In 2002 my magazine What Doctors Don’t Tell You first learned about plans within the European Union to radically restrict natural medicine across all member countries, starting with laws that would create a very low ceiling of ‘safe upper limits’ in vitamins.
Although the laws were ostensibly to create a level playing field within the European supplement market, the proposals bore the heavy hand of Big Pharma.
At the time, the solution appeared simple. The majority of people in the UK use some form of natural medicine. All we needed to do was to band together, whip up a national protest, and the laws would be stopped in their tracks.
In early 2003, we invited all the heads of the largest vitamin companies and representatives from all the leading natural medicine organizations – homeopathy, herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and many others – to a meeting in central London.
Many of the organizations never showed up. Of the 50 or so who did, many groups felt that our concerns were alarmist. Others welcomed the new moves as good for business. A few attempting to fight the legislation were busiest fighting each other.
No group seemed able to see the bigger picture. Each organization was mainly concerned with whether their own business was under fire. If it wasn’t – and at the time it wasn’t for many of the disciplines – they weren’t interested. Not my problem.
Big Pharma had big plans all those years ago. Unless there is sufficient opposition, within the next year or two, laws will come into effect in Europe that will drastically restrict the access of all Europeans to high-dose vitamins and herbal medicine.
Most therapeutic herbal medicine, plus forms that are new to the West, such as Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese herbal medicine, will effectively be banned. And although homeopathy has emerged unscathed from future EU law, the British Medical Association is working to eliminate funding for NHS homeopathic hospitals.
This pogrom will not end in Europe. The near identical international laws that have been drafted within the United Nations suggest that a well organized and concerted effort is under foot to finish off any alternative to orthodox medicine.
The plan is to watch Europe closely to assess the level of consumer protest. Thus far, that protest has been minimal. The two consumer groups that have maintained any sort of consistent attack – the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) and Consumers for Health Choice who have challenged the law and lobbied parliament are starved of funds.
The individual organizations to this day remain isolationist. Not my problem.
This attitude reminds me a bit of the speech given by Pasto Martin Miemoller about the passivity of many German groups to the purging by the Nazis of group after group.
First they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for me for me
and then there was no one left to speak out for me.
For all of us wishing to maintain alternatives to drug-based orthodox medicine, these laws are all of our problem, and every last one of us has an obligation to speak up now.
Here’s what you can do:
Right now, in the absence of collective consumer action, our best hopes in the UK rest with the CHC and the ANH. Both need funds desperately in order to continue their fight.
Contact information:
Alliance for Natural Health, The Atrium, Curtis Road, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1XA. Tel: 01306 646 600. Website: www.anhcampaign.org
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While it is important to stand up for natural health aids and be very suspicious of pharmaceutical drugs both ultimately deny the real possibility of finding the solution to dis-ease and health that lies in the mind. When we can see that our thoughts and beliefs cause our experiences then we have a REAL natural solution.
It seems inconceivable that heads of vitamin companies and natural health organizations could so severely underestimate the gravity of this situation and cling to their insular view of alternative health and healing as nothing more than a business. People who harbor such ideas are thinking the same way as the drug companies. They just lack the massive funds to push their agendas the way the drug companies are doing.
That pharmaceutical companies have the money to buy as many corrupt politicians as they like - and corrupt politicians are a dime-a-dozen. That's all it's going to take to make alternative health care illegal. But Lynne's spot on about the way to defeat this initiative. Time is running out, though.
The ONLY hope we have of stopping this nefarious initiative is to come together and make our voices heard loud and clear.
The time for sitting on our hands and waiting for someone else to act is over - unless you place no value on your access to natural alternatives.
The time to act is now!
The time to come together and speak with one voice is now!
The time to reclaim our right to choose our own form of health care before it is sold for thirty pieces of silver is now!
I am at an absolute loss for words... the insanity is astounding. Thanks for this sobering blog Lynne.
In 2008 in Canada Bill C-51 was defeated. C-51 was to regulate the production, sales and uses of alternative medicine product in general. Introduce by Tony Clement Canadian mister of health at the the time, for obvious reason. Clement was replace soon after the fiasco.
Thanks to organization like 308 TAC ( truth against corruption) team and the support of the public.
Hopefully the work done by people like Lynne Mc Taggart will be taken seriously ans stop dead such corrupt legislation.
