Doing What Comes Naturally: Are Natural Health Products Being Held to a Higher Standard?

I also find it interesting that the drug companies themselves are remaining silent in what could very likely be a misuse and perhaps even abuse of their products. Especially since a January 17th, 2008 Fox News article titled “FDA: Over-The Counter Cold Medicine Too Risky For Yong Children” reported that “Drug companies last October quit selling dozens of versions targeted specifically to babies and toddlers.” The above is an excerpt from the December 13th PI Window on Business article "Anti psychotic Prescriptions . . . for Children: Is the Medicaid Story Today’s Version of Go Ask Alice?" which highlighted the alarming frequency in which children between the ages of 3 and 16 are being prescribed powerful drugs. Given that anti psychotic prescriptions “are the single biggest drug expenditure for Medicaid, costing the program $7.9 billion in 2006," one has to wonder why regulatory authorities are remaining relatively silent amidst speculation that this practice is a combination of “abject greed” on the part of the pharmaceutical companies combined with physicians' increasing practice of prescribing versus actually treating patients. Yet against this backdrop, here in Canada the contentious Bill C-6 represents a long line of legislative proposals that are designed to "control" natural health products, and in the process "protect" Canadians. However, and in the absence of tangible examples of risk such as those cited above, one has to ask from what are Canadians being protected? A fair question considering the National Health Products Protection Association's (NHPPA) reference to recent statistics indicating that approximately 245,000 people die each year from prescription drugs. Joining me today to delve deeper into the issues and questions surrounding the legislation of Natural Health Products industry is NHPPA President Shawn Buckley.