As regular readers will be aware, the FDA is poised to eliminate consumer access to compounded bioidentical hormones like estriol, progesterone, testosterone, and others. We’re working with our allies to mobilize members of Congress to take action on this critical women’s health issue. We need your help to get as many members to support our cause as we possibly can.

Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Phil Roe (R-TN) are leading a Congressional letter asking the FDA to “consider the severely negative impact some of [the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s] recommendations would have on patients,” and requesting that consumer access to compounded bioidentical hormones be maintained.

To briefly recap how we got here: estriol and other hormones were nominated to the FDA’s Demonstrably Difficult to Compound List. Items that appear on the final list will be barred from pharmacy compounding. This was particularly concerning given that the FDA had previously attacked estriol in 2008, but was beaten back on account of ANH member activism. After initial pushback from the natural health community against the latest attack, the agency asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to impartially evaluate the “clinical utility” of using compounded bioidentical hormones to treat patients. NASEM’s evaluation report, which was heavily slanted against compounded bioidentical hormones, was released in late July of this year (read our analysis here).

Suffice it to say, in our view, the FDA carefully managed this process to achieve an intended result: eliminating access to compounded bioidentical hormones to create a monopoly for FDA-approved hormones. With an “impartial” report from the “experts” at NASEM, the FDA has given itself cover to ban compounded BHRT.

This is a critical issue, particularly for women. Many studies have shown that estriol offers many potential health benefits—for urinary tract and bone health, for example—without some of the dangers that accompany higher-potency estrogens, such as cancer. A ban would cause suffering for many, many women. But as we’ve written before, this is one among many attacks that, in our opinion, is meant to make it impossible for traditional compounding pharmacies to stay in business.

The FDA still needs to go through the normal rulemaking process before estriol or other hormones are banned from compounding, but the time to act is now. We must get Congress on our side to try to reign in this agency.

Attacking estriol and compounded hormones to clear the market for FDA-approved hormone drugs is just one of the ways the FDA and the federal government bolster drug monopolies and undermine natural health options. Our crony healthcare system bars not only the use, but even the mention, of natural remedies like vitamin D that have not been, and never can be, put through the multi-billion dollar FDA approval process, because as natural substances they cannot be fully patented. Until this system changes, we will remain a nation of sick people paying way too much for healthcare that is ineffective.

Action Alert! Write to Congress and urge your elected officials to support the letter asking the FDA to protect consumer access to compounded bioidentical hormones. Please send your message immediately. By sending this message, you will also be supporting our petition to ungag doctors so that they can share with patients the benefits of supplements and natural treatments for COVID.

The post Who Will Stand Up for Women’s Health? first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.

At the behest of the telecoms industry, the FCC is trying to update an old rule in a way that would allow industry to turn consenting private residences into cell towers. It is another way in which the FCC and industry are undermining the ability of local communities to decide how and whether 5G technology gets implemented, and we have to fight back.

The OTARD rule, an acronym for “over the air reception device,” was adopted as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. This rule prohibits local municipalities from restricting the installation of satellite dish antennas and other antennas on private residences for reception of TV signals. This rule was amended in 2002 to allow for signal transmission, but with the caveat that the antenna had to be used primarily for the use of the tenant or homeowner.

This rule has never been applied to the use of antennas to transmit signals to others in one’s neighborhood. What started off as a pro-consumer measure has now been fashioned into a bludgeon for industry to avoid accountability and local oversight.

At industry prompting, the FCC has proposed a change to the OTARD rule that would cover wireless “hubs.” This would allow the industry to turn people’s homes into cell towers, and since this would be done on private property, it effectively circumvents the need for companies to meet local zoning and environmental requirements. If your neighbor agrees to accept a fee and turn their home into a cell tower, you could do nothing about it. The limited tools that citizens have to keep dangerous levels of microwave radiation out of their neighborhoods would disappear.

This is a critical health and safety issue, yet astoundingly little has been done to understand the human health implications of 5G deployment. There are no independent safety studies about the safety of 5G. During a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) asked members of the FDA and FTC if any studies were being conducted on the safety of 5G. At the end of the exchange, Blumenthal concluded, “So there really is no research ongoing.  We’re kind of flying blind here, as far as health and safety is concerned.”

