Imp. Info if you take Supplements

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Important Players in Congress

The following is list of congresspersons who have played a role in

the regulation of natural health generally, and DSHEA in particular

over the past few years. This list is certainly not exhaustive. We

encourage you to research individual congresspersons and candidates

at www.yourcandidatesyourhealth.org to see if particular candidates

have taken clear positions on natural health issues.

House Reps

Burton, Dan

Rep. Burton (R-IN) is widely considered a strong supporter of dietary

supplements and natural healthcare, generally. He is a member of

Congress' Dietary Supplement Caucus and the Complementary &

Alternative Medicine Caucus. In 2001, he chaired a committee hearing

titled " Six Years After DSHEA, " in which he stated, " My colleagues in

Congress and I will continue to protect Americans' rights to access

dietary supplements. "

DeFazio,

Rep. DeFazio (D-OR) is a strong supporter of dietary supplements and

natural healthcare. He is a member of Congress' Dietary Supplement

Caucus and the Complementary & Alternative Medicine Caucus. Along

with Rep. Ron , DeFazio submitted a joint statement to Rep.

Burton's " Six Years After DSHEA " committee in 2002, strongly

supporting DSHEA and the rights of consumers to access dietary

supplements without FDA interference. He was one of the prime

sponsors of the original Access to Medical Treatment Act, which if

passed, would have given consumers greater access to health care

practitioners of their choice.

Dingell,

Rep. Dingell (D-MI) is no fan of DSHEA as presently written and

implemented. He has sponsored unsuccessful legislation over the past

several years that, if passed, would have repealed major pieces of

DSHEA, and that would have granted the FDA greater authority over

dietary supplements. He has been quoted in numerous sources as

saying about DSHEA, " I would like to repeal the whole sorry mess. "

Kucinich, Dennis

Rep. Kucinich (D-OH) is a member of the Dietary Supplement Caucus,

and was prime sponsor of legislation that would require mandatory

labeling of genetically modified foods.

, Ron

Rep. (R-TX) is a well-known supporter of health freedom. He has

been the prime sponsor of the Health Freedom Protection Bill (H.R.

2117), which would give dietary supplement manufacturers the ability

to make broader claims about the helpful, curative effects of their

products.

Towns, Edolphus

Rep. Towns (D-NY) is a member of the Dietary Supplement Caucus, and

the prime sponsor of H.R. 1107, which would allow certain dietary

supplements to qualify for reimbursement under IRS rules pertaining

to Health Spending Accounts and Flex Spending Accounts.

Waxman, Henry

Rep. Waxman (D-CA) co-sponsored with Rep. Dingell legislation that,

if passed, would have gutted major portions of DSHEA and given the

FDA significantly greater authority over dietary supplements. He has

been critical of the dietary supplement industry in sub-committee

hearings on DSHEA.

Senators

Durbin,

When it comes to natural health and DSHEA, there may be no one more

important and controversial in Washington, D.C. than Sen. Durbin (D-

IL). Durbin has co-sponsored a number of DSHEA-revisions, including

the Adverse Event Reporting bill that became law in 2006. He has

made critical remarks in perhaps every hearing on DSHEA that's been

held in the past 8 years. He is largely credited or blamed as one of

the driving forces behind the Adverse Event Reporting law.

Some of the quotes attributed to Sen. Durbin about DSHEA include the

following:

• " [The] FDA has fallen down on the job. [Regardless] increasing

surveillance under the existing law is unlikely to occur. "

• " We need to make a couple of critical changes in DSHEA. "

[referring to mandatory adverse event reporting and some form of pre-

market approval].

In fairness to Sen. Durbin, the focus of his hostility toward dietary

supplements has been largely on stimulants and steroids. In his

comments leading up to the AER law, he said this: " [A]ll I would ask

in my bill would be that supplements which cause an adverse effect

would be reported to the government. We preserve the DSHEA

assumption that supplements are safe, except for steroids and

stimulants. "

It is likely that Sen. Durbin's influence will increase in an Obama

administration.

Harkin, Tom

Sen. Harkin (D-IA) has been a long-time proponent of natural health,

dietary supplements and DSHEA. He is a member of the Dietary

Supplement Caucus, and is credited with resurrecting DSHEA from

possible repeal and other emasculating revisions. He was co-sponsor

of S. 770, which would allow dietary supplements to be purchased with

food stamps.

Hatch, Orin

Sen. Hatch (R-UT) has been a long-time proponent of natural health,

dietary supplements and DSHEA. He is a member of the Dietary

Supplement Caucus. Along with Sen. Harkin, he is credited with

resurrecting DSHEA from possible repeal and other emasculating

revisions. Also along with Sen. Harkin, he has co-sponsored S. 770,

which would allow dietary supplements to be purchased with food

stamps.

To the extent that Sen. Hatch has been concerned about implementation

of DSHEA, he has been focused on the FDA's failure to properly

implement the law, rather than any failure of the law itself.

Kennedy, Ted

Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) was the prime sponsor of S. 1082, which passed

the Senate in 2007, but has yet to make its way to the House. This

bill represents one of the most sweeping pieces of legislation to

affect the FDA in years. It includes provisions that would relax

restrictions on the importation of drugs from overseas. The bill as

passed by the Senate should not affect DSHEA; however, it would give

the FDA significantly greater authority over foods and drugs

generally.

Sen. Kennedy is also the Chair of the Health, Education, Labor and

Pension (HELP) Committee. It's been reported that just a month ago,

he chaired a videoconference in which he called for an overhaul of

the nation's healthcare system.

His health may also be an issue to watch. If he's unable to continue

as Chair of HELP, we will want to take note of who his replacement

will be.