Medical Alerts & Health Concerns: Stay Informed with Earth Clinic

Hi This is a very interesting audio interview.

From http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/14/dr-shiv-chopra-on-corrupt-to-the-core.aspx

also found there http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1815723

What Happens When Your Government Chooses to Side-Step Scientific Truth?

Dr. Shiv Chopra is a world renowned scientist, author and public speaker. As a former employee of Health Canada (the Canadian equivalent of the US FDA) for 35 years, he was the Senior Scientific Advisor for the regulatory assessment of food and drugs, including new vaccines. When he changed job titles from human prescription drugs to the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs, the first file that landed on his desk was Eli Lilly's application to use rBGH in Canada.

In this interview he discusses subjects covered in his most recent book, Corrupt to the Core, which chronicles his many decades fighting for scientific principles against profit-hungry corporations and ultimately against his own bosses and the Canadian government itself.
Dr. Mercola Interviews Dr. Chopra
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X71F9UCdPN8&nofeather=True
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0CMtTd6zSE&feature=related
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgUdVU8pzxg&feature=related
Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsU8MmHm-xs&feature=related
Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyNKX4zYHig&feature=relmfu

I hope you enjoy it, Alain

Here is a great list of ailments and next to them is a list of vitamins that you may be lacking in. I saw quite a few symptoms I have that I need to supplement with. A good list to print out for reference.

Interesting warts and moles are said to be a deficiency of Vitamins C, A & E.

http://www.health-science-spirit.com/deficiency.html

Hi EC, I think this might interest you Copyright Infringement Bill in Senate (S.978)

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1821808#i

Alain

what is interesting is that Weil isn't making any false claims or telling people not to take a vaccine. Just encouraging the use of Astragalus to boost the immune system they see as a threat to their vaccine industry... And therefore threaten to shut him down... wow, what country are we in!

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm186837.htm

Is everyone aware of this bill that they just managed to delay today? This is unbelievable!! Please tell everyone you know in NC to oppose it.

http://www.naturalnews.com/031964_North_Carolina_practice_medicine.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/031953_medical_practice_licensing.html

This is going on everywhere, the restriction on natural medicine and supplements started here in Europe on April 1st and.... Just it was not a joke! Not only a lot of supplements will be banned, others have to have such expensive licenses and trials that they will disappear anyway and the quantities of vitamin and minerals in supplements will be so small that it is no use taking them anyway! I don't know much about the restrictions on the treatments but they exist as well. I think that the goal is to get rid of anything natural.

I hope you meant H. G. Wells

Actually it was George Orwell ;)

Hello Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France. I was wondering if there are any protests going on in Europe regarding the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (TMPD)? Europe is so much older than America and I'm really shocked that the corporations have gotten away with this. Are the authorities talking about outlawing an individuals right to make their own traditional medicines for their own use or the giving away of it to freinds or neighbors? Thanks So Much

Hi Susan, San Francisco, I was dreading the 1st of April but we have just come back from Holland where I went to a very good health food shop and they were still selling a lot of supplements. I have the feeling that a lot have disappeared as small firms were not in a state to pay for tests and registration but there are still enough supplements around. It seems that there were many protests when they wanted to do it years ago so it didn't happen, only when they died out the law was passed without people even knowing about it. A lot of laws are passed that way nowadays, unfortunately. When you hear about it it is too late to do anything. I know that people have been writing to their MEP (Members of the European Parliament), I did too but it didn't help, well, it hardly ever does. I think that protesting, at least peaceful protest doesn't help here anymore. Even violent ones don't help, they wait for them to die out, throw a number of people in prison to teach the other ones a lesson and that's it. People are too buy trying to live their lives and too afraid of the consequences.

I think that you can make your own medicine and give it to someone else, they have no way of knowing but till a little while ago, here in France, it was forbidden to make nettle juice to treat your farm or your garden, which is cheap and very good, or to give the recipe to someone else. Now it is still forbidden to use it in a farm but you can use it in your garden. That smells like repression to me.... Only so that big corporations make more profits making stuff which hurts us and the environment! They also want to outlaw many health practitioners if they don't pay high registrations fees, let's see what happens. The few we have around here seem to be working so far....... The other day I advised a book here called The Trillion Dollar Conspiracy, I will post a little review in the book section soon. Maybe of interest to some of you...... I don't know where I would be without my supplements!

Francisca, what I am doing is learning about herbs, many of which are found growing near us in the garden or in parks or the side of the road (as weeds). Our ancestors went to nature for cures of illnesses. We need to do the same.

Hi everyone,

I'm a nonpracticing herbalist in North Carolina, and I wanted to give you an update on NC Senate Bill 31(AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE PENALTY FOR THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF MEDICINE).

Because there has been such a protest, the bill has been amended to exempt alternative medicine practitioners. For the time being, we can still practice.

I do believe that the bill wan't meant to attack alternative practitioners, but rather to counter the unlicensed cosmetic surgery clinics that have caused a few deaths in NC. Basically, people were going to get what they thought were "botox" injections and ended up dying. Also, remember that NC is in the middle of the "Bible Belt, " and that bill would have made faith healers felons. Considering the "religiousity" of conservative NC culture, the bill would have harrassed the constituency of many government officials.

