Safety Advisories on Health Food Store Advice
Thanks for the note Rana, re: "Reservations Re HIV/AIDS Nutrition Initiative" - while this provides some clarification - is it not possible to add the required minerals separately with the current batch?
Also noted with considerable concern are the sited papers, regarding health food store advice. While there is potential for negative health impacts, it is not clear to me what all the fuss is about? Their is not just potential but known harm form toxic drugs. First and foremost, supplements, in the main, are safer than foods let alone drugs. It is for this reason, unlike medical and drug injuries, very few if any deaths are occurring form them even when mixed with toxic drugs.
You and those enamored by health food safely issues should first be looking in their own back yards, in that, if the current self serving sickness industry, pretentiously billed as health care, is so efficacious than why on earth should any one want to go to the health food stores to begin with - particularly when one is covered with health insurance? It is to escape from immune damaging drugs that Cancer, AIDS, etc. patients turn to the generally non toxic alternative. Creating health food regulations is akin to crushing a fly with a 10 lb hammer while trying to kill a Boa Constrictor with a fly swatter! The audacity of those creating so much death and injury and then turning around to restrict the much safer natural health products in the guise of protecting us is nothing but hypocrisy. See:
Opinion of the Quackwatch site
Interestingly, Fawzi protocol is very much like the advice form an health food store! As discussed in
"Why They Continue To Ignore The AIDS/HIV Selenium Connection" one does not need to have clinical trials ad nauseum as there already are hundreds of studies to prove that most disease needs the building blocks in the form form of nutrients before they subside. And drugs cannot fill this bill, regardless of the bull one is fed. As mentioned below the regulations and clinical trials have simply become a tool to control competition.
It appears that like in Germany, I believe, we saw the same pattern where the Naturopaths got lulled into thinking that only they and the medical profession should be allowed to prescribe therapeutic doses of nutrients. Then once this was accomplished - the Naturopaths came next in the firing line and where restricted on what they could prescribe. I had hoped that the Canadian Naturopaths had learned from this, but it seems not.It is imperative that no health food regulations be allowed without scientifically sound data of their dangers. Arguing, as is commonly done, by exception is not scientific by any stretch of the imagination. Such tactics are more proof of desperation to squelch competition than concern for our health. It is clear from history that while the intentions start out to be good, regulations nearly always are abused to protect the vested interests. These interests themselves. often are the instigators on creating all manner regulations via governmental bodies such as Health Canada. Most of the pressure to create regulations comes from the drug regulating branch of HPB. This begs the question on what interest does a drug regulating body have in competing foods if it not to protect it's turf? To clarify these issues please read:
Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) Member Questionnaire
I implore you to reconsider your stance on creating more useless health food regulations and support the freedoms to obtain nutrients rather than help in restricting them. For in the final analysis this is what will improve the health at large. Restricting them will only damage health by unnecessarily increasing price and reducing access to many essential minerals and other nutrients currently available.
If freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will have freedom.
Chris Gupta
----------------------Hello Chris,
Thank you for updating the attachments. I would like the opportunity to briefly comment on the feedback you have received regarding the donation program.
I appreciate everyone's concerns and I agree completely, the formula needs to be bolstered with some minerals (specifically Selenium). As I mentioned before, the supplement had already been manufactured before I joined the company. This will be remedied in future batches.I would also like to make it clear that this is NOT a "money making scheme". The multivitamin is being donated at COST to benefit those in need. The supplement is more expensive than some other products on the market, however, if you look at the ingredients and dosage, you will see that the supplement is much more potent (with respect to Vitamins C and E, and B-complex) than NuLife's (for example). You also need at least 4-6 NuLife tablets to reach our daily dosage. The multivitamin is also in capsule form, this is much easier to digest and there is no need for to crush it. For those who have difficulty swallowing the capsule, it can easily be separated to yield the powder. Capsules are significantly more expensive to manufacture, but are much better for absorption. Also, many tablets may require the addition of fillers and binders in the manufacturing process; ours does not.
Destiny concentrated on the C, E and B complex because that is what was used in the Fawzi studies. Specifically, Fawzi used 20 mg of B1, 20 mg of B2, 25 mg of B6, 100 mg of niacin, 50 µg of B12, 500 mg of C, 30 mg of E, and 0.8 mg of folic acid. Destiny added a few more ingredients and increased the dosage (within safe ranges). Again, selenium is a very valuable ingredient missing in this equation. I believe Fawzi's studies would have shown a significantly stronger response if Selenium had been included.
With respect to the comments regarding Destiny's website ("directed towards marketing and selling products, etc"). This is true, as Destiny is in the business of selling products (it is a private, for profit business). But, please remember that the donation program itself is a non-profit project! Dec 6th is not a deadline per say. Destiny will be opening their new office in St. Lucia and we want to take as much multivitamin as we can to help those in need in the Caribbean region.
Even though Destiny is a "for profit" business, the company will be shifting much of its focus to prevention and education (especially since I have become involved in the company). In addition to my private practice, I am a former Faculty Member ot the Canadian College Of Naturopathic Medicine. I also co-authored a few research articles with respect to health food store safety:
Impact of federal safety advisories on health food store advice.
J Gen Intern Med. 2004 Mar;19(3):269-72.
Mills E, Singh R, Ross C, Ernst E, Wilson K.
Sale of kava extract in some health food stores.
CMAJ. 2003 Nov 25;169(11):1158-9.
Mills E, Singh R, Ross C, Ernst E, Ray JG.Health food store recommendations: implications for breast cancer patients.
Breast Cancer Res. 2003;5(6):R170-4. Epub 2003 Aug 06.
Mills E, Ernst E, Singh R, Ross C, Wilson K.
Emerging issues associated with HIV patients seeking advice from health food stores.
Can J Public Health. 2003 Sep-Oct;94(5):363-6.
Mills E, Singh R, Kawasaki M, Bast L, Hart J, Majlesi A, Kiani P, Wilson K.
I want to assure everyone that this program is sound and that I am doing it for the right reasons. Currently we are partnered with the TORONTO ARYA SAMAJ, a registered charity in Toronto Canada (11926-5882-RR0001) in delivering this donation program. We are seeking other charitable organizations, corporations and concerned individuals to help us in this cause. Even without Selenium, I believe the multivitamin will have a substantial impact on the health of those who receive it.
If you are able, I urge you to donate with confidence. Every penny raised will help someone with HIV improve their health.
Yours in Health,
Rana Singh ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Director of Integrative MedicineDestiny Health & Wellness, Inc.
123 Commerce Valley Dr. E.
Suite 310
Thornhill, ON L3T 7W8 Canada
Toll Free : 1-888-878-9193
T: (905) 762-0708 Ext. 18
F: (905) 762-1039
rsingh@destinywellness.com
p.s feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to donate.
here is the formulation:
Daily Dosage: 360 capsules in total per bottleVitamin E (Tocopheryl succinate) 400 IU
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine Hydrochloride) 300mg
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) 100mg
Vitamin B-3 (Niacinamide) 100mg
Vitamin B-5 (Calcium Pantothenate) 250mg
Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 50mg
Vitamin B-12 (Methylcobalamin) 1000mcg
Folic Acid 1000mcg
Biotin 100mcg
Choline Bitartrate 100mg
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) 1000mg
Bioflavonoids 250mg
posted by Chris Gupta on Monday November 22 2004
updated on Saturday September 24 2005URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/11/22/safety_advisories_on_health_food_store_advice.htm
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