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2003/05/13, 05:40 PM
The new Dietary Supplement Tax Fairness Act (Bill S.1330) would ensure that vitamins, minerals, herbs, and specialty supplements will be covered by health insurance plans. Giving dietary supplements parity with prescription drugs under the US tax code would advance sound healthcare policy. The first comprehensive national survey on the use of dietary supplements, the Dietary Supplement Barometer Survey, found that the majority of Americans believes in supplements and takes them on a regular basis.
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"Whoever loves Instruction loves Knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid." Proverbs 12:1
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2003/05/13, 07:47 PM
Two problems I see with this:
1) If the Federal Govt becomes involved with mandating that vitamins, etc., are covered by insurance, then the next step would be that the Federal Govt would insist on regulating these same products in the same way as prescriptions; in other words, you would need a prescription from a Dr for your whey protein, etc.
2) In all reality, I don't believe this will happen at all in the near future because this would open up the door for competitive alternatives to pharmeceutical companies, thereby taking away from their profits. Therefore, I don't believe their lobby groups would allow it to even get out of committee.
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Michael
"Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!"
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2003/05/14, 09:13 PM
Herbs are not under the same strict control as pharmaceutical drugs. Herbal preparations can vary widely, making the concentration of ingredients often inconsistent. Toxic impurities have been found in some cases. You should be careful in using herbal products because they are largely unregulated meaning there are no guidelines to ensure dosage, purity or safety of the herbs.
Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act limits government control over these products. The act reclassified herbs as dietary supplements which means that herbs are not subject to premarket approval and human clinical trials.
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"Whoever loves Instruction loves Knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid." Proverbs 12:1
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2003/05/15, 01:23 AM
My point. And that is why I stated those two instances. I understand the concern of product purity etc., when it comes to supplements. This industry used to be great in policing itself for such matters. And this is the reason why we've been able to keep the federal govt out of it for now. However, the more often rogue companies make outlandish promises and claims, even while sporting the FDA warning on each product, the more likely the govt will push for regs on dietary supplements of ALL kinds. Believe me when I say that I know and understand the law from this perspective; several class action law suits are already pending against companies. The FDA wants to heavily regulate this industry, and that would be the pharmeceutical industry's delight. Promoting these ads is like waving a red flag in front of a bull when it comes to the FDA.
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Michael
"Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!"
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2003/05/15, 02:50 AM
Would FDA regulation be so bad? For me buying supplements can be very confusing. It seems if vitamins and such were regulated it'd be a lot harder for companies pass off snake oil- you'd at least have some assurance of quality/consistancy???
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2003/05/15, 10:13 AM
The biggest problem with it is that supplements, by going under FDA regulation, would fall under pharmeceutical regs. In other words, only pharmeceutical companies would be able to meet FDA production regs, and therefore manufacture and produce them. With such govt regulation, you would end up needing prescriptions from your Dr in order to buy any of them. First - most MDs don't know anything about supplements, and 2) if you think some supplements are expensive now......
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Michael
"Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!"
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2003/05/15, 11:26 AM
I agree with Rev I work in a medical envirment andhave been for years. The drug companies are richer than God already and have a huge lobby with too much power. I do not want the govt to control these supplements. Let the buyer beware. Of course there is snake oil out there. People need to educate themselves to make better choices. And that means a lot of reading and sites like this one. If you take medications you should ask your doctor about any herb as it could be very dangerous. Natural does not mean safe. If your doctor is not knowledgeble and most are not consult a naturopath or someone who specializes in herbs. It is worth the money . Better that than taking God knows what and really hurting yourself which could cost more in the end. Common sense whatever happened to it. I realize that when it comes to diet and exercise and appearance a lot of sense goes out the window but I don't want the govt stepping in to "protect us". Gimme a break. When they step in it is for control and dollars they smell. Cynical I know but I believe it is the truth.
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2003/05/15, 12:24 PM
Well said rickyshot, I couldn't agree more, the last time I checked, I was a big boy and I know how to make my own decisions.
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2003/05/15, 12:38 PM
Educating yourself is the answer. Realize the difference between marketing hype and reality! The supplement companies have become adept at taking a bit of sound science and putting a big spin on it of their own, so they can even put research numbers in their articles and show guys in lab coats, and selling it on the uneducated consumer. Knowledge is power. Read, learn, be smart. Beat them at their own game. The goverenment is the last thing we want involved in the supplement industry. Rev makes wonderful points, right on the money.
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As far as genetics go, the skies the limit. You are limited only by your mental perception of it.
Ron
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