That being said, we still have to see how these bills are supported:

SB 467 Naturopathic Licensing Act
HB 522 Midwifery Licensing Act (currently in the House Health & Human Services Committee)
HB 847 Naturopathic Doctors Licensing Act

Hi Debbie, that sounds great but I am always afraid to use any herbs or berries growing in the wild as many plants look like each others. Nowadays we eat quite a lot of dendelion, for example, but I wouldn't collect it from my garden. A friend of mine does but I am afraid. Silly maybe but you only need to make a mistake and it can kill you. A short while ago I pointed out to my husband what seemed like flat leaf parsley growing in the garden of our rented house. As I knew that they used to grow some vegetables because I found the lables I thought that it really was parsley but my husband pointed out that it is some other herb which is not edible so..... Be careful!

I still hope the world will change and all this repression will one day end so that we can choose what we want to heal ourselves. For the time being a person like me, who mostly uses natural therapies and supplements will be insured, pay a lot of money but make little use of it while paying everything else on the side. My husband who goes mostly for main stream medicine doesn't use his natural allowance at all but he can't pass it on to me and as it is rather small most of what I take I have to pay myself! Not fair......

Hi Francisca in Alsace - I read somewhere that the law went into effect April 1st but wouldn't be implemented until May 1st. Odd, that.

Hi Francisca, yes you have to be very careful. But in the meantime you could buy herbs from reputable stores or online businesses. I am also buying seeds. I have some wonderful herb books. I read all the time. Many herbs can be used in a tea and you can get many benefits from them. If I read about herbs I don't really know about I google the name and click on "images" and it brings up all the photographs of the herb. Great for checking what they look like.

Stacey, you may want to google "Codex Alimentaris Danger". They want to ban nutritional supplements and organic food. You won't be able to grow organic food in your own garden! Please research.

Susan, San Francisco, you know more than I do..... Let's wait for May 1st then.....

Debbie from Melbourne, could you maybe add a few reviews of the books you have been reading to the book page? That could be very interesting for a lot of us! I will look up the Codex Alimentaris Danger. Could it really be true that they want to outlaw even organic farming in your own garden? I can hardly believe it...... But then, as I said before, they outlawed here making nettle juice even to use in your garden and giving the recipe to anybody. That has changed now for private use but is still prohibited in farms, maybe because it is efficient and cheap?

Hi Debbie-I'm aware of the Codex Alimentarius. It is scary--I've moved heavily into regional wildcrafting in case the worst happens. Luckly, I live in a richly biodiverse area. Let's see them try to eradicate poke weed, dandelion, and chickweed ;)

Stacey, yes I agree they can't eradicate weeds so we need to learn about weeds (even go seed collecting from weeds in the wild that haven't had pesticide on them). There are some good websites about "survival" Some weeds have amazing vitamins, health benefits. A good way to get vitamins from the "weeds" is to juice them, although I haven't done that yet.

Hi Debbie, like Francisca also asked, could you please give us some of the title's of the best Herb books you have, like and recommend! Thanks Lily.

Hi Francisca and Lily, I just wanted to respond to your request about wild foods and herbs. Last year I did a lot of studying on it and went on a few wild food hikes in our area which were really awesome.

I wanted to tell you that if you go on youtube, there's a really great guy who teaches you extensively about wild foods and even how to prepare them. His channel is called Eat The Weeds on youtube and you can watch tons of episodes. Also there's a guy name Markus Rothkranz and he did a dvd series called Free Food And Medicine which I think if you google it, you will find it. He's a very interesting guy and I had the opportunity to hear him speak here in LA. He was a very sickly child and adult that transformed himself w/ wild foods and raw foods.

Both of these suggestions will teach you a whole lot on wild foods. When I was on my road to restore my health, we juiced everyday and added in weeds from our yard. They are so powerfully restorative if you know what you're choosing! Best to you both!

One book I would recommend is "How can I be prepared with Self-Sufficiency and Survival Foods, Isabell Shipard". There are 16 pages of edible weeds.

Here is a good link to a survival website will some good books. These relate to Australia but I am sure some weeds are global. Excellent website.

http://www.survival.org.au/books.php#weeds

It is a fact that, despite the immovable opinions from pharma research that plant and natural chemical derived cures are ineffective, unproven and even dangerous, alternative medicine methods cause less side-effects and less deaths than allopathic drugs and that natural remedies are perhaps more effective as an approach and very useful against particularly the autoimmune diseases such as cancer, arthritis, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, CFS, Fibromyalgia, ME, heart disease, gout, thyroid problems, high blood pressure, allergies etc. And even though pharma research contemptupously criticises and continuously works to trash alternative therapies, they will never mention the fact that well over 60% of all pharma drugs these days are still discovered from mainly plant extracts. Therefore their arguments about the ineffectiveness of all alternative therapies and herbals by pharma research directly contradicts the plain facts.

But where pharma research really falls down is in their ultimate requirement or need for "inventing" new chemicals in order to patent them -- for which they can charge whatever they please -- then there is no worry about any competition. They will discover a plant extract that cures whatever, then they must invent a synthetic, patentable version otherwise they are simply not interested. DCA -- Dichloroacetic acid (a fairly simple base chemical) has recently shown to be very effective against cancer in Dutch and Norwegian research studies last year. DCA has already been passed as safe for use in genetically induced lactic acidosis as a remedy. So the pharma companies were in a tough corner -- they could not trash DCA's usefulness or safety because this drug had already been passed by the FDA but this discovery could nonetheless ruin pharma's highly profitable "cancer industry". So they just came out with it and said nope, we're not interested because we can't patent DCA. So this chemical will never even be considered or adopted by the pharmaceutical companies or the medical profession as a cancer cure for reasons that are entirely for profit. What other reason can there be?

