May/June 2006 ANH eBlast
Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:13 pm
Support these folks before it starts happening here.
Roger
_____
From: Alliance for Natural Health [mailto:info@alliance-natural-health.org]
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 11:07 AM
To: news@canhealyourself.com
Subject: May/June 2006 ANH eBlast
Policing of products
“Flat to the boards” is the best way of describing the ANH team over the
last six weeks! Most of this extreme activity in our Dorking (Surrey, UK)
office has been caused by a rash of companies approaching us after being
told by EU regulatory agencies that they need to withdraw products. This
also caused us to miss our usual e-Blast date.
In the UK, policing by the UK Foods Standards Agency (FSA) of the products
affected by the withdrawal of UK derogation dossiers submitted after 12 July
2005, coupled with the new spate of investigations by the UK Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) into herbal products that are
considered to fall under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive
(THMPD), has left many companies, selling into Europe, with a vulnerable
underside exposed. This is just a taste of things to come, but the good
news is that we have been successful at helping many of these companies to
find a way through most of the red tape using the ‘good’ science and our
knowledge of the law at our disposal. Critical to this is the need to
preserve the right to be able to sell within Europe food supplements that
contain plant extracts (botanicals), without these products being forced
through the quasi-drugs regime provided by the THMPD.
Cutting to the chase
We’re sure many of you will be pleased to hear that following lots of useful
feedback from our supporters in different parts of the world, we’ve decided
to limit the amount of information we communicate in our monthly eBlasts and
focus the spotlight on critical issues relevant to the public in our
campaign.
In the coming months you will find that the majority of information will be
on our website and the eBlast will have a short excerpt with a link to the
remaining article. We hope that this will find the middle ground between
those of you wishing for more succinct communication and those who prefer
more in-depth analysis.
So let’s cut to the chase………
Following are a list of facts:
1. Europeans may lose access to thousands of food supplements if the
ANH legal challenge is not successfully fought in the High Court in London
later this year or early next. Many of you may have thought that the legal
challenge that we brought to the European Court of Justice between 2003/5
was over and that nothing could be achieved by returning the High Court.
Nothing could be further from the truth – all of the gains made in the ECJ
ruling will not find their way into national laws UNLESS we go back to
court! We need to raise £40,000 – so please help us with a donation
.
2. European nutritional practitioners are at great risk of losing many
of the most therapeutic products currently in their tool boxes. If you rely
on therapeutic substances or dosages, please understand that these – not
your low dose food supplements that populate supermarket and pharmacy
shelves – are most at risk from the regulators. The temporary derogation
system that stopped thousands of vitamin and mineral-containing food
supplements from being banned on 1 August 2005 will slowly and steadily
become eroded away. We know of several key dossiers that are in the process
of being withdrawn and others will follow. We need to help cement the
long-term solution which requires completion of our legal challenge and
development of a new risk assessment paradigm, something we have been
pioneering for some time.
3. EU legislation provides the templates for future international
guidelines being developed through the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The
finalisation of these guidelines will become a major threat to the even more
liberal natural health regimes, such as the US Dietary Supplement Health &
Education Act of 1994. This month we have made an important scientific
submission to a key Electronic Working Group in Codex, through our friends
in the US National Health Federation, in turn the only health freedom
organisation to have delegate status in Codex. Much of the organised
industry in the US is saying that Codex will have no impact at any stage in
the US – we disagree. Let’s remember these same companies and associations
said that the Food Supplements Directive wouldn’t hurt US companies trading
into Europe – clearly we’re talking to different companies!
Two new movies to take a look at
The consumer ultimately controls the agenda. If we, as consumers, stop
buying therapeutic natural products and succumb to the seeming desires of
regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies, we will see natural
healthcare – as a viable alternative to orthodox medicine – collapse. This
defeatist attitude will have us all popping placebo cellulose, sold as
harmonised formulations, in harmonised bottles, in harmonised international
markets. This is not good for real healthcare. Critical to keeping the
troops motivated is good information and education, and films can be one of
the most powerful tools available today.
Those of you who haven’t yet seen Kevin Miller’s film about Codex, please
take should take 28 minutes of your time to educate yourselves. The film is
narrated by Oscar winning actress and ANH supporter, Dame Judi Dench and is
viewable as a movie from our website homepage
(but also available as a DVD – click here
to buy).
You’ll see interviews in it of Rob Verkerk and other key players in the
health freedom community.
But there are two new movies that you should know about.