Marilyn,
Our minds are a powerful part of the whole of our health. But very few of us (as yet) have tapped into this power. For now, we need to educate ourselves and others to understand the tremedous healing resources we have within ourselves. Once people have tragic accidents, become diseased, in pain, or disabled, a more wholistic compassionate approach is needed. We nourish & heal ourselves through our thoughts, the breath, the food we take in, the water we drink, nurturing relationships, and the love and connection we feel to ourselves and all beings. Once people get on this path, there are very few pharmaceuticals that would be helpful. The companies would eventually lose their customer base and go out of business. We can't fight them, we need to continue to educate people.
I quit my job last November. I did that in a horrible economy without the security of a weekly income. I had to. I couldn't sit on my hands any longer. If you think your choice for medical care is the only issue, think again. If Big Pharma wins our right to choose how we care for our own bodies, imagine what is next. If history does repeat itself, we are in for a heap of trouble. As I see it, Hitler is being born again and he isn't a good Christian the 2nd time around either. Get out there people and be a voice for change NOW. Even though we live in the USA - the land of the free - you must question - how free are we really if we aren't given the freedom of choice and the truth about what is good for us. If you like your life and the way you see things in the USA right now, then do nothing. If you don't like what you see, speak up, speak out and be A VOICE FOR CHANGE. I for one had enough and I'm doing something about it. I hope you will join me and do something too.
Thank you so much, Lynne, for sharing that!
I had the privilege to meet with the head scientist of Alliance for Natural Health, Dr. Robert Verkerk. His work ethics and his passion to stand for our basic rights by defending our right to naturally supplement in any quantities we'd like & use Eastern Medicine, were not only deeply impressive, but after several days, he gained my complete trust!
Since then I am speaking out about this pending new law in Europe wherever I present infos about nutritional supplementation, health, and well-being!
Taking away the right to naturally supplement and prohibiting Eastern medicine is as if someone restricts the amount of water you can use per day!
It is essential for our health & well-being!
Pls keep on sharing your knowledge, Lynne, and thanks for everything.
I have heard this story several times in recent months. How can we, as individuals, fight for our right to choose the health modalities that we feel suit us? Is there a universal action group? I'd like to know more so I can spread the word and empower others to join.
Desde México les comento que estamos conscientes que es necesario establecer un frente común para defender nuestro derecho a acceder a la medicina que satisfaga nuestro derecho a la salud y a tener una vida digna. Unamos nuestro esfuerzo por conseguirlo.
Consider the number of dead from cancer alone since Nixon's "War on Cancer" promised a cure 40 years ago: millions and millions. Consider how much money big Pharma has reaped from those dead and their families: billions and billions. In view of these numbers I consider this to already be a Holocaust.
I don't know a single person who hasn't lost a loved one in this war, and been the poorer for it.
Here in America I am seeing attacks on many fronts... all aiming at control and money to be made. Big pharma I have been watching for quite some time. That is why I have told others to learn all of the natural methods they can for their friends and family like acupressure, use of herbs natural to their location, qigong or other energy healing style and household common products like H2O. One thing I do know is when you place all of your trust in big business, or other large companies you are taking a chance. If we do not take responsibility for our lives, meaning health, finances, mental, spiritual... we have no one to blame but ourselves. We need to get off the handouts, the freebie's, and all of the quick-fix gimmicks these predators offer in exchange for our freedom and personal power. There is a price to pay when you become lazy and trust others with your life that only want to make money from peoples trusting nature.
Sorry, but forgot to add this... how many times can we send money to research for bogus research that never ends in a real cure, but just more drugs to sustain the disease or illness? each year they advertise and ask for donation for a cure. Has anyone ever added up how many years this has been going on and how much they collect each year, and then what the end results are? Why create a new drug that is similar to the last ten, unless of course you want to cash in on the market. I believe these organization know that sick people are more profitable than healthy ones, and they do not care if you know it, or like it. They are going to make us dependent on their illusion of cures one way or another.
We keep fighting the same issues in America, as you know. So far we haven't been counted out. The new health care reform bill was written in a way that specifies that alternative medicine should not be discriminated against. My profession, Oriental medicine (acupuncture, herbs, etc.) is relatively small and poor, but our services are covered by insurance in many places including my state of New Mexico, and national law is trending toward including us more fully.
Still, it has been extremely difficult to get individual practitioners fired up about these issues. There are always threats coming along that need to be combatted.
