Nutritionist Arrested by Federal Marshalls in FDA Raid

[Xicano]

(NaturalNews) Both the FTC and FDA are turning up the heat on nutrition-oriented companies and websites, resorting to arrests at gunpoint to enforce "nutritional illiteracy" across America by imprisoning those who accurately describe the health benefits of nutritional products they sell.

It was only days ago that the FTC attacked a church over its dietary supplements. NaturalNews covered the legal battle in a feature article and an exclusive audio interview with health freedom attorney Jim Turner.

The latest victim of this state-sponsored oppression and censorship agenda is Stephen Heuer of Cocoon Nutrition who advertised natural health products as treatments for depression and other health conditions. It remains the position of the FDA that there is no such thing as an herb, vitamin or superfood that has any ability to prevent, treat or cure any disease or health condition whatsoever. (In other words, the FDA ridiculously believes foods and herbs are chemically inert.)


http://www.naturalnews.com/025347.html

[Bolo Boffin]

1. If those "nutritionists" had viable products for the symptoms they claim to treat...

...then scientific tests could be conducted and the "nutritionists" could earn the legal right to describe their products as actual treatments of the symptoms they claim to alleviate.

There's more spin in that article than a whole week of Bill O'Reilly.

[Still Sensible]

2. Agreed

there's surely an agenda behind that report.

[uppityperson]

11. Yup, rather an odd article there. I searched for others but they all were the same.

Lot of spin there.

[flvegan]

3. Big Pharma owns that part of the FDA.

It's also the real reason behind the ephedra ban among others. If Big Pharma isn't getting a cut of ever dollar going towards any sort of "health" they want it disappeared.

That said, it can be dangerous to advertise anything for "treatment" of anything serious.

[kimmerspixelated]

13. TOUCHE'!!!

[TZ]

19. The ephedra was dangerous So was phen phen and thats gone as well.

I had my own bad reaction to ephedra actually. And as someone who works for a pharma and has to answer to the FDA everyday..your accusation is flat WRONG. Sorry, the FDA is cracking down on people who are selling stuff like sugar pills and other adulterated stuff. and not all pharmas are out there suppressing stuff as people think. Thats a waste of time and money. Many are like mine busy innovating and trying to outdo their competition. Trust me, pharmas are more interested in outdoing the other pharmas than in "suppressing" cures.
There are snake oil salesmen out there who prey on the ignorant.Look at all the contaminated herbal crap that comes in from China. Not only is it often not what is advertised but has toxic contaminents.

No offense, but you ought to read the history of the FDA..it was established by herbal and supplement makers/medical practictioner who actually did try to get the FDA to do what you are accusing Pharma of doing...and in took an act of Congress in the mid eighties to actually GET the FDA to crack down on the cranks selling things like fake cancer cures and such..

[flvegan]

21. My accusation is correct.

Ephedra has been used for eons outside this country, and for decades in this one. A couple deaths from people too stupid for their own good, and some folks with a bad reaction and the FDA jumped on it. As to your bad reaction, I have and still do use it on and off and have done so for 10 years. I've also supervised a number of clients that have used it successfully and safely.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Opium's been used outside of this country for decades for all kinds of problems.

That doesn't mean people should be selling it as a cold remedy.

[flvegan]

27. Your point?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. My point is that your main argument is deeply flawed.

"Ephedra has been used for eons outside this country, and for decades in this one."

That's neither here nor there.

"A couple deaths from people too stupid for their own good, and some folks with a bad reaction and the FDA jumped on it. "

You're blaming the victim. If Merck had been pushing their new synthetic anti-asthma drug without FDA approval, and a couple of people died, I doubt you'd be writing it off as consumer stupidity.

"As to your bad reaction, I have and still do use it on and off and have done so for 10 years. I've also supervised a number of clients that have used it successfully and safely."

And that's just standard woo woo anecdotal evidence.

Oh, and hey? Are you actually a snakeoil salesman yourself?

[flvegan]

31. That's your opinion.

As usual, it's just not worth it. I explained it to you before.