Hummingbird Pictures has produced an independent feature film entitled Side
Effects, which has received a very enthusiastic response from the holistic
community. It stars US actress, Katherine Heigl of Grey’s Anatomy, and is a
satirical, insider’s look at the questionable marketing practices of the
pharmaceutical industry based on the writer/director’s ten years experience
working as a pharmaceutical sales representative. View a trailer of the film
and read reviews at: http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com
A companion documentary, Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety, was
created to give a more in-depth, academic perspective on the ethics of drug
promotion, and features the commentary of key opinion leaders throughout the
USA. You can view a clip of the documentary at:
http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com/press/
How can you SUPPORT us?
The ANH needs to raise £40,000 to return to the High Court in London, to
finalise our lawsuit against the EU Food Supplements Directive. We also
still need your support to help fund the 14 other projects we are running
concurrently.
A reminder of the ways in which you can make sure your continued support can
make the difference:
*
DONATE MONEY – please consider doing this on a regular monthly basis through
a standing order (UK) or Worldpay (worldwide) or sending a cheque (details
below).
DONATE
NOW
*
DONATE YOUR TIME – give nothing but spend a few minutes forwarding this
email to at least 10 people in your contact list who you know will value the
information and take action.
*
DONATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND CREATIVITY – by organising a gathering of friends
and family, or an event some sort, which can be used to educate and inform
people, as well as raise funds, for the ANH Campaign. Where we can, time
and distance allowing, we will do our best to support your endeavours in any
way possible.
Thank you again to those of you who give of your invaluable donations and
support on a regular and/or spontaneous basis. Your donations don’t have to
be large to make a difference.
Please send cheques (in GB pounds, US dollars or Euros) payable to the
‘Alliance for Natural Health’ to the Alliance for Natural Health, The
Atrium, Curtis Road, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1XA, United Kingdom, or,
alternatively, please donate using our
secure server via our website.
As always, we’re interested in any feedback or suggestions you might have
and do our best to incorporate them in future eBlasts. Thank you to all of
you who continue to keep in touch.
In health,
The ANH Team
CONTACT
Meleni Aldridge
Development Manager
ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH
The Atrium, Curtis Road
Dorking, Surrey
RH4 1XA
tel +44 (0)1252 371275
dir +44 (0)1306 646550
fax +44 (0)1306 646552
mob +44 (0)7771 750230
email mela@alliance-natural-health.org
web www.alliance-natural-health.org
To unsubscribe, please go to
www.alliance-natural-health.org/index.cfm?action=unsub
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Roger
_____
From: Alliance for Natural Health [mailto:info@alliance-natural-health.org]
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 11:07 AM
To: news@canhealyourself.com
Subject: May/June 2006 ANH eBlast
Policing of products
“Flat to the boards” is the best way of describing the ANH team over the
last six weeks! Most of this extreme activity in our Dorking (Surrey, UK)
office has been caused by a rash of companies approaching us after being
told by EU regulatory agencies that they need to withdraw products. This
also caused us to miss our usual e-Blast date.
In the UK, policing by the UK Foods Standards Agency (FSA) of the products
affected by the withdrawal of UK derogation dossiers submitted after 12 July
2005, coupled with the new spate of investigations by the UK Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) into herbal products that are
considered to fall under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive
(THMPD), has left many companies, selling into Europe, with a vulnerable
underside exposed. This is just a taste of things to come, but the good
news is that we have been successful at helping many of these companies to
find a way through most of the red tape using the ‘good’ science and our
knowledge of the law at our disposal. Critical to this is the need to
preserve the right to be able to sell within Europe food supplements that
contain plant extracts (botanicals), without these products being forced
through the quasi-drugs regime provided by the THMPD.
Cutting to the chase
We’re sure many of you will be pleased to hear that following lots of useful
feedback from our supporters in different parts of the world, we’ve decided
to limit the amount of information we communicate in our monthly eBlasts and
focus the spotlight on critical issues relevant to the public in our
campaign.
In the coming months you will find that the majority of information will be
on our website and the eBlast will have a short excerpt with a link to the
remaining article. We hope that this will find the middle ground between
those of you wishing for more succinct communication and those who prefer
more in-depth analysis.
So let’s cut to the chase………
Following are a list of facts:
1. Europeans may lose access to thousands of food supplements if the
ANH legal challenge is not successfully fought in the High Court in London
later this year or early next. Many of you may have thought that the legal
challenge that we brought to the European Court of Justice between 2003/5
was over and that nothing could be achieved by returning the High Court.
Nothing could be further from the truth – all of the gains made in the ECJ
ruling will not find their way into national laws UNLESS we go back to
court! We need to raise £40,000 – so please help us with a donation
.
