Over the last few decades Americans have enjoyed a resurgence in natural healing, learning how diet, nutritional supplements, medicinal herbs and natural therapies can safely and effectively heal disease and enhance health. We have had increasing access to cutting edge nutritional supplements and holistic therapies administered by qualified professionals, and it is estimated that at least 60% of the population choose holistic medicine as their primary source of healing.

If the pharmaceutical, chemical and biotech companies have their way, all this could quickly come to an end if current proposed legislation is passed by the U.S. government. Several bills are moving through Congress at lightning speed and require our urgent attention if we wish to maintain our freedom of choice in health care. Much of this legislation is meant to prepare the U.S. to “harmonize” with the United Nations and World Trade Organization (WTO)’s Codex Alimentarius Commission Food Code which sets global standards for foods and dietary supplements including vitamins, minerals and medicinal herbs. Members of Codex who set these standards represent the multinational pharmaceutical and chemical corporations that are most threatened by the burgeoning natural health industry.

Currently our access to nutritional supplements is protected by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) passed by the U.S. Congress in 1994. DSHEA ensures that dietary supplements in the U.S. are treated as foods as opposed to drugs and are regulated under truth in labeling laws regarding health claims. It puts no upper limits on the amounts of safe nutrients contained in supplements. DSHEA is the cornerstone of health freedom in this country and it is currently under attack by the FDA, FTC and the pharmaceutical companies who back them. It is their intent to treat dietary supplements as drugs and prevent the disclosure of truthful science-backed health claims. The ultimate result would be to remove these health-giving substances from the market and put the natural health industry out of business.

“Big Pharma” has in fact been buying up dietary supplement companies and is poised to take over and control the limited market that will remain, reducing our options for health care. They are also members of the Council for Responsible Nutrition and natural health industry trade associations that falsely claim that Codex will not adversely affect us in any way. In addition, the FDA’s “revolving door policy” ensures their employees and policy makers are largely made up of former pharmaceutical and biotech industry executives.

The bills that are now poised to go into law if ratified would dismantle DSHEA and make it possible for the U.S. to adopt the restrictive guidelines of Codex which has been deceptively promoted as “consumer protection” but is in reality far from it. If Codex is adopted, a majority of the nutritional supplements and herbs we use today would become illegal, and those few that we could get would be at such low dosages that they would have no therapeutic effect.

If adopted, Codex standards would also severely degrade the purity and quality of our food supply due to the mandate that all food animals be treated with synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics, and all food plants be irradiated unless produced and eaten locally. Permissible levels for pesticides, veterinary drugs and other chemicals used in farming would be raised to dangerous levels, and unlabeled use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in our food would be freely allowed. These health-threatening standards were ratified by the Codex Commission in July, 2005 with planned global implementation set for December 21, 2009.

As amazing as this seems now, several other WTO member countries in Europe and elsewhere have already adopted Codex guidelines into their national laws, and U.S. politicians, many of whom are financially backed by the pharmaceutical/chemical companies who stand to profit from it, are being pressured to conform as well.

We have already seen how easy it was to remove raw almonds from the U.S. market, requiring all almonds grown in California (the major supplier of almonds in this country) to be pasteurized or treated with toxic cancer-causing propylene oxide gas. Apparently, the Almond Board of California (ABC) backed by the USDA instituted the pasteurization requirement when a small batch of almonds that was stored close to a manure pile became contaminated with salmonella bacteria. Though this was clearly an isolated and manageable event, the pasteurization requirement was mandated for all almonds grown in California. In addition to this unnecessary and dangerous practice, the ABC and USDA allow pasteurized almonds to falsely be labeled as raw. Consumer groups are working to reverse the pasteurization ruling and are urged to contact their congressmen/women to voice their concerns. For more information on this issue, go to the Health Freedom Foundation’s website www.healthfreedom.net.

Laws are also in place to protect the pharmaceutical companies from liability for damages done by their vaccines, while the FDA has publicly stated that the mercury additives in vaccines are considered safe in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. GMO crops have already begun to degrade the environment and contaminate other crops that were once genetically pure and organically grown. For information on the GMO issue and how we can change the path of planetary destruction to one of healing, go to www.responsibletechnology.org.

Another issue that affects our health is that of fluoridating the public water supply. Though this has been going on for decades, numerous studies show that fluoride is a neurotoxin that causes brain damage, bone cancer and even mottling of the teeth. It is interesting to note that some sources report that ingestion of fluoride reduces the will and makes people more easily controlled. Several states and communities have successfully taken action to remove fluoride from their public water supply by educating their lawmakers on the health dangers of fluoride. The goal is to legally ban water fluoridation on a national level. For more information go to Fluoride Action Network’s website www.fluorideaction.net.

Most states in the U.S. forbid the sale of healthy raw milk and dairy products, though in some localities cow and goat share programs provide a way to obtain them. In California organic dairy farmers were able to get laws passed legalizing the sale of raw dairy largely through the efforts of Mark McAffee, owner of Organic Pastures. He did this by enlisting the support of numerous scientists and health professionals that were able to prove the safety of organic raw dairy products from pasture raised cows. Consumers all over the country can order raw dairy directly from Organic Pastures. Though raw milk consistently passes rigorous tests for disease-causing microorganisms, in October, 2007 legislation was passed without public hearing which would outlaw the sale of raw milk after January 2008. At the time of this writing, immense public outcry and testimony regarding raw milk’s safety has given some hope that the ruling will be reversed. For information go to www.organicpastures.com.

