You may have heard the news by now, and if you haven’t, keep reading!!   Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., slipped a provision into H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 that has nothing to do with financial reform, granting the FTC (the Federal Trade Commission) authority to regulate supplements and legitimate claims about the health benefits of nutrients, an authority that doesn’t even belong within the FTC’s jurisdiction.

Henry Waxman has been a long time opponent of the health food and OTC supplement industry and the provisions he snuck into legislation designed to reform Wall Street may used for an another attack on the e industry, enabling an end run around the Dietary Supplement Health and Safety Act (DSHEA).  Just wait.  If this becomes law, we will see times reminiscent of the early 1990s when the FDA engaged in a series of raids on health food stores and alternative medicine clinics.  This abusive activity spurred the enactment of the DSHEA, which was passed by Congress in 1994 to protect access to dietary supplements and information on them.

Why is this happening, and why is it happening now?  Hmmm… do you ever stop to think about access to government?  Waxman receives huge sums of money from pharmaceutical companies.  Then, legislation appears that is designed to hurt big pharma’s “competition.”  Do you think it is a coincidence, when the companies that stand to benefit most from the federal health care legislation are the pharmaceutical companies?

Why hasn’t this story been splashed all over the mainstream media?  Perhaps it has something to do with $$$.  You can’t turn on the TV or radio or open a newspaper any more without being bombarded by advertisements for drugs.  They are the ones with the money that keeps the news outlets in business, so it isn’t surprising that stories that are unfavorable to their biggest advertisers are suppressed or glossed over. 

What can you do?   Unfortunately, the bill has already passed the House, but this provision can be kept out of the Senate version if enough of us mobilize against it. You must call or e-mail your Senators as soon as possible, objecting to the secretive, improper inclusion of a provision to give the FTC enormous power over supplements in a finance reform bill.

You can find your Senators easily enough by going to www.senate.gov.

It’s a shame but they never give up.

Posted by Laurie Puckett, Remmel Wellness Center, a full service chiropractic and wellness facility in St. Petersburg, Florida.