2. European nutritional practitioners are at great risk of losing many
of the most therapeutic products currently in their tool boxes. If you rely
on therapeutic substances or dosages, please understand that these – not
your low dose food supplements that populate supermarket and pharmacy
shelves – are most at risk from the regulators. The temporary derogation
system that stopped thousands of vitamin and mineral-containing food
supplements from being banned on 1 August 2005 will slowly and steadily
become eroded away. We know of several key dossiers that are in the process
of being withdrawn and others will follow. We need to help cement the
long-term solution which requires completion of our legal challenge and
development of a new risk assessment paradigm, something we have been
pioneering for some time.
3. EU legislation provides the templates for future international
guidelines being developed through the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The
finalisation of these guidelines will become a major threat to the even more
liberal natural health regimes, such as the US Dietary Supplement Health &
Education Act of 1994. This month we have made an important scientific
submission to a key Electronic Working Group in Codex, through our friends
in the US National Health Federation, in turn the only health freedom
organisation to have delegate status in Codex. Much of the organised
industry in the US is saying that Codex will have no impact at any stage in
the US – we disagree. Let’s remember these same companies and associations
said that the Food Supplements Directive wouldn’t hurt US companies trading
into Europe – clearly we’re talking to different companies!
Two new movies to take a look at
The consumer ultimately controls the agenda. If we, as consumers, stop
buying therapeutic natural products and succumb to the seeming desires of
regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies, we will see natural
healthcare – as a viable alternative to orthodox medicine – collapse. This
defeatist attitude will have us all popping placebo cellulose, sold as
harmonised formulations, in harmonised bottles, in harmonised international
markets. This is not good for real healthcare. Critical to keeping the
troops motivated is good information and education, and films can be one of
the most powerful tools available today.
Those of you who haven’t yet seen Kevin Miller’s film about Codex, please
take should take 28 minutes of your time to educate yourselves. The film is
narrated by Oscar winning actress and ANH supporter, Dame Judi Dench and is
viewable as a movie from our website homepage
(but also available as a DVD – click here
to buy).
You’ll see interviews in it of Rob Verkerk and other key players in the
health freedom community.
But there are two new movies that you should know about.
Hummingbird Pictures has produced an independent feature film entitled Side
Effects, which has received a very enthusiastic response from the holistic
community. It stars US actress, Katherine Heigl of Grey’s Anatomy, and is a
satirical, insider’s look at the questionable marketing practices of the
pharmaceutical industry based on the writer/director’s ten years experience
working as a pharmaceutical sales representative. View a trailer of the film
and read reviews at: http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com
A companion documentary, Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety, was
created to give a more in-depth, academic perspective on the ethics of drug
promotion, and features the commentary of key opinion leaders throughout the
USA. You can view a clip of the documentary at:
http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com/press/
How can you SUPPORT us?
The ANH needs to raise £40,000 to return to the High Court in London, to
finalise our lawsuit against the EU Food Supplements Directive. We also
still need your support to help fund the 14 other projects we are running
concurrently.
A reminder of the ways in which you can make sure your continued support can
make the difference:
*
DONATE MONEY – please consider doing this on a regular monthly basis through
a standing order (UK) or Worldpay (worldwide) or sending a cheque (details
below).
DONATE
NOW
*
DONATE YOUR TIME – give nothing but spend a few minutes forwarding this
email to at least 10 people in your contact list who you know will value the
information and take action.
*
DONATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND CREATIVITY – by organising a gathering of friends
and family, or an event some sort, which can be used to educate and inform
people, as well as raise funds, for the ANH Campaign. Where we can, time
and distance allowing, we will do our best to support your endeavours in any
way possible.
Thank you again to those of you who give of your invaluable donations and
support on a regular and/or spontaneous basis. Your donations don’t have to
be large to make a difference.
Please send cheques (in GB pounds, US dollars or Euros) payable to the
‘Alliance for Natural Health’ to the Alliance for Natural Health, The
Atrium, Curtis Road, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1XA, United Kingdom, or,
alternatively, please donate using our
secure server via our website.
As always, we’re interested in any feedback or suggestions you might have
and do our best to incorporate them in future eBlasts. Thank you to all of
you who continue to keep in touch.
In health,
The ANH Team
CONTACT
Meleni Aldridge
Development Manager
ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH
The Atrium, Curtis Road
Dorking, Surrey
RH4 1XA
tel +44 (0)1252 371275
dir +44 (0)1306 646550
fax +44 (0)1306 646552
mob +44 (0)7771 750230
email mela@alliance-natural-health.org
web www.alliance-natural-health.org
To unsubscribe, please go to
www.alliance-natural-health.org/index.cfm?action=unsub
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]