Stories have surfaced of threats to individuals’ rights to choose the medical/healing treatment they receive. The most appalling recent example of this is of a 17 year old California boy facing court-ordered chemotherapy and surgery for a malignant melanoma he no longer has thanks to natural therapies, and his mother’s efforts to keep her son from being unnecessarily poisoned by toxic drugs. For information on this case go to www.healthfreedomusa.org.

Freedom of choice in health care is also threatened by laws which prevent holistic practitioners from providing natural therapies to their clients resulting in cases of qualified trained professionals being prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license, even though they harmed no one. To date, six states have passed Health Freedom Bills that protect natural health practitioners and their clients, allowing continued access to safe natural therapies. For updates by state go to www.nationalhealthfreedom.org.

Fortunately, there are some members of congress who champion the cause of health freedom, but they are few in numbers and many are not even aware of the tremendous negative impact some of the bills they are voting on would have on our health. We need to let them know that we, their constituents who put them into office, want laws in place that protect our freedom to choose what we put into our bodies and how we care for ourselves and our families.

One might ask how can we make a difference operating within a corrupt system? Will politicians have the courage to work on behalf of the people they represent in the face of bribes and threats by those who support them financially? Do we really have any power to change what seems like an inevitable loss of our health freedom?

Perhaps it’s time to use our immense personal power and intentions to create what we want for ourselves, our families and future generations. As individuals we can contribute to the collective energies that create events and change the course of history.

Below is some of the pending legislation that requires immediate action on our part. If we want to preserve our health freedom, we must contact our congressmen/women and tell them how we want them to vote on these bills. To find out who your U.S. Senators are go to www.senate.gov, and to identify your U.S. Representatives go to www.house.gov. Did you know that just one letter, fax or email received from us expressing our views on an issue is considered to be the equivalent of 13,000 constituents expressing similar views? The powers that wish to remove our current freedoms are counting on the complacency of the population and the belief by the masses that life as we know it couldn’t possibly change in such outrageous ways.

Health Freedom Expos are being held around the country to educate people on current issues and present cutting edge information on natural healing therapies. For information go to www.healthfreedomexpo.com.

Several websites are currently in place to make the process as easy as possible to directly email your senators and representatives your position on key bills by simply clicking a mouse. Two that are particularly informative and user friendly are the Natural Solutions Foundation at www.healthfreedomusa.org (this one has a great video on Codex), and National Health Freedom Action at www.nationalhealthfreedom.org.

The Natural Solutions Foundation also has a Citizen’s Petition on their website that asks the U.S. government to change its policy on Codex Alimentarius to comply with the current U.S. law.

House Bill 2117 Health Freedom Protection Act
Introduced by Congressman Ron Paul on May 2, 2007, this bill “stops the FDA from censoring truthful claims about the curative, mitigative, or preventative effects of dietary supplements and adopts the federal court’s suggested use of disclaimers as an alternative to censorship. The Health Freedom Protection Act also stops the FDA from prohibiting the distribution of scientific articles and publications regarding the role of nutrients in protecting against disease.” Tell your congressmen/women to cosponsor & vote YES on this bill!

House Bill H 1561
On May 9, 2007 the U.S. Senate passed S 1082 with just one dissenting vote. H 1561 is the House version of this bill that will soon be voted on. This damaging bill sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy would launch the “Reagan Udall Foundation” granting the FDA approval to treat foods, dietary ingredients and supplements the same as drugs. If this bill is not immediately amended, Americans will lose one of the greatest foundational protections of access to nutrients; namely that the burden of proof should remain on the government to show significant harm before blocking access to nutrients. Tell your congressmen/women to oppose this bill or support the amendment!

Senate Farm Bill Section 10305
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to microchip all livestock for the purpose of tracking and identifying diseased animals, ostensibly to protect consumers. The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a direct threat to small farmers who cannot afford the exorbitant cost mandatory chipping would impose on them and consequently run them out of business. Flaws in the system also reveal how ineffective the system is in preventing diseased meats from going to market since food contamination occurs in the slaughterhouses and meat packing plants. In addition, studies show that microchip implants can cause cancer in animals. Many believe that micro-chipping animals is a precursor to mandatory chipping of humans in the future. Currently Congress is in the process of reviewing Farm Bill Section 10305 which defines NAIS and provides exceptions from public disclosure for information collected under NAIS. It is projected that sometime before the end of 2007 the Senate will vote on the Agriculture Appropriations Bill which provides funding for NAIS. Tell your Senators and Representatives as soon as possible to remove Section 10305 from the Farm Bill, and to oppose NAIS and prevent funding for this intrusive, costly and ineffective program. For information on NAIS go towww.farmandranchfreedom.org.

Cloned Food Labeling Act SB 414 and HR 992
By the end of this year the FDA plans to approve the introduction of food products from cloned animals and their progeny into the U.S. food supply without labeling that the food came from cloned animals. Polls show that 65% of the population thinks that cloning is immoral, unethical and unsafe, and would not purchase foods from cloned animals. Studies show that defects in clones are common and warn that, when ingested, even small imbalances in clones could lead to hidden severe health problems. Cloning is also abusive to the animals involved. The Cloned Food Labeling Act would require proper labeling of cloned foods so consumers could make an informed choice. To tell your senators and representatives to vote for this bill now, go to www.citizens.org.