Incandescent Light Bulb Ban Could Harm Your Health

This is yet another tangled tale of unintended consequences. Action Alert! Full spectrum light is a more natural light, more similar to what we receive in the sun. It has numerous health benefits including less stress and anxiety, improved attitude, and in classroom settings, improved health and attendance along with increased performance and academic achievement. Natural daylight reduces anxiety, helps… Continue reading Incandescent Light Bulb Ban Could Harm Your Health

Are You Marketing a New Drug? FDA Will Do Its Best to See That You Have No Competition from Any Source!

If you thought the FDA was hostile only to supplements, think again. The agency is also unfriendly to drugs no longer under patent. Aspirin is a very old drug. It is no longer under patent protection, which means there is no longer any financial windfall to be made from it. We have reservations about taking… Continue reading Are You Marketing a New Drug? FDA Will Do Its Best to See That You Have No Competition from Any Source!

Sleeping Pills So Dangerous There’s Now an “Ambien Defense”

Even OTC sleep meds may be hazardous—and may contribute to Alzheimer’s. One of the world’s most popular sleeping pills is also, at 40 million prescriptions per year, one of the most-prescribed medications, period. Ambien—also sold under the brand names Intermezzo, Stilnox, Stilnoct, Sublinox, Hypnogen, Zonadin, Sanval, Zolsana, and Zolfresh—is becoming better known for its disturbing side… Continue reading Sleeping Pills So Dangerous There’s Now an “Ambien Defense”

How a Tooth-Whitening Lawsuit Landed before the Supreme Court

—and why their decision will have far-reaching ramifications for state licensing boards. Last year we told you about the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation of the North Carolina dental board. The FTC decided the board had attempted to monopolize the teeth whitening business, and found it had illegally thwarted competition through cease-and-desist letters. The board—composed mainly of private dentists—had… Continue reading How a Tooth-Whitening Lawsuit Landed before the Supreme Court

The Trans Fat Ban that Never Was

The FDA seems to be waiting for GMO soybeans to be ready before it follows through on its promise to ban the toxic fats. A new study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, available on the CDC’s website, shows that Americans are consuming much more trans fat than they realize. A federal loophole allows food companies… Continue reading The Trans Fat Ban that Never Was

USDA Power Play Threatens the Future of Organic Foods

Last week saw an inter-agency power grab. It begins with the weakening of organic standards—and could end with the term “organic” becoming practically meaningless. Action Alert! In September, the USDA announced changes to its interpretation of the “sunset” provision in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), an incredibly important piece of legislation that Congress passed… Continue reading USDA Power Play Threatens the Future of Organic Foods

How a Monopoly Is Turning the Date Rape Drug into a Blockbuster Moneymaker

Patent protection means you get to charge whatever the market will bear. In this case, it bears a 935% increase in the price tag. Xyrem is the brand name for sodium oxybate. Sodium oxybate is the sodium salt of γ-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB—the “date rape drug.” It’s an old drug—even older than aspirin—and it’s FDA-approved… Continue reading How a Monopoly Is Turning the Date Rape Drug into a Blockbuster Moneymaker

Latest FDA Moves Could Stop Further Research on Supplements

…and turn supplements into drugs. What is this agency thinking? Action Alert! What the FDA does about supplements is usually complicated—we think intentionally so, in order to confuse Congress and critics. Bear with us as we try to disentangle the threads. We need to get this story out now because the FDA has just opened a… Continue reading Latest FDA Moves Could Stop Further Research on Supplements

India Spending Over $2 Billion to Upgrade Its School Lunch Program

Don’t cheer yet—they’re spending all that money to get Pepsi to develop some processed food snacks for the kids! Bloomberg reports that India’s government is seeking help from an unlikely partner to improve the diets of 107 million of its hungriest children: PepsiCo. The current government has been in power for only three months, but… Continue reading India Spending Over $2 Billion to Upgrade Its School Lunch Program

FDA Censoring Free Speech on Facebook

Amazing—the little “Like” button has the power to magically turn supplements into drugs. Action Alert! You will recall how the FDA threatened cherry growers and walnut producers with jail if they opened their mouths about the curative powers of these foods. Now the FDA has issued a warning letter to the Utah nutritional supplement company… Continue reading FDA Censoring Free Speech on Facebook