than current law "the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA)" provides. It would, however, significantly undermine many of the freedoms that American consumers of dietary supplements hold dear.

From Freshlife...

IN THIS ISSUE:

Could Glucosamine & Echinacea Be Outlawed?

Once again, the answer is "Yes". Many of you may remember the 1993 vitamin scare. It was a time when those of us at Freshlife and other natural food stores feared the demise of our basic health freedoms. We draped black fabric over the vitamin department to demonstrate the reality of the threat. We were interviewed for newspaper articles and the evening TV news.

Ten years ago, all across the nation, hundreds of thousands of people wrote their representatives. It was one of the largest grassroots movements in the history of the United States. The result was the passage of DSHEA (The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act). Because of that legislation, you can walk in to Freshlife and ask questions concerning the safe use of dietary supplements. You can sit down with us and discuss your health concerns and nutritional needs. You can help yourself to free literature. You can purchase the supplements you choose at doses that deliver therapeutic levels of the nutrients you need.

However, the threat looms on our doorstep once again. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has once again asked Congress to expand its powers to regulate the supplement industry. Don't misunderstand, we strongly favor regulations which require honesty in label disclosure and good manufacturing principles in the creation of supplements. We would like to see the FDA concentrate on eliminating inferior and potentially harmful, mislabeled products from the market. (There are many supplements being sold on the shelves of mass market chain stores, and over the internet that are worthless at best and harmful at worst.) We have nothing to fear if the FDA tests the products on Freshlife's shelves, and would welcome legislation that requires honesty and quality throughout the supplement sector. However, we do fear the bill now in the Senate. Titled the "Dietary Supplement Safety Act", it will give the FDA a level of additional power that crosses the line of health freedom, and could deny all of us the right to choose.

Under the terms of Senate Bill S.722, the FDA would be given complete discretion to demand clinical evaluation of herbal remedies that have been used for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. By questioning the safety of any dietary supplement that receives even one consumer complaint, hundreds of products that have been safely and beneficially used for centuries could be removed from the marketplace.

This legislation is NOT the assurance of quality in supplement manufacturing that we have been lobbying for. It is plainly and simply an erosion of our health freedoms.

At Freshlife, we have set up a "Take Action Center". I sincerely hope you will take a moment to visit it when you stop by the store. There you will find handouts about the bill as well as letters to Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators, Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. The pre-printed letters need only your signature and address, as we will provide the postage and envelope. If you are an out of town FreshMail subscriber, I encourage you to contact your U.S. senators, asking them to oppose S.722. If you are unsure of the correct names or addresses, you can go to www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml to obtain contact information.

Please take action today. Your freedom to purchase the supplements you have come to depend on for optimal health and vitality is at stake. Thank you for your willingness to help preserve the right to choose integrative health care!

Barb Jarmoska

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