In fact nobody ever questions what the term autoimmune really means. The medical/pharma research definition is ailments caused when the body's immune system turns and attacks the body tissues, organs or glands in some way. Pharma research blandly and somewhat conveniently assures us that this is because antibodies are detected in these areas. But is the body really that stupid? The medical research profession will never admit -- in their autoimmune definition -- that antibodies will also actively come on site and remove cells if and whenever there is free-radical damage to the cells or whenever there is damage caused by viruses and bacteria. But the medical research profession will never admit to these as other possible reasons for autoimmune disease. Ted from Bangkok has been saying all along, for instance, that autoimmune arthritis is caused by mycoplasma and associated bacteria. The efficacy of his cures using borax, magnesium chloride and Hydrogen Peroxide etc are simple testimony to the fact that he must be right because the arthritis disappears with few side-effects. My own considered and revised pharma definition of an autoimmune disease is simply a disease that is incurable by medical research because they haven't got a bloody clue. So, after a 100 years of Germ Theory and drugs, where are the outright cures from pharma drugs for these autoimmune diseases? They simply don't exist.

Pharma research's inability to cure autoimmune diseases also leads us to another possibility. Here we must consider the pharma industry's Business Model. From purely a ruthless business perspective and for profit point of view therefore, what would make more sense -- to invent outright cures for autoimmune diseases where you take the drugs only for a couple of weeks or months or simply to invent glorified and expensive anti-inflammatory and pain-killing drugs with horrific side-effects(for which you take even more drugs) that patients will have to take for the rest of their lives -- that don't cure anything? The latter business model would seem to make far more money for the pharmaceutical companies and their shareholders wouldn't it?

Just some very frustrated thoughts.

Hear hear....

Hi Bill - Yes it is so frustrating! Thank you for the interesting, and very thought provoking post. You are a treasure to the EC community.

thanks Bill... Low Dose Naltrexone would fall under the same predicament as DCA, and now it is patient driven because it is out of patent. I don't buy into any real conspiracy (unless I have real proof) that the industry would hold back a cure etc. But I do believe they are guilty of profit interest over public health. The rush to label everything as a disease so they can patent a drug seems pervasive... One needs to be cautious, and take control of their health but they are not necessarily always the bad guys.... In just a generation we no longer fear polio thanks to pharma... But.. Like the stock market etc.. it has grown to a self perpetuating beast quick to dismiss anything that cannot be exploited for profit.

Hi Rob... Much thanks for the info on low dose naltrexone, which I know about. Dr Bernard Bihari was the discoverer of the beneficial effects of low dose naltrexone on many autoimmune diseases including various Cancers, MS, HIV AIDS and Fibromyalgia. Other imaginative doctors also ran with LDN including Dr Berkson who has used it successfully together with Alpha Lipoic Acid IVs specifically to repair and heal severe liver problems.

From his website, here are Dr Bihari's own comments on the reasons for autoimmune diseases from his own experience which are clearly very different from the views held by mainstream medicine:

"There exists a common notion that the immune system in a person with an autoimmune disorder is too strong and, in its exuberance, targets a body tissue for attack. Rather, the evidence is more consistent with autoimmunity resulting from immunodeficiency.¹ Kukreja et al have demonstrated that multiple immunoregulatory T cell defects lie behind Type 1 diabetes both in humans and in non-obese diabetic mice.²

Multiple scientific papers from various other research centers have demonstrated that an underlying immunodeficiency is characteristic of any tested autoimmune disease. Examples thus far reported include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. ^{3, 4, 5}

Sacerdote et al measured low beta-endorphin levels in two animal examples of autoimmune disease — a mouse strain with a lupus-like syndrome and a strain of chicken with an autoimmune thyroiditis.⁶ They had significantly lower hypothalamic concentrations of the opioid than normal controls. In each case, the low levels of beta-endorphin were found well before the expression of autoimmune disease. This adds to considerable evidence of a key role for endorphins in regulating immune responses and suggests a therapeutic pathway.

Bihari et al found that a low oral dose of the opioid antagonist naltrexone, when taken at bedtime, led to a doubling or tripling of low levels of circulating beta-endorphin.⁷ Bihari has since treated some 100 people with autoimmune disorders. None of them has progressed further while the patient continued taking low dose naltrexone each night at bedtime. Since no side effects are apparently associated with its use, this medication might well be studied as a possible preventive for Type I diabetes in those youngsters with beta-cell autoantibodies."

Research References: www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/ldn_and_ai.htm#Background

And here is a large and interesting list of autoimmune diseases that can benefit from low dose naltrexone use:

www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/index.htm#What_diseases_has_it_been_useful_for

Dear Bill, I am half way a very interesting book: The Trillion Dollar Conspiracy by Jim Marrs. Not only about Big Pharma versus supplements but about a lot of other subjects. One of the ideas I had never thought about is the banning of supplements in order to make sure we are not working on our immune system too much so that we are more susceptible to anything they throw at us. Sounds far fetched but could it be true anyway? I don't know! April is fast approching and then a lot of supplements will be banned here in Europe. People like me will have nowhere to turn to as buying from websites will undoubtedly be prohibited as well!

