Fighting federal regulations, and fighting cancer

By Jonathan Evans Herbal Information Specialist /Business Representative for the Herbarium Special to PRIME Greetings dear readers. There is so much to report this month this is going to be a very busy column. We start with a warning: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on the move yet again to destroy the supplement industry. Proposed regulations and guidelines for new dietary ingredients as ordered by President Obama through an executive order are being taken by the FDA to force manufacturers to submit to testing and other means similar to pharmaceutical products. This is not what the guidelines intended. In fact, it is a wink and a nod to the European Codex Ailimentarus, The United States has nothing to do with the ridiculous regulations that have decimated the supplement industry in Europe. For heaven's sake, the European regulations make Centrum vitamins look like super vitamins. This is the same organization that makes it possible to buy codeine over the counter, but you need a prescription for St. Johnswort. Turmeric, which many of you have used for arthritis and other inflammation would be treated to the same expensive testing as a prescription drug! What a sick joke that is! I do not have the space in this column to go into a lot of detail, and time is of the essence. Please, if you are a supplement taker go to the following Web sites and read about it and act now. Alliance for Natural Health at the Web site anh-usa.org , Dr. Julian Whitaker, or naturalnews.com. You can pick up a sample letter to your congressman or the FDA here at the Herbarium. We fought for the right to have supplements in 1976 and 1994. We have to do it again. Illegitimi non carborundum! This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Lots will be written on the subject, but little will be mentioned about complementary therapies. Here are just two items that have been used and tested and results are encouraging. Co-enzyme Q10 has been used as an adjunct therapy and has shown positive results in remission and regression of tumors. CoQ10 is also very important for cardiovascular health and cholesterol. If you are using any statin drugs, it is imperative you supplement with CoQ10 (even the pharmaceutical companies suggest it). Another product that is showing encouraging results is Turkey Tail mushrooms. In a clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Bastyr College, and the University of Minnesota, Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) enhanced immune function for women with stage 1-111 breast cancer with no adverse effects. Information on these reports is available at the Herbarium. One of the great benefits working at our shop is the feedback from our customers. Two wonderful stories came to me this week that makes my job worth doing. A woman who had been on oxycodone and other powerful narcotics for more than 10 years came in to say her pain has been reduced by 90 percent (her words) in just a matter of weeks. She is off her prescriptions. What is this miracle product you might ask? Magnesium. Yep, the same stuff we have been talking and writing about for years did the trick. Then there is the lady who has been taken Nexium, Prilosec, Zantac for years and seemed to get worse. She tried DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) which helps restore the stomach lining, and digestive enzymes. Guess what happened? Go ahead, take a shot at it. Yeah, she doesn't need her prescriptions anymore. Acid blockers, anti-acid products and proton pump inhibitors are fine in limited cases and for limited times, but they were not meant for long term use. They are treating a symptom. The problem is too little acid and too much acid exhibit the same symptoms, yet everyone treats it as if there is too much acid. Yes, I have several articles, some written by doctors, on the enzymes, and other digestive aids available for your perusal. I hope these stories have given you some insight into the wonderful world of complementary therapies. Please check out the Web sites I mentioned and contact your politician quickly before it is too late. — Jonathan Please send your questions on botanical remedies to Natures Rx : Jonathan Evans via e-mail at info@theherbarium.com, or by regular mail at The Herbarium, 264 Exchange Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. If you are requesting additional information from Jonathan, please include a self-addrresed stamped envelope.