I was around in the UK when this issue was aired
half a dozen years ago. The issue disappeared and
nothing seemed to happen.
Is this a "shout Wolf" scenario?
We have a new government in Britain - which
purports to support "Localism" (a new Bill with
that title is due in November in parliament).
How much more "local" can one get than the
rights of the individual?
As a previous contributor wrote:
"Es necesario establecer un frente común para
defender nuestro derecho a acceder a la
medicina que satisfaga nuestro derecho a la
salud y a tener una vida digna."
If we want health and a dignified life, we need
to take the action suggested - whatever the
language that we speak.
Potrebno je da postoji grupa koju ima isti cilj
- da osoba ima pravo za dobar zdrav i da ima
takodje pravo da to stekne kao zeli.
Alan Rayner
EX39 2BA
I am somewhat surprised to find a blog on the issue of Pharma versus Health Food Industry on Lynne's Intention Experiment page, it looks a bit out of place to me.
Apart from that, I am not convinced that this battle between one industry and another is ever going to be put to rest: each has it's own vested interests to promote.
As a family physician for the past 40 years I have come to the conclusion that at least two thirds of all drug prescriptions are not needed and that many of them may be harmful. I am equally convinced that the great majority of so called natural supplements are of very little or no use, and that some of them may be harmful as well.
The sky is not falling in, and some sober reflection may be in order.
Many people will agree that most of all healing falls under the heading of "placebo effect", that mysterious and wonderful realm of the body/mind connection we still know so little about...
I would like to reply to Hans Terlingen MD. I think I would like to have a choice. After all that is what democracy is all about. Soon we will not have a choice about how we feel, what we eat, what we believe in, etc. I think warnings etc are in order but not vetos. Anything can be harmful, including carrots if eaten in large quantities, but should we ban those? Why don't we ban cars which cause so many deaths? I think one cannot be complacent about these issues. I think we also need much better access to truthful information and an education system which teaches us how to be responsible knowledgeable citizens, by providing us with concepts which are useful in assessing information and distinguishing between what is relevant and what is harmful. Is this not where spirtual concepts come in??
We need to get this message into the mainstream press in the UK.
What about an article in the Daily Mail, Lynne?
I intend to keep on taking as litle medication - of any kind - as possible but I also intend to take what I consider necessary whether it is from: a chemist, a garden, a forrest, a beach, the sea or anywhere else.
As other writers have stated; disease and other damage to the body can mostly be cured, repaired and corrected without resort to drugs, medicines and equipment.
Unless there is demonstrated risk of harm Governments should get on with the business of government, stay out of our private decisions, stop assisting one business over another and leave us alone.
@15 Hans Terlingen,
Did you actually read the part of Lynn's post on the speech of Miemoller?
Your reaction could easely understood as 'Then they came for the Natural Supplements. I didn't speak up, because they might not work...'
This is besides the issue and dangerous thinking. You have the right to use this supplements, regardless if they work or not. But nobody speaks up, so this right will be taken slowly from you. What will be the next right?
[...] McTaggart, author of The Field and The Intention Experiment, posted a blog regarding Codex Alimentarius this a.m. (Here’s my view on the [...]
Big Pharma and Big Agra are becoming big problems in America, Europe and more. I see greed, power, control and a plan that is far-reaching. I would like to see this problem be made part of an Intention Experiment. We came together to intend a solution for the problems in the Gulf of Mexico and we are seeing results from that intent. Can we not form an intent to protect our food sources from GMO seed and the loss of organic farming; to protect our right to choose natural, non-pharmaceutical methods to support our health; to prevent corruption and greed in corporations and industry? Seems to me that the only way we are ever going to make a difference is to come together with a focused intent to create lasting change that will bring benefits to all not just a few. This is not a local problem. Soon it will be worldwide, perhaps it already is. But the power of focused intent is greater than greed, it is greater than corruption. It allows Source energy to open the doors to solutions that can benefit everyone. When we band together our ability to affect change increases exponentially. We cannot afford "it's not my problem" kind of thinking - we are all connected and it's time to start using the Power of our connectivity.
After reading the latest blog - at first I felt so disgusted that big brother was once again feeling the loss of its control over us all. Then reflected on those thoughts and realised that I have been feeling concern for the amount of alternative products on the market and also the amount of money that is flowing into this market! We ALL need to begin to access the power within ourselves to keep ourselves healthy - - as both health industries (medical and alternative) tend to cater to our fears about our health!!