As far as big Pharma goes it is true that they have to keep you ill otherwise how will they make their profits? If you have the opportunity and the interest read this book and find out about what is making us ill, how they create all the pandemics and much more. Incredible stuff but..... I believe true!

For those living in Europe interested in doing their bit against the natural therapies and supplements ban here are a couple of petitions you can sign:

Http://www.lapetition.be/en-ligne/Pour-la-liberte-en-matiere-de-therapeutique-des-malades-et-des-medecins-8350.html- if you scroll down you find the translation in English

Http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/joininghandsinhealth/#sign_petition

Not all is lost yet....

There aren't many Europeans on this site but for those who live somewhere in the EU maybe this will be of interest. This is a letter in English directed to an MEP in Brussels, Mr. Dalli, you only have to print it, signand send. If you want to make some changes or add something you can, of course!

http://www.consumersforhealthchoice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=401&Itemid=236

On the site you can read more about the campaign!

Here is an article I read today about the banning of several medications in France:

http://www.connexionfrance.com/french-medical-journal-ban-government-buflomedil-vinflunine-nimesulide-drugs-side-effects-12370-view-article.html.

These medications seem to be quite harmful, as many have been in the past and often it takes many years for them to be forbidden killing a lot of people. My question is why natural supplements will be banned soon and so it seems all kinds of natural therapies and even books on natural healing but the allopathic medicine can go on killing us..... One thing to think about as well is tobacco, although a known killer for those who smoke it and those who are around them it is tolerated albeit with some nasty messages on the packets but herbal supplements, many of them harmless, even if some won't do anything for you, are about to be forbidden!

And even if many prescribed drugs don't kill you they can harm you big time, like the case of my father who has taken statins for years and has lived with horrible pain on his feet for years as well. But talking him out of them is no use because of course he trusts his doctor! I know that for the time being this concerns us in Europe more than most of you in the US but some type of banning seems to be scheduled for the US as well! Sorry if I keep going on about this but if we only talk about natural healing and are not aware that the options are going to be taken away from us soon we won't have much natural healing to talk about!

Francisca - many uears ago I shared a premises with a homeopath. She asked a GP why they never reccomended the use of alternative therapies. His answer was that they didn't fully understand how or why it worked as they hadnt any training in that area. Therefore if they reccomended it and it went wrong they were open to legal recrimination as a result of referral. I believe this is why the medical practicioners are willing to go along with this ban. Because they don't understand the priciples of herbalism and nutritional therapies, they cannot reccomend it's use. I have no doubt that Big Pharma is right at the heart of the whole process but medical practitioners cannot get involved in our favour because of a lack of training.

Mr. & Mrs. Average will not know about the ban because not everyone looks at websites/publications that will report it. Maybe as a group we could get together and pick some newspapers to write to. If a lot more than one letter gets written to the editor, they will investigate and report in their daily - then ideally, the regional papers will pick up on it. But we would need a few people to do it as I don't think one or two letter to each paper would be enough. What would you think?

Here is an article about this subject. I have to say that although I had heard about their threats quite a while ago I never thought that it would really happen. I don't think that it will only happen in the UK, there are plans to ban supplements all over Europe. I was in a health shop in Wales a few days ago and they told me that this will go ahead next year (maybe they meant this year). Taking away people's choices that's what this is all about. This paper first published a number of articles telling you how bad all kinds of supplements are, then this one. They always do this, they first manipulate public opinion and then drop the bombshell so that people won't rebel anymore because after all all the stuff is bad for you! The sad thing for me is that I used to rely on the UK as the prices are a bit lower and they have a lot of choice, now that will be finished too. I don't want to go back to regular medication or regular doctors unless I really have no choice but I suppose that this is what is going to happen now.

I find this so scarey. Are all plant, mineral, elemental supplements to be banned? I didn't take this too seriously either when first hearing about it. How can you make dried plant material unsellable or minerals?

They can, Mesem...... It scares me too! Dangerous treatments and medication can be used without a problem, supplements can't. I also didn't want to believe that they would manage to get this far..... True that some supplements can be of bad quality, people maybe don't know what they should take, how to combine them but then we should have more doctors (I don't know of any herbal doctor here in France) and there is no quality control, I believe so they can sell you just anything but banning is not the solution! Moreover I think that Big Pharma are now behind a lot of the supplements anyway.... I don't understand...... I think that people will find a way of buying them, maybe on the Internet or illegally which is even worse!

I'm way out of my depth here but would like to know if there is a group protesting against this. I'll in there with them. Will do some research. Happy to have any info.

Me too Mesem but I haven't had the time to do any research and see if there is such a group. We will be moving to the South West of France somewhere this year and we are still hunting for a house. I did sign a petition against it in London a while ago but I guess that it won't help! The people in most health shops either there, here, in Germany or Switzerland (we live near both countries) don't seem bothered. I posted my e-mail address for you.

Francisca:
Found a site where the ANH says they're raising money for a court challenge for the APRIL 30, 2011 effective date of this herbal ban.
But of course they need money for lawyers

www.anh-europe.org/node/3113

After April 2011, many herbal products and food supplements containing herbs will become ILLEGAL. This is because of changes in law at a European level. Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD) comes fully into force. After this time, only herbal medicines that have been registered under the scheme will be available EU-wide

Unfortunately, that looks to be only the beginning there, because this link claims that 2011 will also see MPLs, Maximum Permitted Levels, of all nutraceuticals set, levels so low thay will be less than useless

The second phase of the EU Food Supplements Directive: the setting of 'http://www.anhcampaign.org/files/090116 Maximum Permitted Levels' (MPLs) of vitamins and minerals is expected to be implemented this year, although serious doubts have already been cast over the methods being considered for this by the European Food Safety Authority

Thanks a lot Tom. I haven't had time to do any research yet as I am leaving on a trip on Tuesday and I still have a lot to do. Mesem also sent me some information from French sites. I hope to have more time to look into it when I get back.