The comment period for this proposal has closed, and all indications are that the FCC will move forward. We must generate grassroots pressure on the FCC and on Capitol Hill opposing this and other actions that are undermining our ability to check the telecoms industry and 5G expansion.

This isn’t the only way in which cronyism undermines our health. The FDA and the FTC are actively working to keep information from the public about how natural medicine can help protect us from COVID-19 infection. We must oppose these assaults on our freedoms.

Action Alert! Write to the FCC and Congress opposing changes to the OTARD rule. Please send your message immediately. By sending this message, you will also be supporting our petition to ungag doctors so that they can share with patients the benefits of supplements and natural treatments for COVID.

The post Your Home A Cell Tower? Don’t Let FCC Do It! first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.

For some time, we’ve been telling you about the FDA’s attempt to impose pre-market approval requirements on laboratory developed tests (LDTs). The agency’s efforts were, thankfully, just dealt a major blow: the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) announced that the FDA will no longer be regulating LDTs. This is a major victory that will open the door to innovation in a sector of medicine that is incredibly important.

Specifically, HHS states: “FDA will not require premarket review of laboratory developed tests (“LDT”) absent notice-and-comment rulemaking, as opposed to through guidance documents, compliance manuals, website statements, or other informal issuances.” Part of the reason for this may be that LDTs are already regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). CLIA requires laboratories to hire scientifically qualified personnel and to follow rigorous testing, analytical validation and record-keeping procedures.

These changes could allow a wave of innovation in this industry. The FDA claimed authority over LDTs after Congress amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1976. But since that time, the agency has only singled out a handful of LDTs for active enforcement. This threat of regulation tends to have a chilling effect on innovation, since labs developing new tests didn’t know whether the FDA would target them or not. With this announcement, hopefully that situation will change.

The FDA’s power grab on LDTs undoubtedly cost lives in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the FDA’s choice to regulate LDTs for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Labs needed to wait for the agency to grant Emergency Use Authorizations to run their tests, costing valuable time at the outset of the pandemic and delaying the deployment of widespread testing for the coronavirus.

How the feds treat LDTs is enormously important. Medical testing is the future of medicine. New tests already exist to spot cancers long before they manifest themselves otherwise. But these tests are very expensive, and neither Medicare nor insurance companies will pay for them. If they become more widely available, the price will fall. Testing can also help prevent diabetes, heart and blood vessel illness, prostate cancer, and other diseases.

LDTs are not only important for general medicine; they’re the future of individualized medicine. Integrative doctors use these tests to gather information that aids them in identifying the root causes of their patients’ illnesses—information that cannot be gathered and analyzed otherwise. If the FDA moved forward with its proposal, these developments would have been halted and medicine would be set back years.

There are many more reforms that must be enacted to improve medicine in this country. If you haven’t already, please sign our petition to reform a health system that blocks access to natural treatments that generally cannot go through FDA approval.

Action Alert! Sign our petition that seeks to reform a healthcare system that blocks access to natural treatments that generally cannot go through FDA approval. Please send your message immediately.

The post FDA’s Blood Testing Monopoly Dealt Blow first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.

Famed natural health expert Joseph Mercola, DO has teamed up with a group of other experts to launch a new initiative, Stop COVID Cold. It includes a detailed and informative report about the benefits of vitamin D and other natural supplements for boosting immunity and preventing severe COVID infection. The initiative also includes a quiz to help assess an individual’s risk for developing COVID-19.

This information is more crucial than ever, given the government’s aggressive censorship campaign to prevent the public from learning about how to use natural medicine to stay healthy. Given this censorship, we commend Dr. Mercola for his bravery in continuing to provide this vital information.

Click here to download the report and take the quiz.

Click here to watch our interview with Dr. Mercola about his campaign.

The post Dr. Mercola Works To Stop COVID Cold first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.

A new study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that those with the highest level of BPA had a 51 percent higher risk of death from all causes. This is just the latest in a long list of health conditions that are linked with this chemical. BPA is making us sick with diseases that make us more vulnerable to COVID-19. We must move to ban this chemical immediately.