Lynne,
One of the things I love about living in Brisbane, Australia, is to go down to the corner Chinese shop in the valley, and watch the ‘doctor’ behind the counter mix and create their medicinal pouches containing all types of various dried plant and animal matter.
They will have twelve pieces of paper laid out on the counter, and will reach for large glass jars from the shelves on the wall behind the counter.
Some of the contents are easy to identify like star anise and sharks fin...but some of those jars look to contain some not-so-common herbs and animal parts.
It is truly amazing to watch the interaction between the staff and shoppers...there is an unbiased trust there...
I have not read about any initiatives to try and ban this type of local natural medicine, but would assume in such a multi-cultural society as can be found in Australia, the government would be hard pressed to actually make a stance.
If they did, the local doctors will just go underground and prices will go up. I assume this may also occur in Europe or America if this type of legislation is passed.
In the mean time, I’ll continue to wonder at the ancient history of natural medicine and the sometimes miraculous effects which natural medicine can produce....and watch the local remedies being created at the corner shop...
Write On!
In Switzerland, fortunately, the legislative trend ist just contratry. A year ago the people (the sovereign as it is called here) voted for the inclusion of at least some variants of alternate medicine in the mandatorily paid part of the general health insucrance (these votes are binding in S.). Switzerland is also not part of the EC (maybe for the wrong reasons and this has considerable drawbacks too) due to such referendums. S. is not better or worse than other countries large and by. But there is one main difference to most of the other countries in the world: The very direct democracy, by means of which, the people can intervene powerfully against machinations of groups strong in power and money otherwise. And this happens successfully again and again. And politicians and money strong groups know that "we" will have our say in the end. And this has a considerable influence on the political process. 1 drawback is the often very slow pace of change in pressing matters. Another potenially is the possibilty to influence with populistic means the "body" of voters. So for a democracy to function so directly, it also needs tradition.
This leads me to the conclusion, that to further pro LIFE trends, concepts, legislation that strenghten the freedom and legal power of people, an extension and developement of direct democratic rights would be very helpful in furthering the power of everybody concerned.
But then: dont advise others and maybe I just like what I am used too.
Bless You All
[...] McTaggart, author of The Field and The Intention Experiment, posted a blog regarding Codex Alimentarius this a.m. (Here’s my view on the [...]
I am the Medical Director of the Natural Solutions Foundation, http://www.HealthFreedomUSA.org and http://www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org.
I have practiced natural, that means drug free, psychiatry and medicine since I was graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1970.
It was clear to me for a couple of decades that these assaults on our health freedom, and the right to access clean food, natural health strategies and pharmaceutical alternatives was under an increasing crescendo of attack.
It was clear to me by 2004 that our side was doing nothing much productive to counter effectively what the Uber Cartel, led by Big Pharma, were up to: globalized health and freedom suppression and genocide through illness based on dangerous drugs, pollution and devitalized foods that do not sustain health, let alone life.
Realizing that there was no road back once these changes were institutionalized, my husband, Maj. General Albert N. Stubblebine III (US Army, Ret.) closed our practice of drug free medicine, sold our house and created the Natural Solutions Foundation.
Why didn't we just join forces with other health freedom organizations? Well, we tried. The first thing we did was call a well known health freedom advocate and offer our help and support. financial and otherwise. His response? "I do not like you because I do not know you, I do not trust psychiatrists and there is nothing you can do for health freedom. Just send money and leave me alone." That is a direct quote.
We were so appalled that an apparent leader of this "movement" would be so short sighted and self absorbed, with no better prospects on the horizon, that we were catapulted into our decision to take this battle on since no one particularly effective or strategy-minded was on the scene.
Next, we met with other people in the "movement" and suggested in early January, 2005, a meeting of all the groups involved in this battle, much as Lynn did. That meeting took 6 weeks to organize. Most of the invitees did not come. Those who did were most occupied with slashing at each other behind backs and to faces. The outcome was predictable: nothing of any use whatsoever.
We were told that people were cowed by the vicious attacks of the first person I mentioned and so, in true co-dependent fashion, allowed the least stable person in the system make the most important decisions through bullying.
