Basically, for a long time, but seemingly at a much more feverish pace over the past few weeks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been in the news for
- threatening companies that sell natural products
- seizing natural products from manufacturers and
- threatening natural care practitioners with seizure, injunction, and financial penalties.
- threatening to ban supplements
First, if you want to see what else the FDA has been up to – see these posts:
- Mothers in Jail | Parental Rights, the Government and Medicine
- FDA Poised to Ban Supplements in the US
- Mother Threatened with Jail for Planting Vegetables
What the FDA Says is Unsafe
1. Elderberry Juice – The FDA seized elderberry juice from Wyldewood Cellars in Peck, Kansas since they claim that the company markets the product as being able to cure or treat disease. And why is elderberry juice so dangerous?:
Products with unapproved disease claims are dangerous because they may cause consumers to delay or avoid legitimate treatments," said Dara A. Corrigan, the FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.
I don't know about you, but just because someone tells me that elderberry juice might help me with an ailment doesn't mean that I won't seek out another treatment if I feel that I should. What is the FDA going to do next? Make me take medicine that I don't want? You can read more about the situation on this ABC affiliate's website.
2. Probiotics – U.S. Marshals went into the UAS Laboratories' (manufacturer of probiotics) plant and seized probiotics and labels. I spoke to UAS' owner's wife (Mrs. S.K. Dash) directly and she told me that there was no advance warning, no phone call, no letter. Just a warrant and the seizure. And why are probiotics so dangerous? According to Natural Products Insider:
While an initial statement from FDA did not give the exact claims it takes issue with, FDA said the products claim to treat or prevent colds, flu, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), yeast infections, ulcers and high cholesterol.
3. Thermography – I am not a total Dr. Mercola fan, but this makes me mad. The FDA is threatening all sorts of things against Mercola, who is arguably one of the most successful alternative health practitioners in the U.S. The FDA explains the reason for these threats as being essentially the same as in the above case. Mercola states on his website that thermography is a good way to detect medical problems and may be better than traditional methods.
FDA's Warning Letter to Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Mercola's Natural Health Center (March 22, 2011): https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2011/ucm250701.htm
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