In the meanwhile I wrote a letter to the paper I mentioned in my last post, let's see if the publish it. They often publish my comments. I went to a health food shop this afternoon and the lady was very distressed as although they sell all kinds of bio products their main income comes from essential oils (no problem there) and supplements. She told me that they are trying to forbid the cheapest, best selling ones. All this has been getting me down something that doesn't happen easily not only because I don't want to start using medication again and going to normal doctors but also because of the lack of freedom. I hate having choice taken away from me..... I have just written to the manufactures of the MSM I bought the other day, Solgar, to ask them if they are going to go as well. They seem to be a big company.

And what will this do to the people who depend on this industry and also natural natural health care providers at a time of crisis? Anyway, natural practitioners are all certified here in France but I don't happen to know any herbal doctors, only homeopathic ones and I don't know whether those will be affected. I think that I will try to buy some stuff before it all ends and I will try to contact the company where my sister-in-law orders her supplements in the UK to see whether they are going to stop or not. I know some things are going on in the US as well but I have no idea what. I hope you will be less affected than us here but it will be maybe just a question of time!

Again after talking to my 'pretty switched on' health food store owner I was dismayed at his lack of knowledge and he said to me that you could and always would be able to buy anything in the USA. I have sent him a pile of info. From several sites but he probably won't have time to read them; he has diversified into running a bio restaurant also so he is trying to survive... I wrote to a polititian here and will contact more. There are no 'letters to the editor' section in French newspapers. I could maybe phone into radio France Inter but have to get my facts right and I'm not clear on anything.

Hi Mesem, Maybe you could still ph in to radio France Inter, not with the information but with the questions is this true and if so what will be the real long term implications for us here in France. Don't give any answers yourself just start the questions to get people thinking. This way you can get it out to the public, who either don't know about it or they don't realize the consequences when it happens. Once you have the correct onfo you can then ring in again. This has obviously been on the EU's agenda for some time without the people knowing. I'm in Australia and I heard the rumours quite awhile ago long before I found this wonderful site. In Australia they are taking things off the market by making them perscription only (eg. Potassium citrate & tryptophan). Good luck.

Merci beaucoup Maria! I will work on some questions and be extra conscious of my pronounciation! The phone calls are not live but recorded so I have to 'do it good'.

Hi Maria, here in Europe it has been on the agenda since 2004. They are going to get rid of the stuff they say they will allow by lowering the daily allowance a lot therefore making the supplements useless (they already are anyway.... What to think about a daily allowance for Vit. C of, if I am not mistaken, 60mg a day?).

Wow!!! I am shocked that supplements are being banned in Europe. Now I know the WHOLE world has gone mad!!! Truly stunned. I thought that it was worse in the US. Our Pharmacuetical and chemical companies are rabid about taking away our God given right to alternative healing!!!!!!

Hi Francisca, Ours is also only 60 mg Vit C daily with an upper limit of 90 mg. It's interesting when I eat the pith of a lemon the need for Vit C that day is a lot less. Certainly more than the RDA though. I suppose the RDA is for the very healthy. ??????? (Look forward to your posts by the way.)

Thanks Maria, to be honest I didn't think that anyone looked forward to my posts..... I still have so much to learn... But I try! As far as the daily allowances go I think that they are often set low because of possible court cases or something. This is just a thought but it might be true. If you set the values very low (and they are going to be lowered) nothing can happen, not bad and not good! They just become useless, therefore many people say that they have tried natural medicine and it doesn't work.

The thing is that natural medicine is very complex and the combinations and amounts have to be right or else you achieve nothing or even worse can harm yourself! I don't know of any natural doctors around here, only homeopaths so if you want guidance you have either to read book or come to a site like this, there is no one to tell you what to do and that is a pity!

I look forward to your posts too Francisca... (as well as a lot of other peoples on this wonderful site! ) :-)

I just ordered the book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water". Due to some of your posts I went and read up on it a bit, and it looks *very* interesting!

The banning Of and Severe restrictions on supplements is frightening. It is one more step that the big pharma companies are taking to make sure that people will get / stay sick and need their wonderful "Medicines". There is no money in it for them for us to be well. It is so frustrating!

Carly

Hi Carly, just saw your post as we were on a trip for a few days. I am glad you are enjoying the book about water (I read Dr. Batman's more recent one). As I had a couple of questions I contacted him only to find out that he has died but his secretary Kirsten gives you all the answers you need as she worked with him for many years. During my trip I carried a little container with sea salt and mixed it in a water bottle so that I could keep on drinking water during the day.

As far as the supplements go you are right, the big companies will go on selling and will get rid of the small ones which were probably more honest in what they produced! I have just contacted one who delivers by mail and yes, they will keep on going but then they are part of a big concern which owns hotels, an airline, etc. That is the way the world is....... But at least I am more reassured that I won't have to give up on everything I take!

