impotent when it comes to protecting people, but nonetheless are poised to devastate the nutritional supplements industry. If passed, S.3546/HR.6168 will unleash a barrage of frivolous lawsuits that will make trial lawyers rich while bankrupting the entire nutritional supplement industry and taking away our vitamins forever.

It is hard to imagine why some elected officials, the FDA and certain nutritional supplement industry groups are channeling so much money and energy into AER for harmless supplements while potentially deadly pathogens are tainting our food supply and sickening millions. If our elected officials truly wish to help the American people and protect public health, they should leave safe, natural dietary supplements alone and focus their AER efforts on foods—but only if they take the time to draft an intelligent, functional AER bill that is based causality.

Don’t Give Up the Fight

Adverse events with supplements are practically nonexistent. Adverse events with food are abundant. Elected officials who support S.3546/HR.6168 and the non-causal AER they espouse are clearly misguided, with an imbecile’s grasp on prioritization. If you agree that non-causal AER for supplements is an unwarranted waste of time and will destroy the industry by guilt by association, then please voice your opinion, before it’s too late!

Please call and fax Joe Barton, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and other key AER players at the following numbers (fax numbers second): Barton at 202-225-2002, 202-225-3052; Chairman of the Judiciary Committee F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. at 202-225-5101,202-225-3190; House Majority Leader John Boehner at 202-225-6205, 202-225-0704; Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert at 202-225-2976,202-225-0697; and Congressman Nathan Deal a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, at 202-225-5211, 202-225-8272.

Don’t let self-serving political skullduggery take your vitamins and supplements away from you! Visit www.NHA2006.com and take advantage of online tools that allow you to easily send faxes to Congress. Please do not delay—without swift and decisive action, we may all lose our health freedom forever!

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

http://vitanetonline.com/forums/1/Threa ... essage1418

It can get a bit confusing. We are big supplement users and we would want to be on the correct side of any proposed legislation.

They have been trying to do this for years. It is part of Codex prmised through CAFTA.

U.S. Senate Passes SAER Bill
2006/12/07 - American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)

(December 7, 2006, Silver Spring, MD) — The United States Senate yesterday passed the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, S. 3546. This legislation, introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) in June, would establish a requirement for marketers of dietary supplements and OTC drugs to inform FDA if they receive reports of serious adverse events associated with their products. Co-sponsors of the legislation include Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill will need to be considered in the House of Representatives (the companion bill is H.R. 6168, Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act) in the last days of the current 109th Congress in order to be passed into law.

"We have worked diligently over the last several years to get this law passed, and we will continue to work hard in the remaining days of this Congress to ensure that this good legislation, which includes important safeguards for companies that sell supplements, makes its way through the House," noted Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). "AHPA and its members especially appreciate the efforts and support of all of the Senators who have sponsored this legislation," he added.

The text of the legislation can be found at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin ... es.txt.pdf.


# # #


The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is a trade association representing the core of the botanical trade — comprised of the finest growers, processors, manufacturers and marketers of herbal products. AHPA’s mission is to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products. AHPA committees generate self-regulations to ensure the highest level of quality with respect to the way herbs are manufactured, labeled, and sold. Website: www.ahpa.org.

http://www.npicenter.com/anm/anmviewer. ... &print=yes

Another opposing webstite

Oppose the Adverse Event Reporting bills, and send this letter to Congress NOW!

