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Archives | (June 2003)
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A Different Kind Of Threat From Abroad
------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 1 of 5 Self-reliance and individualism have always been essential elements of the American character. The belief that individuals should take responsibility for their own lives and be free to make choices about how they live them is a fundamental underpinning of our democratic tradition. Nowhere is this more evident today than in regard to the public’s attitudes toward managing their own health care. In a 2001 Survey by the Roper Organization, 73% of those surveyed said that they try to treat conditions themselves instead of going to a doctor. Fully 80% said that even when they did go to a doctor they had one or more ideas about a diagnosis before the visit. Almost two-thirds said they would rather treat themselves than go to a doctor. Moreover, when engaging in self-treatment, 57% said they were either actively using, or learning about alternative medicine. But there is more to the changing attitude than just treating yourself when you become ill. Americans have also become much more attuned to staying healthy in the first place. The rapidly growing use of dietary supplements is one of the most tangible manifestations of this new awareness. Almost six out of ten Americans now use some form of dietary supplement on a regular basis, most commonly multivitamins. Yet, even as this practice has grown in popularity, it has been under assault from an unexpected quarter: The United Nations and the World Trade Organization. For more than a decade, there has been an ongoing effort to regulate vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements through something called the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex, as it is commonly referred to, is an international agreement among some 165 nations intended to govern food standards. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) jointly manage it through a six member “Codex Commission”. Its ostensible purpose is to protect consumers and ensure the safety of food in international commerce – something most people would support. But, as is so often the case in international politics, the reality of how the Codex is used is much different from what’s on paper. No where is this more true than in regard to dietary supplements. Since the late 1990s, the Codex Commission has been pushing an idea that was first surfaced by German multinational pharmaceutical companies i.e. to classify all vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements as drugs; and subject them to strict regulation. But there was more to it than just a few rules. Under the German proposal, there would also be a list of “approved” vitamins and minerals, and they would be the only dietary supplements that could be legally sold. Even that, however, was just the tip of the iceberg. |
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