But be aware that by now many of the supplements are produced by the Big Pharma anyway. I am not sure that there is no money in it for them as the supplement market is a big one! But you are right, it is scary anyway because it shows that governments can forbid anything they want as well as force us to do anything they feel like! It wouldn't suprise me if in the future vaccines, for example, will be mandatory!

I phoned in to France INTER and did my 2 minutes on the Codex Alimentarius and directive to restrict sales of supplements. Anyone can help by bombarding the European Health Commissioner John Dalli. Even if you are in the Phillipines or Outer Mongolia, you will help stir the pot! Check out Mr Dalli on internet, he does not seem to be one who should have such a responsibility.

To Messem in Toulon, France: Our government here in the US has been trying to do away with American's rights to take supplements for at least 20 years that I know of.

Americans: BEWARE!!! They won't stop until they have their way. I found this article on the internet.

April 27, 2010 - Secretary Sebelius welcomed John Dalli, recently named Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection in the European Commission, and his delegation to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Commissioner Dalli's delegation included Dr. Paola Testori Coggi, who was named Director General for Health and Consumer Protection in March 2010. Secretary Sebelius was joined by Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary of Health, Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, and Dr. Regina Benjamin, the Surgeon General.

Both Secretary Sebelius and Commissioner Dalli noted that the trans-Atlantic exchanges of information and expertise benefit patients and consumers in the United States and the European Union. They pledged to build on the numerous areas of cooperation between HHS and the Commission's Directorate General SANCO. In particular, they discussed plans for a multi-stakeholder conference on childhood obesity, to be held jointly by HHS and the European Commission in early 2011, the continuation of close regulatory cooperation on pharmaceuticals and products of new technologies, and improving the environment for international clinical trials. They noted that collaboration between HHS and the Commission can also contribute to addressing international challenges such as pandemic response and combating counterfeit medicines.

We often talk about big pharma conspiracies. Here is a good Vanity Fair article on how the Industry tests overseas because of lack regulations, With deadly results for many.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/01/deadly-medicine-201101

A while ago some people referred here to their fear that governments were trying to stop the sale of food supplements in Europe. What I read at the time was that it was a question of getting licenses for all the components of each supplement which would become far too expensive for small companies and therefore would put them out of business! Today I was confronted with an even bigger problem, I went to a health food store in Germany (I often go there as it is close by) and asked the lady to give me something against constipation. She said that she was only allowed to sell juices or teas and so, not pills because the sale of pills against constipation (which often were just fibers, nothing dangerous) can now only be done by pharmacies. So.... Unfortunately little by little they are getting there and we have no choice! No idea what the situation is here in France.....

The health benefits of chocolate are getting much more press then darker side of its production and use of child trafficking.. Companies like Nestle, Mars, ADM, Cargill, Kraft to name a few are turning a blind eye to this... We as a consumer have power in what we purchase, so send a message out.. Only buy fair trade and boycott these companies. See the documentary by Miki Mistrati and U Roberto Romano,
The Dark Side of Chocolate...
http://www.thedarksideofchocolate.org/

Folks, I am very, very concerned about this. For those of you in Europe or elsewhere, can you please tell me what the feeling is about this? Are people aware?

From: Humanity Healing, posted Oct 17, 2010

The EU has passed a directive that comes into full-force in April 2011 whereby ALL herbal and mineral supplements are to be BANNED, all teaching of alternative healing methods will be BANNED, and homeopathic colleges dissolved. Etc. As of this summer, it is now forbidden to sell books about using plants and minerals.

If you live in Europe or know people/family in Europe, please help circulate this message, 35 million signatures are needed NOW! See more:

JOINING HANDS IN HEALTH has now launched its nationwide petition. Our aim is to protect the nation from a lifetime of perpetual ill health; safeguard health choice and human rights.

This EU Directive is draconian and sinister beyond all doubt and its 'guise' is Consumer Protection, although it serves to strip EU Consumers of their right to FREELY CHOOSE. This EU Legislation was conceived behind closed doors in 2002 and premeditatedly kept secret from the public by way of media suppression, in order to avoid a backlash, anti-public campaigns, and possible civil disobedience. We 'the People' must take back Power and our Human Rights, which have been gradually eroded since the inception of the EU in 1972. With a background in Law, I am only too aware that there are very few "Human Rights" remaining. Most have been revoked and replaced with legislation that serves to further undermine and arguably, 'enslave' the general population. Please everyone, make it your business to update yourself on what few legal "Rights" you do have left. Source 'valid' information (not propoganda), analyse it, and join the myriad of 'grassroots causes' that are now in place and seek to reclaim our forfeited rights. This latest legislation should leave NO-ONE in any doubt that an arguably, sinister and er.. Disturbing agenda is emerging. And right under our very nose. Although 99. 9% of the UK population are blissfully unaware of this impending Legislation, they will become AWARE once it comes into effect. By which time, it will be too late.

Many in the health industry are alarmed at the sheer disregard the legislations have for the ancient principle that Natural Foods are meant to Feed & Heal. As confirmed by Hippocrates, (the ancient father of medicine), who famously quoted; "Let thy Food be thy Medicine and thy Medicine be thy Food", and Paracelsus (father of Pharmacology) who stated, "All that man needs for health and healing has been provided by God in nature... The challenge of science is to find it. "

Also conflicting with the spiritual beliefs recognized & respected worldwide, these legislations will replace 'natural foods' (God-made) with 'all things artificial' (i. E. Man-made). In so doing, Religious / Spiritual rights are being dishonoured, disrespected and denied. However, this is only the 'tip of the iceberg', as strict censorship also means we can no longer speak or teach each other about the merits and health enhancing benefits of natural foods, as handed down from generation to generation. Therefore, centuries of ancient wisdom will be written out of the history books and lost to future generations.

