In December 2008, the FDA published its guidance regarding structure/function claims for dietary supplements in the form of non-binding recommendations to supplement industry manufacturers. Contrary to the oft-repeated notion that dietary supplements are unregulated, under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the “FDA has exclusive jurisdiction over the safety, and primary jurisdiction […]
Updates published on the FDA’s website reveals more products for infants that are contaminated with melamine. A December Pulse of Health Freedom article reported on the contradictory action taken by the FDA after baby formula was found to be contaminated with melamine, a compound first synthesized in 1834. Melamine is sometimes illegally added to food […]
One of 2008’s top ten health stories continues to trouble consumers in 2009: the hazardous compound bisphenol A (BPA), a common chemical component of plastics, which is widely found in consumer products like water bottles, food containers, baby bottles, and dental sealants. BPA is known to leach from these containers when food and drink is […]
The editors at WebMD have posted their list of top 10 health news stories from 2008. Salmonella in tomatoes was number one (even though it now appears that it wasn’t tomatoes and the tomato industry collapsed for no reason); the promise of healthcare reform placed second. Vitamin D was voted the hottest vitamin of 2008; […]
On December 18, a petition was filed with the FDA by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. It asks the FDA to require that diabetic medications in the thiazolidinedione class of drugs like Avandia include labeling that states a low-fat vegan diet has been shown to be as effective or more effective than medications taken […]
The governments of the US and Canada stand in sharp contrast to sixty other countries around the world, including the European Union, Russia, and China, by not requiring foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be so labeled. They do so despite good evidence that GMOs could have negative health implications for humans and […]
The latest issue of Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development focuses on identifying which combat veterans with traumatic brain injury might need more intensive treatment. As Pulse of Health Freedom pointed out in its October 7 issue, concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are common among veterans serving in the Iraq war. TBI has been […]
Physicians who use complementary and alternative therapies in their clinical practices often face charges from their respective state boards of medicines for practicing “outside the standard of care.” USA Today has conducted a review of the state pharmacy board panels, who are assigned to oversee prescription drug safety for American consumers. They found that nearly […]
Freedom of healthcare choice has long been an issue when dealing with government-funded healthcare plans like Medicare and Medicaid. For instance, the Watson-Burton legislation attempted to address economically disadvantaged persons who rely on Medicaid for health insurance because they were given no dental freedom of choice. For most families on Medicaid, the choice is either […]
An inflammatory article appeared last week in the Wall Street Journal called “The Touch that Doesn’t Heal .” It deserves a thorough reading and some impassioned letters to the editor. The article, written by Steve Salerno, claims that “Americans pay billions for alternative medicine—with nothing to show for it.”