Natural Health Products are not drugs.

Natural Health Products are not drugs.

It is election time here in Canada, so for you activists out there if you want to do something real and constructive for the regulation of Natural Health Products in Canada, I have a task for you all.  It is easy, does not take much time and can put OUR issues in front of all our elected Canadian officials, regardless their party affiliation.  AND IT IS A POSITIVE THING TO DO.

There are a variety of messages that you can offer but most important, please take the time to actually deliver the message.  Natural Health Products and the Natural Health Product Directorate should be removed from the Therapeutic Products division of Health Canada. And the use of Natural Health Products should be incorporated into Canada’s National Health Policy.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Nowhere is this truer than in our health policies and procedures.

What are Natural Health Products?

Under the Natural Health Products Regulations, which came into effect on January 1, 2004, natural health products (NHPs) are defined as:

ü  Vitamins and minerals

ü  Herbal remedies

ü  Homeopathic medicines

ü  Traditional medicines such as traditional Chinese medicines

ü  Probiotics

Other products like amino acids and essential fatty acids

NHPs must be safe to use as over-the-counter products and not need a prescription to be sold.

What to do?

Go to: www.nhpsnotdrugs.ca/  and follow the prompts.  Send at least an Email (a real letter is 100 times better) to the candidates in your riding and then, if you really want to get active, go to: http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

And get busy communicating with as many candidates as you can across Canada. 

Or simply take the core messages from www.nhpsnotdrugs.ca/  and start asking the questions and demanding the answers...get the press involved...make this an issue in this election.  Whatever party forms a government is less important than insuring that our issues are on their mind.

I have been in this industry for approaching 40 years and I think the information at www.nhpsnotdrugs.ca/  is solid, well thought out and reasonable and if we can convey these messages and achieve these goals we could have one of the best environments in the world for the regulated use of high quality Natural Health Products.

Bill Reynolds

Reynolds & Associates

Former Executive Director of the Canadian Health Food Association

Fabricant: ‘The natural products industry must embrace scientists’ | United States content from New Hope 360

Fabricant: ‘The natural products industry must embrace scientists’ United States content from New Hope 360

food and egypt

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fview%2F2011%2F02%2F04-4&h=48f8d

egypt, wall street

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fheadline%2F2011%2F02%2F04-8&h=48f8d

Re: Egypt, the middle east and the rest of us.

It is extremely  unsettling to watch the events unfolding in Egypt as I write this.  Hosni Mubarak has certainly been a stabilizing force for the past while in the region, strong arm or not, and it is unfortunate that he and his colleagues are not able to see the writing on the wall and accede to the demands of the Egyptian people.  It is clear that he and his colleagues are well past time and it is equally clear that the Egyptian people are well ready to take on some modifications to their 'democracy'. 

What could have been a remarkable transition has now given the very radical elements that were apparently so feared, the opportunity, and a legitimate voice, to oppose any real or perceived repressive measures.

It is generally not a good thing to witness a military coup but at this instant, a military coup in Egypt may be the only short term way out of the situation.  The army has, to outward appearances, been a moderating influence and has managed to place themselves between some of the more aggressive groups on the street. 

The greater problem, however, is that this extreme discord in Egypt sets the tone throughout the middle east and, instead of encouraging rational and peaceful dialogue based on compromise to ease this transition, we have resistance and a violent reaction from the ruling party that encourages and legitimizes violent reaction from clearly repressed peoples.

If Mubarak could have found the way to step aside gracefully and started the transition process immediately he well could have diffused what is likely to become a firestorm throughout the region.

How this affects the rest of us is that it gives, to the organizers of such recent events in Canada as the G7 and the G20, justification to create a locked down, police state like, environment in such extremely peaceful cities as Toronto.  For months preceding these conferences we were warned of 'violent elements' who would try to 'upset' the meetings.  The instant any confrontational behaviour surfaced, we were immediately told that the massive police presence had been necessary to control the mobs.  Eventually we find out that the few miscreants, less that 1-2% of the crowds in the streets, probably could have been controlled by a dozen police men with fire hoses.

And the whole event probably could have been diffused by legitimate, democratic forums for communication, led by statesmen/women.  Unfortunately these people, our elected and/or appointed leaders, are engaged at  virtually the same level of rhetoric.  Rather than taking every opportunity to espouse true ideals, respect others whose ideals my appear to be at variance, and then engage in discourse and, when necessary, compromise to find solutions; we rather to choose to debate with hyperbole and live in fear.  With police 'protection'.  Another opportunity missed.