The authors note that previous studies have linked BPA to cardiometabolic disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, as well as atherosclerosis, coronary artery stenosis, and reduction in heart rate variability. Animal studies have demonstrated this chemical is an endocrine disruptor, which can lead to obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Note the significance: those with diabetes are 3 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19, as are those with hypertension. Exposure to BPA may be a major under-the-radar pre-existing condition.

Previously, we’ve noted that some experts believe that exposure to toxins such as BPA is the main culprit in the obesity and diabetes epidemics, not sugar consumption. Joseph Pizzorno, ND and his colleagues have estimated that about 90% of diabetes cases could be attributed to the “massive increase in body load of toxins.” The worst chemicals are BPA, arsenic, phthalates, and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).

ANH has written extensively about BPA. It is a chemical used in the production of certain plastics and is used in many consumer goods, such as food and drink packaging, cash register receipts, water bottles, implanted medical devices, and many more. Researchers have found BPA in 90% of Americans tested.

Some experts estimate that BPA may have an effect on human health at levels 20,000 times lower than the FDA’s current safety limit.

The federal government’s lack of action on BPA is hurting vulnerable populations most. According to the JAMA Open Network study cited above, “Participants with higher urinary BPA levels were more likely to be younger, male, and non-Hispanic Black and have lower educational level, lower family income, lower physical activity, higher total energy intake, poorer dietary quality, and higher BMI.”

Older people and those with pre-existing conditions are especially in need of natural prevention and treatment for COVID but are not allowed even to hear about it because of the gagging of doctors and others to support the drug industry. Because of government rules (or lack thereof), we’re exposed to BPA and develop chronic health conditions; and because of government rules, we can’t learn about how to treat or prevent these chronic conditions with inexpensive, safe, and effective natural medicines. This is unacceptable.

Action Alert! Write to Congress, telling them to ban BPA. Please send your message immediately. By sending this message, you will also be supporting our petition to ungag doctors so that they can share with patients the benefits of supplements and natural treatments for COVID.

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In a slew of warning letters, the FDA attacked companies selling “unapproved” cures for hangovers. In its explanation, the agency states that hangovers are included in the federal definition of disease, so products claiming to treat them must receive FDA approval. This is the latest attack from an agency that, for years, has worked to protect patented pharmaceutical drugs from competition from natural products. We must reform this crony health system that is keeping healthcare costs high—and more importantly, keeping us sick.

The idea that a hangover is a disease may seem bizarre: welcome to our federal government. It is important to remember what a hangover is— an acute response to overindulgence resulting in temporary dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, disruption to key hormone and nutrient levels. It is an acute event, rather than a chronic exposure or state—in other words, not like anything in the FDA definition of disease.* It is like a sunburn. It is temporary pain resulting from a specific event. And like excessive sun exposure, which can lead to diseases like melanoma, chronic alcohol abuse leads to a host of disease states. Conflating acute injury with a state of disease is nefarious wordplay that could invalidate all structure/function claims (see here for an explanation of these claims). Perhaps FDA will target aloe vera next regarding its claims of reducing the symptoms of a sunburn, since by their application a sunburn is akin to melanoma.

The agency has claimed that inflammation is a disease, blocking supplement companies from making any claim about a nutrient’s ability to help this natural protective response of the human body. Previously, the agency has also attacked companies for “implied disease claims,” a term which the FDA invented to further prevent legal and truthful claims about the benefits of supplements.

For example:

• The truthful claim that niacin lowers cholesterol is deemed an implied claim that the product is a treatment for hypercholesterolemia.
• The truthful claim that chromium lowers blood sugar levels is deemed an implied claim that the product is a treatment for diabetes.
• The truthful claim that magnesium lowers blood pressure levels is deemed an implied claim that the product is a treatment for hypertension.

Note that this censorship not only denies consumers helpful information about the benefits of these products, but also presents safety concerns. Patients who are already on blood sugar lowering drugs may experience negative effects if they take a supplement that further lowers blood sugar, but the FDA banishes this information from the label.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised any more by the actions of an agency that would threaten cherry and walnut growers with fines and jail time for citing respected scientific studies about the health benefits of those foods.

