By Quinn Akira Takei, Holistic Health Coach. Doctor of Oriental Medicine(NM), Licensed Acupuncturist, and Chinese Herbalist
Congratulations FDA! You win my Shenanigans award because in 1994 you passed an act, which by definition, legally made a synthetic drug the ONLY type substance in the entire world capable of stating it can cure, treat, diagnosis or prevent any specific disease or health condition. REALLY?!?!
According to the FDA, "a product sold as a dietary supplement and promoted on its label or in labeling as a treatment, prevention or cure for a specific disease or condition would be considered an unapproved--and thus illegal-drug." The FDA requires supplement manufacturers to put disclaimers on their products indicating that "this product is not intended to 'diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.' because ONLY a drug can legally make such a claim."
(Check it yourself at http://www.fda.gov/food/dietarysupplements/)
Let's consider the implications of this legal definition that ONLY a drug can claim to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease". According to the FDA, ONLY individuals with pharmaceutical prescriptive authority have the ability to legally prescribe products (drugs) that can "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease". Who has pharmaceutical prescriptive authority? Basically, only individuals trained in conventional modern day Western medicine have prescriptive authority. Therefore, according to the FDA, ONLY individuals trained in conventional modern day allopathic medicine have the ability to use products which "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease".
Furthermore, did you know substances from nature (herbs, vitamins, minerals...) cannot be patented and sold with exclusive proprietary rights? Substances from nature belong to nature and cannot be the property of an individual or company. It is an interesting coincidence that as of 1994, according to the FDA, ONLY a drug (which, lo and behold, can be patented and sold with proprietary rights) can "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease". How ironic that according to the FDA, the ONLY substances that can "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease" are substances which are patented and sold by pharmaceutical companies. I wonder why this is? I wonder who benefits and who is harmed from these legal "clarifications" and definitions?
Some say this 1994 rule was designed to "inform and protect" the public. Others say this rule was a deliberate attempt to monopolize medicine, ensure profits of specific types of industry, and strategically harm "alternative" health practitioners and discredit perceptions of natural medicine and forms of healing which are alternatives to pharmaceuticals and allopathic Western medicine. What to you think?
Perhaps I’m being all conspiracy like… and perhaps there is a conspiracy and collusion between the drug industry and western medical associations to seize control of all medicine and intentionally discredit and push out all other forms of medicine. In fact, that is a FACT. And it is all recorded on Congressional Record. In 1955 the Fitzgerald Report found the drug industry and western medical associations guilty of exactly this. This report, again, recorded on Congressional Record, states, "My investigation to date should convince this committee that a conspiracy does exist to stop the free flow and use of drugs (natural therapies) in interstate commerce which allegedly has solid therapeutic value. Public and private funds have been thrown around like confetti at a country fair to close up and destroy clinics, hospitals, and scientific research laboratories which do not conform to the viewpoint of medical associations." You can read the report yourself here: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/Fitzgerald%20Report%201953.pdf
Regardless, it is truly a miracle that the human race is not extinct! Apparently, according to the FDA, prior to the creation of synthetic pharmaceuticals (late 1800's) there was absolutely no product, herb, supplement, vitamin, mineral, or substance that could "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease". I can't imagine how we, as a species, somehow managed to thrive for 200,000+ years before we were saved by pharmaceuticals which could finally "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease".