We need to call our Congresspersons and Senators quickly to stop this--and it absolutely has to be stopped. FDA also has a comment period until May 29; the phone number is 1-800-216-7331.

The case docket number is 2006D-0480; it should be mentioned when calling.

There is also a comment form at:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/dockets/comments/COMMENTSMain.CFM?EC_DOCUMENT_ID=1451&SUBTYP=CONTINUE&CID=&AGENCY=FDA

All individual choice and natural treatment options will be gone if this rule goes into effect. The supplement industry that millions depend on for natural health options will go out of business almost overnight.

The supplements available then will only be ones made by pharmaceutical companies, and will likely be of extremely poor quality.

You can get contact info for your Reps. and Senators at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov .

Even if the rule goes into effect, Congress can pass a law

overturning it at any time, so it's still very much worth contacting your representatives in Washington.

*Promulgation (of executive branch rules): an unconstitutional process where Congress long ago illegally delegated its lawmaking power to executive branch agencies, such as the FDA, which issue regulations having the force of law.

The legislative power was granted to Congress in the Constitution, not the Executive Branch, which the FDA is a part of. Do not limit your response to the unconstitutional "comment" to the FDA!

Call YOUR Congressman

at 866 340-9281

1-800-833-6354

1-877-762-8762

1-866-808-0065

1-888-355-3588

1-866-220-0044

NOW!

Call THE President

at 202 456-1111

NOW!

Find Your Elected Officials and

send a message from this web page:

http://capwiz.com/jbs/home/

Sample letter or email to Congress:

The FDA is about to promulgate* a rule whereby all natural supplements and substances, including water in some cases, will become regulated drugs which we will be able to obtain only by prescription from an allopathic doctor

(an M. D.) Our right to treat ourselves, take what we want when we want, to control our own body in this way will be violated.

This is quite an emergency, and it absolutely has to be stopped. FDA also has a comment period until May 29; the phone number is 1-800-216-7331.

The case docket number is 2006D-0480

There is also a comment form at:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/dockets/comments/COMMENTSMain.CFM?EC_DOCUMENT_ID=1451&SUBTYP=CONTINUE&CID=&AGENCY=FDA

All individual choice and natural treatment options will be gone if this rule goes into effect. The supplement industry that millions depend on for natural health options will go out of business almost overnight.

The supplements available then will only be ones made by pharmaceutical companies, and will likely be of extremely poor quality.

Even if the rule goes into effect, Congress can pass a law

overturning it at any time

*Promulgation (of executive branch rules): an unconstitutional process where Congress long ago illegally delegated its lawmaking power to executive branch agencies, such as the FDA, which issue regulations having the force of law.

The legislative power was granted to Congress in the Constitution, not the Executive Branch, which the FDA is a part of. Congress should make its OWN "comment" to the FDA!

==================

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul246.html

Dietary Supplements and Health Freedom

by Rep. Ron Paul, MD

by Rep. Ron Paul, MD

Millions of Americans take dietary supplements every day, and the numbers are growing as the Baby Boom generation ages. More and more Americans understandably are frustrated with our government-controlled health care system. They have concluded that vitamins, minerals, and other supplements might help them stay healthy and less dependent on the system. They use supplements because they can buy them freely at stores and research them freely on the Internet, without government interference in the form of doctors, prescriptions, HMOs, and licenses. In other words, they use supplements because they are largely free to make their own choices, in stark contrast to the conventional medical system.

But we live in an era of unbridled government regulation of both our personal lives and the economy, and Food and Drug administration bureaucrats burn to regulate supplements in the same manner as prescription drugs.

The health nannies insist that many dietary supplements are untested and unproven, and therefore dangerous. But the track record for FDA-approved drugs hardly inspires confidence. In fact, far more Americans have died using approved pharmaceuticals than supplements. Not every dietary supplement performs as claimed, but neither does every FDA drug.

The FDA simply gives people a false sense of security, while crowding out private watchdog groups that might provide truly disinterested consumer information. It fosters a complacent attitude and a lack of personal responsibility among people who assume a government stamp of approval means a drug must be safe, and that they need not study a drug before taking it.

The FDA, like all federal agencies, ultimately uses its regulatory powers in political ways. Certain industries and companies are rewarded, and others are punished. No regulatory agency is immune from politics, which is why the FDA should not be trusted with power over our intimate health care decisions.

The real issue is not whether supplements really work, or whether FDA drugs really are safe. The real issue is: Who decides, the individual or the state? This is the central question in almost every political issue. In free societies, individuals decide what medical treatments or health supplements are appropriate for them.

Over the past decade the American people have made it clear they do not want the federal government to interfere with their access to dietary supplements. In 1994, Congress bowed to overwhelming public pressure and passed the Dietary Supplements and Health and Education Act, which liberalized the rules regarding the regulation of dietary supplements. Congressional offices received a record number of comments in favor of the Act, which demonstrates how strongly Americans feel about health freedom.

The FDA simply has thumbed its nose at Congress and ignored the new rules in many instances, by attempting to suppress information about health supplements. But in 1999 a federal appellate court affirmed that the American people have a First Amendment right to such information without interference from the FDA. However, members of Congress have had to intervene with the FDA on several occasions to ensure that they followed the court order.

My regular listeners already know about another looming threat to dietary supplement freedom. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, an offshoot of the United Nations, is working to “harmonize” food and supplement rules between all nations of the world. Under Codex rules, even basic vitamins and minerals will require a doctor’s prescription. As Europe moves ever closer to adopting Codex standards, it becomes more likely that the World Trade Organization will attempt to force those standards on the United States. This is yet another example of how the WTO threatens American sovereignty. By cooperating with Codex, the FDA is blatantly ignoring the will of Congress and the American people.

April 26, 2005