[TZ]

28. Ephedra got the same treatment as Phen Phen

Not everyone had a bad reaction. Not everyone had heart trouble. But because some people did, it was pulled. You'd be surprised how many drugs are pulled from the market for much less problems than either ephedra or Phen phen created.
I do know that it was the adulterated forms of Ephedra that was the problem. Since the FDA has no authority to contol that, the only way they could keep the issues from returning was to ban it out right. If the FDA actually had regulatory powers over the supplement industry perhaps it could have stayed on the market.
Unlike pharmas where the FDA can and DOES go into labs and inspect data and manufacturing processes..they don't have the power to do that..which is why ephedra is gone.
I find it ironic that most people on this board complain that the pharmas don't have enough regulation but the moment the FDA wants to put the same level of regulation to the supplement industry they scream "CONSPIRACY".
Or are you going to argue that regulation is a bad thing?

I figure we are going to have to agree to disagree but I have to tell you, most of my work day is spent doing compliance work for the FDA...so I am more than a little familiar with how they work. Supplement makers have very little oversight. It is actually in everyone's best interest for the supplement industry to have the level of oversight the pharmas have. I've seen places where the oversight is terrible and its quite frightening. I find the idea that someone can take anything they want and put it in a bottle and sell it as a "cure" or "treatment" with no real proof very upsetting.

[flvegan]

32. Didn't they lie in massive ways to get Fen Phen on the market?

Fen Phen was a flawed chemical, whereas ephedra is a naturally occurring organic ingredient.

The major problem with ephedra was the end user being irresponsible with it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. Ephedra is made up of "flawed" chemicals.

Ephedrine, for instance. And pseudoephedrine.

[flvegan]

35. Nope.

Nevermind. I'm done with you on this board.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. Yes, it is, Eisenstein.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra

For fuck's sake? You don't even know what it is you're selling to people?

[TZ]

37. Maybe

I don't recall exactly. You are going to have to trust me on this, but sometimes clinical trials are too small to really show up all the possible side effects. Sometimes new sides appear when a drug is out in the general population and a larger sample size occurs. Its also possible that these drugs were abused or overproscibed by the doctor--a lot of stuff happens when doctors use drugs in ways not originally intended.
As for the ephedra..maybe you are right about people being irresponsible with it...but look at it this way, do you really think that if it came back, people wouldn't start being irresponsible with it again? Not everyone is as knowledgable or cautious as you are.
I'd much rather the FDA be overzealous in their enforcement, than the laxity we've seen in the last few years because of the regulatory arm having its teeth pulled by Bush.

[flvegan]

40. I'd be thrilled to death to have the FDA oversee the supplement industry

IF they weren't in Big Pharma's pocket. I agree that there needs to be a LOT more oversight of the industry. There is far too much of a scam being pulled by peddlers, and it's not helping the average American. Thing is, the average American can properly research this stuff. I mean, I wouldn't put something into my body that I didn't know as much about as I could.

I think that if ephedra wasn't "banned" (technically, it's not in smaller doses...8mg, I think, but no insurance company will touch any supplement company selling it) yes people would abuse it. Just like they do alcohol or anything else.

As for fen phen, IIRC, it was originally denied FDA approval. But, then in a late night "rehearing" on it, it was approved based on lies. Don't quote me on that though, like I said, that's what I recall from the time.

[mzteris]

4. wasn't he arrested for fraud?

Selling "fake HGH"

and trying to sell HGH without a prescription . . .

plus not to mention various other and sundry violations including tax evasion.

[ChickMagic]

5. Actually

it's because the FDA knows that foods and herbs are not inert. If they were chemically inert it wouldn't be a problem outside of false advertisement. People who take this stuff often take prescribed meds and interactions sometimes have disastrous consequences.

on edit: can't spell

[Posteritatis]

6. "state-sponsored oppression and censorship agenda"... LOL

I'm curious as to what percentage of those who they say "accurately describe the health benefits of nutritional products they sell" are, y'know, outright making shit up. The snakeoil industry thrives in the whole "natural" supplement community. Every time one of those "my supplement rejuvinates the life energy in your cells!" guys gets nailed for fraud a kitten somewhere gets wings.