Meanwhile, UK Regulators (funded by vested interests of the Pharmaceutical Industry and employed as EU Law Enforcers & Watchdogs), are currently criminalizing' legitimate manufacturers & practitioners with heavy fines imprisonment, product confiscation, removal of ingredients (they classify as 'medicinal'), or forced business closure... For "the crime" of restoring health naturally. These Regulators have been given more powers than the police and includes the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Trading Standards, Environmental Health, plus others. Their actions are effectively driving the natural health industry underground; threatening the survival of thousands of small (established) health manufacturers, suppliers, practitioners, therapists and consumer health-choice.

1. SAFEGUARD - Natural foods, vitamins, herbs, supplements & traditional medicines / indigenous remedies; and the natural health industry.

2. SECURE - The democratic freedom, health choice, human / religious & consumer rights of UK citizens and future generations.

3. PROTECT - Animal health & welfare.

4. PRESERVE - Our natural environment

Somehow I don't think that this is true. The health industry is very strong and the profits must be huge so closing it down would be very difficult. I know that there were talks in Britain to stop supplements being sold. Once I was there and signed a petition against it but somehow I don't think that this is true. Here in France most pharmacies even sell supplements and I think that for many it is a big source of income. For me it would be devastating as I try to avoid medication as much as I can and instead take vitamins and minerals. Homeopathic doctors here in France are fully certified. Anyway, this would put a lot of shops and professionals out of work. I hope that it is not true....... In Britain, big shops like Holland & Barrets only sell suplements and they exist all over the country. What a disaster would it be? But we are slaves of the European Union so if they want to do something I am afraid they will do it no matter what! Freedom has been finished here for a very long time!

I hope you are correct, Francisca. Dr. Mercola recently posted an article regarding this that was not so hopeful. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/26/drug-companies-win-big-and-eliminate-medical-herbs-from-europe.aspx

If this goes through in Europe the U. S. Won't be far behind. This would be a sad day for us all.

Why did you post no details about this supposed alert?
Was it from an e-mail, or a paid health newsletter?

Who exactly is the editor, or website owner/proprietor of the site where you received it?

There are plenty of paid frauds, shills, scaremongers, disinformation specialists and on and on working for front companies of Big Pharma whose purpose is to get you to waste your time, efforts, organizing, etc. on box canyon schemes! Here's the view of one very credentialed fellow warning about such things and the kinds of people used:
www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/THE_FOUNDATION/Events/codex-agentsofdisinformation.html

Laibow and Stubblebine's persistent spreading of inaccurate and misleading information on Codex

Given Albert Stubblebine's background, and his resulting proximity to the U. S. Government, eyebrows began to be raised in the natural health community in early 2005 when, along with Rima Laibow, he launched the website of the Natural Solutions Foundation and began to promote himself as an expert on Codex Alimentarius.

Hi Lisa, I had to go to the local pharmacy yesterday and asked the ladies there about the law. They didn't know a thing and one said the same thing I did, that the health industry is too big to be stopped. But.... I have heard talks about that before and I know that many would love to finish it off altogether! For me it would be awful (and for millions of other people too, I'm sure) as I rely more and more on health options and want to stay away from normal medicine for as long as I possibly can. I would feel robbed of my human rights.

But for many who maybe don't realize this the European Union is the worst thing that could have ever happened to us. We are slaves of people who only have their own interests at heart and who badly damage the countries who had the bad idea to get associated with them. It costs so much money, you wouldn't believe it and their ideas are as a rule worthless at the best and badly damaging at the worst. Just think that every month they move everything (and it is a huge machine) from Brussels to Strasbourg and back for no other reason than that they feel like it. Their talent for wasting money is shattering!

Anyway, one thing people probably don't realize and which I think is true is that when a company manufacturing supplements starts to make money it is often bought by the Big Pharma so why would they be interested in stopping the sales? The health industry has sadly enough become big business as well. Dr. Mercola says that a lot of people take too many supplements but the problem is that, at least here in Europe, we don't really have doctors specialized in vitamins and minerals. We have homeopathic doctors but that is completely different. At least I don't know any and that is a problem. I read a lot of books, would like to discuss the options with someone but as that person doesn't exist I end taking whatever I feel is right with too little knowledge.

My only help is this site and the nice ladies at the health shops I go to. Do I make mistakes? I am sure I do but what else can I do? And when he says that we should rely more on nutrition that is very true but food is so bad nowadays that I don't think that you can stay healthy without extra help as you will never manage to get enough nutrients. This said I really hope this law won't be enacted because not only people's health is at stake, people's freedom of choice as well but also the way people earn a living. Just think of all the health shops, natural doctors, pharmacies (as they here all sell supplements), supplement manufactures, thousands of Internet sites and so on! It will be a disaster but then so many things are a disaster nowadays!