Another so called "leader" called us up and told us that we were not "permitted" to run a health freedom rally because "Health Freedom BELONGS [emphasis added] to the XXXX Foundation, as does all money involved in health freedom." Again, not a very productive approach to winning a war, one might say.
And so it went. Petty jealousy, foolish self-interest and a movement so out of control that it could only be explained by ego or agents provocateur, or, as we believe the case to be, both.
Another example: in the US, where the Natural Solutions Foundation is based, we had a unique phenomenon develop during the most recent Presidential elections: through http://www.Change.org we were able to create the 10 top issues in the US according to people's electronic votes. Those issues would, we learned, be presented to the newly elected President of the United States as the major concerns of the people of the US.
We seized the opportunity and created a health freedom item. We then wrote to every health freedom organization asking them to join with us to bring our issue to the forefront of awareness. The name of our organization did not appear anywhere in the item. We asked all of these organizations to urge their members to use their collective power and move the Health Freedom item up to number 1.
What did they do? Several of them actually banded together to urge their members to use the voting format to vote DOWN the health freedom item because they were not the initiating organization.
We made it, if I recall, to Number 8, if I recall, which was enough to be included in the top 10, but hardly where the issue should have been.
And, of course, every time the Natural Solutions Foundation accomplishes something like, for example, forcing the disastrous phony Food Safety Bill off the voting agenda, or stops the mandatory Swine Flu vaccine program the federal government was planning in the US, we get attacked as - of all things - "controlled opposition".
Then there are the manufacturers and business people. Exactly as Lynn described it, when their ox is being gored, they have a hard time seeing it. When their ox is not being gored, they could not be less interested, many of them. Of course, there are the far sighted exceptions, but I share with Lynn the awareness of how important action is and how little the organizations and, in many cases, the companies involved are willing to see beyond their own noses.
So, in essence, it is up to us, the people.
The Health Freedom Organizations are either infiltrated, underfunded or ineffective. The Wellness companies are either blind or so burdened trying to stay in business that they cannot see the forest for the trees even though the forest is advancing like the forest in Macbeth!
What to do? Exert the strength of a powerful netroots and take this struggle on as your own. Because it is. What we are struggling about is not pills and powders. It is health and freedom, the right to control our own bodies, make our own choices.
It is the right to seek, or refuse, any treatment or health strategy which we desire.
It is the right to access clean, unadulterated food and high potency nutrients because we want to, under whatever terms we want to use them.
It is the right to share and study truthful information about the benefits of food and food components in a climate of free inquiry, not criminalization or regulatory gag rules, as is currently happening under Codex and in the US.
Just weeks ago, the European Parliament agreed to stop requiring the labeling of GMO "foods" and ingredients. This is a horrific blow to your freedom in Europe, which has already been accomplished in the US where such labeling is FORBIDDEN. This, of course, follows the secret meeting of the 27 heads of state of Europe last October 22 in London to find ways to compel the people of the EU to accept GMO foods despite their vigorous objections to it.
Gag rules to prevent health information (called "claims") from being shared are the order of the day of the corrupt and industry-owned FDA (which we in the Natural Solutions Foundation refer to as the Fraud and Death Administration) and are one of the tools of Codex to make sure that your only options are drugs and, eventually, death, after serious profit from that death march.
Truly, either we do what needs to be done, or what they want done to us will prevail.
I urge you, wherever you live, and whatever you eat, to become part of the thrust for freedom. Health and Freedom are essential components of one another. Health Freedom IS Our First Freedom. Please join the free, secure Health Freedom Action eAlerts here, http://www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org, or here, http://www.HealthFreedomUSA.org, and join us in securing our Health Freedom once and for all.
Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
I congratulate all of you who realize that the basic healing of any physical problem lies in our mind and not in what we put into our bodies. Medicine of all kinds be it "pharma" or "natural" can bring about a "cure" which is not the same as a healing. I definitely agree that we need to speak up for ourselves before we lose the right to do so. For me the path is one of love not war. Making war on Cancer or drugs certainly not worked. Compassion, love and forgiveness needs to be the key as we work together to find a balanced solution to this challenge. Blessings to all.
What we resist, persists. If you use and want to keep using, natural supplements, appreciate them and those who market them. Sure, sign whatever comes your way, but when you get upset and angry about it, you are giving your energy to what you do NOT want, therefore helping create it by default. that is the "secret" to using your mind effectively.
Yes Tracy , you echo my thoughts exactly
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