Dear Senator ____________________________,

I am writing to express my opposition to S.B. 3546 / H.R. 6168, the "Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act", a bill that would obligate supplement manufacturers, packers and distributors to notify the FDA of serious adverse event reports (AERs) associated with the use of a dietary supplement.
It is my firmly held belief that the safety of nutritional supplements is more than adequately addressed by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), a well-drafted piece of legislation that gives the FDA the power to remove from the market any dietary supplement that "presents a significant or unreasonable risk of injury." As such, and as a consumer of nutritional supplements, I am convinced that the FDA does not need any further legislation to ensure the continued safety of dietary supplements.
Indeed, the enviable safety record of dietary supplements proves that they are already one of the safest, if not the safest, categories of products on the market. Ordinary food, for example, is far more dangerous than dietary supplements and causes 5,000 deaths and more than 80 million hospitalizations each year in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similarly, the side effects of prescription drugs are the fourth leading cause of death in the US and result in 2.2 million hospitalizations every year. (JAMA, April 15, 1996)
Several aspects of S.B. 3546 / H.R. 6168 especially concern me. These include:
the bill's use of the phrase "associated with" rather than the words "caused by", which could easily result in establishing guilt by association;
support of this legislation by organizations that are biased in favoring the interests of pharmaceutical manufacturers instead of only the interests of the nutritional supplement industry and natural health consumers;
the fact that the bill treats nutritional supplements like OTC drug products. All nutritional supplements are food components and as such should be treated totally separate from OTC medications, which contain synthetic chemical molecules that are toxic to the body.
S.B. 3546 / H.R. 6168 could potentially destroy the availability of effective dietary supplements and impair the health of millions of American consumers, many of whom do not have health insurance and who benefit from the daily use of vitamins and other essential nutrients.
I am therefore requesting that as my representative you do not support this dangerous assault on my health freedom, and I strongly demand that you vote against S.B. 3546 / H.R. 6168!
Thank you for representing my concerns. I look forward to learning your position on this most serious matter.
Respectfully yours,

_______________________ ________________________
Name (print) Signature

__________ __________ __________ __________
Address City State Zip

_______________________ _______________________
EMail address Date

www.senate.gov Capital switchboard # 202-225-3121 www.house.gov
This campaign has been initiated by the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health on a global scale through research, education and the defense of patients' rights to natural health.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation, USA
950 S. Pine Island Rd., Suite A-150, Plantation, FL 33324
Phone: 1-800-381-4185 / Fax: 954-727-8279
E-mail address: foundation@drrath.com / website: www.drrathhealthfoundation.org.
To send this letter to your U.S. Senators via the Internet:
Use your computer’s mouse to highlight and copy the text of the letter above.
Go to the website for the U.S. Senate (http://www.senate.gov).
Locate your Senators. Click on their names to access their personal web page on the www.senate.gov website.
Locate their web mail or contact form (this includes their phone number, fax number, and you should be able to find an email form with a content box that you can type a letter in.
Paste the letter above into that form and press send.
Repeat steps 2 through five to send the letter to your other Senator.
Each State has two Senators, please contact both. If you need assistance locating your Senator, click here)
Other contact methods
On your Senator’s home page you will find phone number, fax number and mailing address information so that you can use those methods to share your desire for the Senator to protect your Health Freedom in those ways as well. Just copy the letter above into a Word document and personalize, print and fax or mail.
To send this letter to your U.S. Congressional Representative via the Internet
Use your computer’s mouse to highlight and copy the text of the letter above.
Get your nine-digit zip code. To determine your nine-digit zip code (this includes the five digit Zip code that you probably know for your city or town, plus the four digit extension for your neighborhood, go to the U.S. Post Office’s website at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp, enter your address and it will give you the nine digit Zip code.) Write down the Zip code.
Enter your nine-digit Zip code at the U.S. House of Representative website (www.house.gov)
Click on the name of the Representative that comes up with your neighborhood’s Zip code
Locate their web mail or contact form (this includes their phone number, fax number, and you should be able to find an email form with a content box that you can type a letter in.
Paste the letter above into that form and press send.
Other contact methods
On your Representative’s home page you will find phone number, fax number and mailing address information so that you can use those methods to share your desire for the Representative to protect your Health Freedom in those ways as well. Just copy the letter above into a Word document and print and fax or mail.
(Note, while each State has two Senators, and many States have more than two Representatives, your nine-digit Zip code area only has one U.S. Representative.)
As another option, you can learn who your Congressional Representative is, by calling the Capital switchboard at # 1-202-225-3121. Their operators only require you to provide them with your five digit zip code to locate your representative.
We very much appreciate your involvement in the fight to protect your rights and those of other natural products consumers worldwide.
Why your personal involvement in this effort is so important
Your freedoms are under attack locally, nationally and internationally. Changes are being considered and pursued in Congress, at the UN and in the European Union that could DRASTICALLY LIMIT your health choices.

In America, we often take our freedoms for granted; we forget that freedom isn’t free.
The great writer George Bernard Shaw said, “Freedom means responsibility.”
Use your freedom of speech to protect your freedom of health
Take action NOW to protect your rights! Contact your Senators and your Representative to demand that they do NOT allow any changes at the FDA, in Congress or in the UN to limit your freedoms.
If you still have questions about any of this, please contact us.

http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/us/o ... bills.html