Actually Tom, I cited the source at the top of my post. However, the news about this is out there. Simply do a search for any combination of keywords. It is being widely reported in the alternative news here. I don't subscribe to Laibow, and don't know the other source you've cited. If you follow what's been going in the countries who have joined the EU, you will see it's indeed a frightening call to arms. We in the US are headed down the same path through the North American Alliance. If you do your research you'll find that the trends are not only alarming, but downright terrifiying in teheir implications. Look into Monsanto and the seed buying. Look into the powers that be that are buying up the water supplies. This latest turn of events involving codex and the health supplements is one more step toward loss of liberty and the time to act is now, all of us, no matter what continent we're on.

For those who care, I am not an "alarmist" nor a "conspriacy theorist. " If you have to put a label on me call me a concerned invidual who doesn't like what's happening in the world. As far as people saying it can't happen here--remember that the "little" health food guys are all being bought up, or have been already, by non-"health" entities. These companies have agendas that are not in our best interest. Their priority is making money and pleasing stockholders. They are not mom and pops or surfer dudes or earth mommas running little shops in Sacramento. Do you know who owns Trader Joe's? A German corporation. Do you know which country spearheaded the push to unify Europe? It was dreamed up by Hitler in the 40's and he had a name for it by 1942: The European Community.

We must wake-up, now. It's hard to stay independent. Once a company is bought quality declines, and the first thing to go are the pure ingredients. When the organic standards were relaxed ages ago, surprise, Walmart got into the "organic" market. GMO's are everywhere. Organic is nearly a myth. I bet if we did a study here in the States we would find that most of the smaller companies we think are independent belong to big corporations. Just so you know, here in the US, as well as in the EU I'm willing to bet, "corporations" have the same rights as indivduals. Watch the movie "The Corporation. " There is a reason they are squeezing out the health supplement market, alternative care (yes, it's happening in the States--look at insurance reform regarding alternative therapies which followed the money crisis). Just follow the money. This latest event with codex is meant to see how much we will take. I hope I have not sounded too vigilant here. It certainly wasn't my intent. But I don't think any of us should be relaxed about the events that are happening around us anymore.

I have heard similar. Though what I've heard is that it will become very regulated. So regulated that any supplements or herbs with any contaminates, even traces of minerals that occur naturally eg: arsenic, cadmium in the minutest amount are deemed to be contaminated and will not be available. Thus companies that can extract elements from (and therefore possibly patent) a natural herb will be able to sell their product, whereas a small company selling the whole herb may not be able to do so. Thus in theory it may sound good but the outcome may be more limiting. This is my understanding but bear in mind I'm in Australia not Europe so my info is very limited. What we are facing here in Australia is some of our food, herbs & spices are being irradiated and not labeled as such. Unfortunately this also includes organic ones. GMO is allowed up to 1% without labeling, Greenpeace have tests results of a respected baby formula having GMO. Also our food labels do not have to include ingredients that are less than 5% of the product unless they are a known allergen or food colouring. This info is a couple of years old and I have not seen the regulations recently. Love this web site, many thanks.

Hi Lane, after having read an article on this subject what I understood is that this is a move to get rid of the small companies producing supplements and to leave it all in the hands of the Big Pharma. By making the licensing very complex and expensive they are sure that anyone else will be wiped out! I agree with you and I said it in my last posting that the little companies are all being bought up by the big ones.

And not only supplement makers, you have probably heard about the story of The Body Shop (no idea whether it exists in the US or not but I suppose it does) which started out being a one woman dream and in the end was bought up if I am not mistaken by L'Oreal. So there you go..... And anyway anyone should be alert because the health business has become so big anyway that the same problems one can encounter in the Big Pharma will be seen there as well: disrespect for your wellbeing, selling just anything in order to get rich......

And it seems they already are, read the post here about the Magnesium Stearate, the fact that most pills contain soy and so on. As far as the United Europe goes people should get informed, even people who don't live here because what is done here can be done elsewhere. Without wanting to go into politics on a site which is not for that effect if you are interested in more information read for example Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.

I agree with you 100%. Here in the US the corporate giants are killing us with the blessing of the FDA & Dept of Agriculture head Tom Vilsack. People have got to stop drinking the tap water & wake up before it is too late. It's an absolute crime what Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, Merck, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Kellogg, Post, General Mills, Yum Foods, to name just a few, are doling out as food in this country. It's killing people and it's a slow death. Because there is profit in people's pain & agony. It's totally disgusting.

I totally agree with you, what is being sold for food ready to eat, it is trash and even if you buy and cook everything yourself, it is still contaminated and the water is bad- God help us. Merryanne in Florida

Well said Jb. I am starting to read a book on MSG and it is amazing how widespread the use of this toxic drug is! When I read the names it hides under I went to have a look at my chicken stock "without MSG added" and yes, it has it under another name, disgusting! So, without knowing I was still eating MSG. What they won't do in order to fool you..... I have just finished reading Adelle Davis' book "Let's get well" and it is interesting to see how worried she was in 1965. I am sure she would have been horrified if she was alive now.

Here's an article a friend emailed today: "The 7 foods experts won't eat"

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-547963/

Health Experts on:

Canned Tomatoes
Corn Fed Beef
Microwave Popcorn
Nonorganic Potatoes
Farmed Salmon
Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
Conventional Apple

P.S. The farmed salmon blurb was most eye-opening!

"... Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT."

Urgent : Below are two links with information on and links for protecting our right for self quarantine and protecting us against mandatory vaccinations. Please take time to protect our freedom.

2. State and Federal Laws allow choice of forced vaccination or incarceration in prisons or camps http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=2802 making it ESSENTIAL to demand the right to self-quarantine

NOW: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27275