Keep Supplements Clean
From Citizens for Health: Aug 13, 2013
Citizens for Health ~ A Consumer Voice of the Natural Health Community is asking supporters to visit the AHPA site – The American Herbal Products Association. It has a track record for preserving our safety and quality for the supplements and natural products we use. They are protecting our health and keeping us informed.
Supplements are not drugs, and therefore, deserve their own system of regulation. And, of course, such a system already exists thanks to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), and it has done a more-than-adequate job protecting consumers – for the most part.
The vast majority of dietary supplement products fully comply with applicable laws and are properly sold to consumers. However, some unscrupulous companies have threatened consumer confidence by selling tainted products that contain undeclared prescription drugs and other chemicals in an effort to thwart existing regulations. Since 2008, FDA has identified nearly 400 such products (most of these products have been marketed either for weight loss, body building, or sexual enhancement).
Add to that the recent publication of a new book bashing alternative medicine by Merck henchman and self-proclaimed expert Paul Offit, and it is clear the natural health and wellness community must do all we can to reinforce and expand public awareness of the reliability and safety of all but a small minority of natural health products.
The FDA asked the natural products industry for aid in unmasking these bad-faith “supplements”. That’s why back in November we told you about a website created by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) in response to the request, KeepSupplementsClean.org.
We urge all Citizens for Health to visit this site – and if you did in November, do so again, and often. You can find the specific names of tainted and drug-spiked products identified by regulators around the world, sign up for an FDA RSS feed for future updates, and learn how to report suspicious products to FDA.
We all must do what we can to ensure we continue to enjoy access to the products and information we use to maintain our health and wellness, and to ensure the track record of safety and quality keeps growing. Visit KeepSupplementsClean.org today, and share it with everyone you know.
As always, thank you for your participation,
The Citizens for Health Team
***And, speaking of tainted products, don’t forget to sign the CFH petition to clearly label products containing that artificial goop, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Thank you for your support. Share this with those you care about and love. Kate