The House Has Passed Its Healthcare Legislation by the Narrowest of Margins
What is and what isn’t in a bill that is nearly 2000 pages and weighs nearly 20 pounds?
10 Nov
2009
10 Nov
2009
Privacy, Science at Risk
In 2006, then President George W. Bush signed into law the dietary supplement and OTC bill dealing with reporting on adverse events. Now, the French food safety agency, AFSSA (Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments), has launched a program to monitor the consumption of dietary supplements and any adverse events.
10 Nov
2009
FDA’s Lax Ways
Despite increasing calls for transparency at the FDA, the agency’s sloppy performance continues to put consumers at risk both medically and financially.
10 Nov
2009
Your Body—Your Right to Choose!
The Massachusetts Public Health Emergency Preparation and Response Act (H4275) passed the House on 10.08.09. This piece of legislation articulates the authority granted to the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health during a ‘declared emergency’ and is companion legislation to S2028, which passed in April of this year. The two bills will now go […]
03 Nov
2009
News vs. Opinion
The natural-products community and nutritionally oriented practitioners are very familiar with media bias. For example, the press often reports that “dietary supplements are not regulated.”
03 Nov
2009
Are Federal “Expert Panels” Essential to Overhauling the Nation’s Healthcare System?
We have previously written here about the ramifications of the economic stimulus bills that became law in February 2009. Putting aside the economic and security consequences of adding to the nation’s debt, let’s focus on the $1.1 billion for a Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program, designed to determine which healthcare treatment options are most effective […]
03 Nov
2009
Alert: Healthcare Legislation — Last Chance to Get it Right!
Now that the House is set to debate the merged healthcare bill, we need to make sure they get it right!
03 Nov
2009
Hospital-Acquired Infections Linked to Nearly 100,000 Deaths Annually
Those following the debate over healthcare reform often hear that eliminating waste from the current healthcare system would, in large measure, fund reform. Given the number of dollars wasted, the lives lost and the suffering associated with sloppy healthcare, why do we drag our feet in improving our current system and reducing waste?
03 Nov
2009
FDA to Standardize Labeling of Food
Various labeling systems are currently being used by U.S. retailers and food makers to make nutritional claims. Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, recently sent an open letter to the food industry stating the agency’s intent to develop a new regulation to define “the nutritional criteria that […]
27 Oct
2009
Risks vs. Benefits
The public consciousness of risk vs. benefit was raised considerably with the media’s discussion of the benefits of taking a Cox II inhibitor (Celebrex and Vioxx) vs. the potential risks (Cox II inhibitors are linked to the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding as well to an increased risk of heart attack).