Why does the FDA do this? It appears to be all about the cronyism baked into our health system. Censoring information about supplements clears the way for more drug sales, and drug companies directly pay FDA salaries.

Unfortunately, regular readers of our newsletter will know that this censorship is nothing new. The FDA, together with the FTC, has issued hundreds of warning letters to doctors and clinics for educating the public about how to treat or prevent COVID-19 infection with natural products that have strong scientific evidence to support them. But in order to make any kind of health claim, a supplement would need to go through FDA drug approval, which is an exorbitantly expensive process costing billions. But because supplements are generally not patentable like drugs are, no company will fund the research necessary to gain FDA approval. The result is that promising natural treatments are completely ignored by our health system. If we have any hope of improving healthcare in this country, this arrangement needs to change.

*Federal rules block supplements from making any claim to have “an effect on the characteristic signs or symptoms of a specific disease or class of diseases.” As far as health claims go, federal rules define “disease” as “damage to an organ, part, structure, or system of the body such that it does not function properly (e.g., cardiovascular disease), or a state of health leading to such dysfunctioning (e.g., hypertension); except that diseases resulting from essential nutrient deficiencies (e.g., scurvy, pellagra) are not included in this definition.”  According to the FDA’s logic, a hangover is a “sign or symptom” of alcohol intoxication, which the agency considers a disease.

Action Alert! Sign our petition that seeks to reform a healthcare system that blocks access to natural treatments that generally cannot go through FDA approval. Please send your message immediately.

The post Feds: Hangover is a Disease first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.

Below you’ll find a list of Congressional champions on issues critical to the natural health community. It is important for these offices to hear from their constituents: thank you letters reinforce the good work these members are doing and will incentivize continued support on important issue areas. (Note that only constituents of the following elected officials will be able to send a message.)

If you don’t know your member of Congress, look them up here.

Overall Congressional champions for natural health:

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) – Senator Baldwin has been an important supporter of access to estriol and other bioidentical hormones. She has also supported consumer access to CBD oil.

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) – Senator Boozman is a dietary supplement caucus member. He supports consumer access to beneficial information about dietary supplements, access to estriol and other bioidentical hormones, and access to homeopathy.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) – Senator Heinrich is a strong supporter of dietary supplements and homeopathy.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) – Senator Paul has been a proponent of supporting consumer choice in their health care decisions, including work to provide greater access to information about the benefits of dietary supplements and other natural health options, and expanding the use of Health Savings Accounts.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) – Representative Biggs has been a leader in protecting access to homeopathy.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT-01) – Representative Bishop is a dietary supplement caucus member, and he supports access to estriol and other bioidentical hormones.

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX-26) – Representative Burgess is a supporter of access to estriol and other bioidentical hormones, as well as a leader on many health issues.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) – Representative Cohen is a strong supporter of access to CBD oil and bioidentical hormones.

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) – Representative Cooper supports access to CBD oil and bioidentical hormones.

Rep. John Curtis (R-UT-03) – Representative Curtis supports access to homeopathy and is a member of the dietary supplement caucus.

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) – Representative Griffith is a leader in supporting access to personalized compounded medications and to CBD oil.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-03) – Representative Grijalva supports integrative healthcare, access to estriol and other bioidentical hormones and access to CBD oil.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) – Representative Lee is a strong supporter of bioidentical hormones and access to CBD oil.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) – Representative Lofgren is a supporter of consumer access to beneficial information about dietary supplements, access to estriol and other bioidentical hormones and access to CBD oil.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) – Congressman Pocan has been a leader in protecting access to bioidentical hormones and other compounded medications. He’s also a supporter of toxin-free organic food options.

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT-02) – Representative Stewart is a dietary supplement caucus member and supports access to personalized compounded medications.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) – Representative Wittman supports access to CBD oil and bioidentical hormones.