(Yeah, yeah, clearly believing that makes me an FDA shrill blah blah yadda yadda. *twirls finger*)

[mzteris]

7. PS - if Mercola thinks he's "great"

then obviously he's nothing but a quack. . .

[kimmerspixelated]

14. Oh Jeepers!

Not this crap ... every guy who believes in Natural medicine is a quack again!

[mzteris]

41. no -

I "believe" in some Natural Medicine - but the quacks out there do no good. Mercola is a ripoff artist snake oil salesman of the highest degree.

Heuer - is a charlatan and cheat.

[MineralMan]

8. Biased publication...biased article...

The "natural supplement" industry is so full of quackery and nonsense that it needs a close look. There are good supplements, to be sure. There are also useless, but expensive ones. Some can even be harmful.

This unregulated industry is a disaster, with infomercials selling crap people don't need. They just use the standard disclaimer and then go on to tell you how powerful and effective their nostrums are. It's a medicine show...old style.

"The products mentioned in this program are not designed to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness."

Say that, then watch your language a bit during the infomercial and you're home free. Enough of it.

[DainBramaged]

9. "The latest victim of this state-sponsored oppression and censorship agenda"

Anyone want to talk about all of the substances that kill people that are mixed into these 'supplements'?

[Botany]

10. Sounds to me like Stephen was selling snake oil

As an ecologist/horticulture person who is the son of a real life
PhD in clinical nutrition so many of these "natural herb and vitamin"
health food products are nothing more than pure scams.

[kimmerspixelated]

16. Sure, there are scammers in every business,

but to lump all vits and minerals and herbs supplements into just " snake oil" is just ignorant. Furthermore, last time I looked the Vitamin Shoppe, etc. they were doing pretty good. If all they sold was snake oil and their products never benefited anyone, how is it possible they could still be in business?? Sure, there's probably a few prods that aren't worth much, but they have a lot of return customers, so something is working!!! And don't give me that placebo crap!

[TheWraith]

39. There's a difference between vitamins, whic are scientifically proven, and herbs which are NOT.

99% of "herbal supplements" are either proven ineffective or unproven entirely.

[Posteritatis]

43. But - but - but - herbs are natural! Nature good science bad!

The whole idea that "herbs" are a monolithic intrinsically-benign-because-they're herbs thing is just ridiculous anyway. I'm sure some, maybe even most of them, are useful for something, but the "natural" "medicine" field has a tendency to claim it has panaceas all over the place. Some of the advertising looks exactly the same as patent medicines from the turn of the century, though I suppose the evil government was evil for denying us access to Dr. Chase's Patented Heart And Brain And Nerve Pills too. I imagine I'll survive in any case. ;)

Large swathes of real medicine out there are based off stuff dug out of the ground or cut off of a plant or something anyway, but it's not like the homeopaths and herbalists and vitamin-therapy types and the rest of the wooösphere are going to either believe or care about that particular bit of fuzziness. I've heard enough of them say that anything that passes a clinical trial is automatically bad anyway. ;P

[uppityperson]

12. Welcome back.

[Warpy]

15. Vitamins only cure deficiencies.

Herbs are either disproven or unproven.

Count yourselves lucky the FDA classifies them as foods rather than medications. If they ever get classified as the latter, they're going to have to prove they're safe and effective, something they will likely fail in either department or both.

In the meantime, if you'd rather give your money to a vitamin corporation than to a doctor, your best bet is to get one of the many books written on the subject by the people who have a vested interest in selling vitamins and herbs.

As always, caveat emptor. The FDA isn't the problem here.

[kimmerspixelated]

17. The FDA is a big problem

because they are mostly funded by Big Pharma. I don't need to go on about that.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. "I don't need to go on about that."

Well, no. Because you're just making it up.

The FDA is funded by the federal government.

