Re: Petition to Reform the FDA- for incoming Obama administration - need signatures

[Guest guest]

excellent, I also did a quick browse at the link given (and played a

bit of follow the links, to boot. good stuff, wishing you the very

best, elizabeth

>

>

>

>

>

>

> The FDA is a broken agency that censors medical science, obstructs

innovation, and protects the medical monopolies that pay for much of

its budget.  

>

> Even while the FDA is approving  faulty and dangerous drugs and

medical devices  by the thousands, it continues what can only be

described as a harassment  campaign against those who want to rely on

wholesome foods, dietary supplements, and lifestyle changes to achieve

natural good health.

>

> Here are just a few recent examples:

>

> □ FDA employees recently protested in a letter to Congress that

they have been forced to approve medical devices against their better

judgment.  The letter stated that FDA managers “ordered,

intimidated and coerced FDA experts to modify their scientific

reviews, conclusions and recommendations in violation of the law.â€Â 

The devices that FDA regulates impact more than 500 million adult and

pediatric procedures performed every year in the U.S.  

>

> □ The FDA’s current efforts to reinterpret and thus amend the

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act threaten continued access to

dietary supplements. If the FDA got its way, a food constituent

studied for medical use (and published) could thereafter not be used

as a new supplement. To illustrate how this might work, one company's

fish oil is now an approved drug, and by this definition any new

supplement with fish oil added might be prohibited.  AAHF provided

formal comments in response to the FDA’s deliberation process and

explained why current law prohibits the FDA from adopting these

anti-supplement regulations.

>

> The FDA approves toxic chemicals for use in baby formula, baby

bottles, and prescription drugs.

>

> □ The FDA stated that no amount of melamine was safe in infant

formula. Then melamine was found in formula at levels below 1 ppm.

Suddenly the agency reversed itself and stated that melamine was safe

provided that (coincidentally) there was no more than 1ppm. Was there

a new study or other science to justify this claim? No. It appears to

have been made up out of thin air in order to protect commercial

interests.   Melamine is a toxic chemical that has been linked to

kidney damage and children are especially vulnerable. 

>

> □ The FDA recently declared Bisphenol a (BPA) exposure to be safe

for infants, even though Canada has banned the chemical from baby

bottles.  Thirty-six scientific advisers on an independent government

panel concluded that the draft decision of the FDA on BPA used

“unacceptable criteria for selecting data and depend(ed) heavily

upon a key paper that is fatally flawed.†These experts concluded

that the FDA chose industry-funded research studies and appeared to

ignore hundreds of studies that have been funded by NIH (National

Institute for Health) and its counterpart in other countries.  BPA is

linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver enzyme

abnormalities. In addition to being used in baby bottles, it is also

used in water bottles, canned goods, dental fillings, children’s

teeth sealants, and orthodontic sealants.

>

> □ The FDA has approved the use of phthalates in prescription

drugs and over-the-counter medications despite the fact that Congress

banned phthalates in toys and other children’s products.  Widely

used as plasticizers, phthalates have been linked to abnormal

reproductive organs, sperm damage, and reduced testosterone in animal

tests as well as some human studies.

>

> The epidemics currently plaguing this country-- cancer, obesity,

diabetes, asthma and allergies, and many other debilitating

disorders-- are linked to manmade products and processes that the FDA

has approved and promoted.  These failures have resulted in the

sickest generation in the history of this country. The agency seems to

have lost sight of its mandate to protect the public and has instead

come to see itself as the guardian of corporate interests.  It is

time to end the many conflicts of interest linking the FDA to the

pharmaceutical and chemical industries, conflicts of interest that

betray the public and harm so many American consumers.  It is time to

reform the FDA!

>

> Spread the word.  Together, we can make a difference.  We can turn

the FDA around and help restore our national health. Please share this

update with friends and family and ask them to sign AAHF’s petition

at Reformfda.org.

>

>

> Sincerely,

>

> Gretchen DuBeau

> Executive Director

>

>

>

>

>

>

>