BIG BROTHER IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH
By Mary Aspinwall, Registered Homeopath

In the words of the lovely Joni Mitchell “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?” Did you know that your right to choose the kind of healthcare you want for yourself and your family is under attack? Don’t wait until the choice is gone to make your voice heard…

TENS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST

Last month a petition signed by tens of thousands of Irish consumers and supporters of high dose food supplements was handed to Mary Harney. The petition appeals to the Irish government and the EU Commission to respect and retain the right of consumers to access higher level vitamin and mineral supplements, which have been available in Ireland and elsewhere for decades.

EU DICTATES TO YOU

The IAHS (Irish Association of Health Food Stores) requested the Minister’s urgent intervention as the European Commission is in the final stages of developing its proposal on maximum permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements throughout the EU. If the Commission bases its decisions on the recommendations of the Irish authorities, consumers will be denied the right to select levels of nutrients that are well known to promote health.

THE RDA HAS HAD ITS DAY

In its submission to the Commission in November 2006, the Irish Department of Health, on the advice of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), recommended that the maximum permitted levels should be set at no more than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), despite it being an outdated and flawed concept that has no bearing on safe levels.

Dr. Robert Verkerk, Scientific Director of the Alliance for Natural Health commented, “This whole process of mandating low levels for supplements is a political decision, not a scientific one...It’s a sad day when the Department of Health in Ireland takes the same position, despite strong objections from Irish consumers and not a grain of evidence that anyone is being harmed by above-RDA supplementation.”

SPURIOUS SCIENCE

Dr Robert Verkerk illustrates his point very effectively with this comparison: “You know something is wrong when they are thinking of limiting the dose of beta-carotene to the amount you’d find in just two carrots, and restricting selenium to the amount present in less than two Brazil nuts. There seems to have been no attempt to test the models against real data. If the Commission really believed these doses might be the highest safe doses, why aren’t they screaming for warning labels to be put on bags of carrots and Brazil nuts?” He believes a new model should be developed within an independent, academic setting rather than being subject to the often conflicting pressures of industrial stakeholders and political processes.

A GLOBAL TREND

Sadly, the loss of health rights is a global trend, not just an EU phenomenon. The documentary “We Become Silent” narrated by Dame Judi Dench is now freely available to watch online at http://www.welltv.com. It was made to alert the public to the insidious nature of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS. Codex began innocently enough when the U.N. authorized the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to develop a universal food code. The idea was to harmonise regulations for dietary supplements worldwide and set international safety standards for the purposes of increased trade. At a later stage pharmaceutical companies began exerting their influence. Instead of focusing on food safety, Codex is now using its power to introduce worldwide restrictions on vitamins and food supplements, severely limiting their availability and dosages and poses another huge threat to your healthcare rights.

GUNPOINT MEDICINE

In the US last November, the State of Maryland parents of 2,300 children who did not have vaccination certificates were summoned to a County courthouse guarded by armed personnel with attack dogs. Many of the parents had consciously decided not to vaccinate in order to protect their children from the dangerous chemicals found in vaccines (including thimerosal, a chemical additive containing a neurotoxic form of mercury).

Health authorities there had already announced their intent to jail parents if they continued to refuse to have their children vaccinated. This despite the fact that there is no law in Maryland requiring the vaccination of children and parents who refuse to do so can’t be legally charged with violating any law.

Inside the courthouse, those children who attended were forcibly vaccinated, many against their parents’ will, under orders from the State Attorney General, various State Judges and the local School Board Director.

This begs the question, if the treatment being offered was perceived by parents to be effective and safe would it need to be enforced by threats of imprisonment at gunpoint?

THE RISE OF RON PAUL

Many U.S. political pundits have been taken by surprise by the success of Texas congressman Ron Paul in his bid for the Republican Party nomination. One of the reasons for his huge popularity is his introduction of the Health Freedom Protection Act last November. This bill restores the First Amendment rights of consumers to receive truthful information regarding the benefits of foods and dietary supplements by preventing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) efforts to censor truthful health claims.

He believes that because of the FDA’s censorship of truthful health claims, millions of Americans suffer with diseases and other health care problems they may have avoided. For example, the FDA prohibited consumers from learning how folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects for four years after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended every woman of childbearing age take folic acid supplements to reduce neural tube defects. This FDA action contributed to an estimated 10,000 cases of preventable neutral tube defects.

The FDA also continues to prohibit consumers from learning about the scientific evidence that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis; that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of sudden death heart attack; and that calcium may reduce the risk of bone fractures.The Health Freedom Protection Act if passed will switch the burden of proof onto the government that censoring of such information is in the public’s best interests.

In a blow for common sense, Ron Paul points out: “If we are serious about putting people in charge of their health care, then shouldn’t we stop federal bureaucrats from preventing Americans from learning about simple ways to improve their health.”

HOMEOPATHY TARGETED IN THE UK

In the UK there have been increasing attacks on Homeopathy, by orthodox medical practitioners and others, including articles in the press, letters to Primary Care Trusts from groups of individuals, and television programmes. There have been calls for Homeopathy to be removed from the NHS. www.homeopathyworkedforme.org is an umbrella organisation set up to collect signatures on a petition in support of Homeopathy. If you or your family has benefited from Homeopathy, or even if you just believe in people retaining the right to choose it as a healthcare approach please sign the petition.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Use the internet to make informed choices about your health, often small changes in your diet or lifestyle can hugely improve your health and wellbeing. There are lots of excellent sites that are very generous with their information for example www.mercola.com

Support health freedom campaigns wherever you can and let your TD know you want to keep your choice of healthcare options open.

If reading this has depressed you, remember laughter claims to be the best medicine so watch US comic Bill Maher for his enlightening views on healthcare!

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXXTCc-IVg