[G_j]

30. Frontline: Dangerous Prescription

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/prescription/hazard/independent.html

Is the FDA too cozy with the industry it regulates? Critics of the 1992 Prescription Drug User Fee Act argue that industry funding of the drug review and approval process gives pharmaceutical companies, and their lobbying arm, PhRMA, too much influence. To address these issues, in excerpts from FRONTLINE's interviews, are Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group; Steven Galson, acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; Raymond Woosley, vice president of the University of Arizona's Health Sciences Center; and John Kelly, spokesman for PhRMA, the industry's lobbying organization.



Director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group since its founding in 1971.


How is the pharmaceutical industry making its inroads into the FDA? Where is it exerting its influence?

The pharmaceutical industry's influence gets exerted in a number of ways. One, starting 10 years ago , the influence was exerted by their directly funding, paying cash right up front, for FDA review. So in many ways, the FDA started looking upon the industry as their client, instead of the public and the public health, which should be the client.

A second way in which the industry influence occurs is by having leaders in the drug division who are spineless and gutless, and who don't like controversy. I have heard over and over again, directly from these people, "Why can't this be settled on a scientific and medical basis?" They don't like to take on the very awesome forces of the drug industry and a lot of its indentured servants, so to speak, in academic medicine. So the attitude by the leaders there , "avoid conflict" -- and avoiding conflict means doing what the industry wants.

A third way in which the industry's influence has been allowed to grow considerably is the absence of congressional oversight. Up until 12 years ago, whenever the FDA would make a mistake -- such as the series of mistakes they've made in the late 1990s -- there would be a congressional hearing. They would have to explain to the legislative branch of the government what went wrong. They would be -- properly, and in the best public health sense -- on the defensive to try and explain what went wrong.

No one is there in the Congress . There have been essentially one or two days of oversight hearings in 12 years, as opposed to maybe the previous 12 years with dozens and dozens of oversights. So they're getting away with no congressional oversight.

Those are some of the reasons. And the culture at the FDA has become, "Please the industry. Avoid conflict. Look upon our role as getting out as many drugs as possible." .


..more..

[Warpy]

42. No, they're funded by taxpayers

but they've been in bed with Big Pill and Big Ag. over the last 8 years with disastrous results.

The agency desperately needs to be purged of all its pro corporate and anti science GOP appointees. It also needs to hire adequate inspectors.

It's a good thing you didn't go on about it because you were wrong.

[kimmerspixelated]

18. Xicano, thanks for posting this!

There is definitely major oppression by the Big Pharma/FDA mafiosos and it needs to be brought out into the open more often!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. Sounds like good news to me.

These scam artists hurt a lot of people.

[derby378]

23. Sounds like bullshit to me!

We investigated jokers like this all the time in our local skeptics' club. So many shameless snake oil peddlers!

[BurtWorm]

24. The FDA's job is to make sure people don't make claims about products they can't back up.

They're supposed to protect consumer's from faith-based merchandizing. Whether or not they do depends on who's in charge of it, apparently.

[TreasonousBastard]

25. WHAT! That evil ol' gummint is saying gingko biloba...

DOESN'T cure Alzheimer's and horny goat weed WON'T make "that certain part of the male body" bigger? Jeez, next they'll be saying bilberry doesn't help night vision and taking chromium picholinate for diabetes will most likely kill you.

Damn feds-- always getting in the way of a good thing, they are.

Now if anyone actually gave a shit and preferred to avoid the scammer and pseudoscience sites, aside from the two or three legitimate herbalists out there that we can't find in all the hype the NIH and several medical schools have amassed what passes for the science on herbs and supplements and have some very informative sites. I even found out that one supplement might have been responsible for the hemorrhaging in my eye and yet another counteracts the simvastatin I'm taking.

(I found them with very little trouble at all-- can anyone else?)

[ferrous wheel]

33. Finally some government agencies actually doing some good.

...

[backscatter712]

38. If this plce is like Purity Products, I'm all for busting their asses.

I love AM760, but they broadcast ads for this snake-oil maker called "Purity Products" that sell their "colon cleansers" that promise to remove the waste stuck to the walls of your digestive tract "like spackle or paste." :puke:

Someone please get them off the air!

[Warren DeMontague]

44. That's just nasty.

Ewwww.