Thank additional members of the dietary supplement caucus:

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)

Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV-02)

Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI-01)

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY-22)

Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26)

Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29)

Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08)

Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA-46)

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04)

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC-03)

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02)

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05)

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD-01)

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI-02)

Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06)

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI-03)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY-02)

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16)

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08)

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH-02)

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)

Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM-03)

Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT-04)

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI-04)

Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV-02)

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC-05)

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06)

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL-03)

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD-02)

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA-30)

Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI-06)

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI-07)

Thank additional supporters of bioidentical hormones:

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA-02)

Rep. John Carter (R-TX-31)

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT-02)

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA-18)

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX-01)

Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX-12)

Rep. Al Green (D-TX-09)

Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX-24)

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX-10)

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI-04)

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL-01)

Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA-38)

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX-13)

Thank additional supporters of homeopathy:

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01)

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08)

Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA-03)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA-04)

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05)

The post Who Will Defend Natural Health on Capitol Hill? first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.

A bill being considered by Congress will expand access to safer, locally raised meat by loosening federal restrictions on how local meat gets processed. If we want safer alternatives to meat raised in CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), we must support this bill.

Current federal law requires slaughterhouses producing meat for sale to have USDA inspectors on site during slaughter. The law was passed in 1967, when there were 10,000 slaughterhouses nationwide; today, there are less than 3,000 slaughterhouses operating due to the concentration of the meat industry. Because there are fewer slaughterhouses, small producers must travel incredibly long distances to and from federally inspected slaughterhouses. This means lots of time away from the farm and expensive transportation costs, making it difficult for small businesses to compete with CAFOs.

COVID-19 has made the situation for small farmers even more difficult. There are massive delays at the few slaughterhouses that remain—in some places farmers have been told they have to wait until 2022. Farmers need to care for and feed their animals during that time with no way to make a profit.

There is an alternative: smaller, custom slaughterhouses exist throughout the country. Legally, they can only process meat for the owner of an animal and their family; it cannot be produced for sale. Custom slaughterhouses are exempt from federal requirements to have a federal inspector on the premises when slaughter is taking place, though these facilities do get inspected by the USDA.

The PRIME (Processing Revival of Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act would permit the sale of meat processed at custom slaughterhouses intrastate to households, restaurants, and grocers. This bill will make sustainable, locally-raised meat more affordable and allow small farms to compete with CAFOs on a more even playing field.

Opponents of the bill argue that the PRIME Act would put consumers in danger, since the meat would not be inspected by the USDA. Consider, though, that animals raised in CAFOs are often pumped full of antibiotics. While this helps prevent rampant illness in the filthy conditions of a CAFO, it also turns the animals into “disease factories” where resistant bacteria can flourish. Humans can then be exposed to these superbugs by eating contaminated meat. Because local producers do not typically give their animals antibiotics, locally-raised meat is a much safer bet from a health standpoint. Animals in CAFOs are also fed diets consisting of GMO corn and soybeans, rather than grass and forage. This difference in diet changes the nutritional composition of the meat from the animal—grass-fed meat contains up to five times as much omega-3 fatty acids, which is associated with a number of health benefits.

USDA inspection also does not guarantee safety; there have been plenty of recalls on meat products tainted with dangerous pathogens. In 2016, more than 47 million pounds of meat were recalled because of listeria contamination.

Custom slaughterhouses would process far fewer animals a week than the industrial operations employed by CAFOs—another reason that safety would not be sacrificed under the PRIME Act. Custom slaughterhouses must comply with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which stipulates that animals must be rendered insensible to pain before being slaughtered. While there aren’t USDA inspectors at every custom facility to ensure compliance, the agency can and has found and punished those who violate the law. Finally, the USDA does periodically inspect custom slaughterhouses to ensure compliance with federal hygiene requirements (having washable walls and floors, proper drainage, etc.).

This is just one example of federal rules that undermine our ability to stay healthy. As we’ve been telling you, the federal government has been gagging doctors from informing the public about how natural medicines can help fight COVID-19. We need to reform this system that not only bars the use, but even the mention, of natural remedies that have not been, and never can be, put through the multi-billion dollar FDA approval process.

We must support the PRIME Act so we have alternatives to inferior CAFO meat.

Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to support the PRIME Act! Please send your message immediately. By sending this message, you will also be supporting our petition to ungag doctors so that they can share with patients the benefits of supplements and natural treatments for COVID.

The post Fight for CAFO Alternatives first appeared on Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health.