|
Strauss Heart Drops Scam
When Jim Strauss was let off the hook by the government of British Columbia for practicing medicine without a license, he just smiled and walked away. So, what's a little contempt of court and six or so previous convictions? No matter for this seventh generation herbal man. He just let it run off him like water off a ducks back. He hired new, more faithful distributors, cleaned house a bit, tidied up his cans of thousand dollar bills, and fired off a few words at Mr. Rock, the Canadian Health Minister. He has now recruited a battery recycler from Port Colborne, who runs around Southwestern Ontario hawking his wares. The object of this campaign is to prey on the elderly, many of them who are Mennonites. Wayne Elliott, the area distributor buys time on commercial radio stations, rents church halls and community centres to sell this stuff as if were the cure for nearly every disease. And CHML goes along with him because they make money.
Gingko Biloba
Wampole Canada and French Canadian consumer magazine Protégez Vouz special report:
Manufacturers of supplements confirm that Ginkgo biloba enhances concentration and
memory. According to several scientists, this is purely speculation. We placed tests
to we'll tell you the results of 29 Ginkgo Biloba supplements. Many manufacturers
affirm on their products and in their publications that Ginkgo biloba supplements
have an effect on memory and concentration: "To fortify mental processes" (Adrien
Gagnon), "The memory reinforcer from nature"(Swiss), "More and more students and
athletes consider it the nutrient of excellence"(Lalco). The allegations are illegal
based on the Law on Vitamins and Drugs, because not one of these products posts a
DIN (drug identification number), or preferable conditions for therapeutic use. Health
Canada does not investigate other than to detect traces of plant deposits, which
allows many manufacturers to avoid breaking the law, or at least avoiding it. In
March 1999, the ministry created the Department of Natural Health Products(BPSN),
with the goal of regulating the industry to assure Canadians "access to proven
natural products of high quality with labels, as required".
Product Labels Seldom Delivered on Promises
Leslie Papp - Toronto Star - Jan. 15, 2000
This article covered about 2/3 of the front page of the Saturday Star, Canada's
largest circulation paper. You might get a little. You might get a lot. Maybe
you'll get none at all. Lab testing commissioned by The Star has found that
herbal remedy labels often can't be trusted about what's in a bottle - and
about what goes inside consumers
Natural Health Products Manufacturers' Lobbyist
Responds to Leslie Papp's Article
in Toronto Star - Jan. 18, 2000 - The depiction of the marketplace for natural health products
leaves the impression that these products are not currently regulated. This is
not the case. In fact, natural health products are currently subject to regulations
created for foods and drugs which place the wrong kind of constraints on
manufacturers and retailers.
By painting all natural health product manufacturers with the same brush, Mr. Papp
obscured the fact that there are some very reputable companies that are producing
high quality, safe products that work. The reason that our members formed the NHPMC
was to allow manufacturers to work together and with government to raise the bar
for this industry.
Canadian Group Takes Aim at Office of Natural Products
CMAJ - (September 7, 1999)
Dr. Lloyd Oppel, a Vancouver emergency physician, and 3 colleagues formed Canadians
for Rational Health Policy (CRHP) a year ago because of their concerns about the federal
government's new Office of Natural Health Products. Their aim is to "promote science
in the service of the public." They are worried about the lack of scientific scrutiny
in the office's transition team and the implications for patient safety. None of the
14 transition team members is a research scientist, and only 1 is a physician. Oppel
maintains that the office's "standards of safety will be very much relaxed. That's
unfortunate, because we've learned the hard way that this is dangerous."
Canadian Pharmacists Association Endorses
Useless Herbal and Homeopathic Remedies
Yet say that they believe that "the federal government through coherent regulation of
herbal and homeopathic products will increase the capacity of Canadians to choose safe,
and effective self-medication products of quality. We believe that it is the
responsibility of this Committee and the Government it represents to perpetuate
the long tradition of protecting the Canadian public by ensuring that all products
and medications used in Canada correspond to established standards."
(They "talk the talk" and "walk the walk", and will make money any way they can.
Science has been swept aside, as marketing and going to work for a subsidiary of
Canada's largest tobacco company seems to have taken precedence over truth and honesty.)
Natural Health Products Directorate Home Page
NHPD proposed regulatory framework
Herbal Remedies - CBC Marketplace
Drugs Directorate Policy on Herbals
Concerns those used as Non-medicinal Ingredients in Nonprescription Drugs in Human Use.
- Health Protection Branch - (September 22, 1995)
Facts About the Importation and Sale of Herbal Products
- Health Canada (1997)
Drugs Directorate Guidelines
Traditional Herbal Medicines, and the related Drugs Directorate Policy, Medicinal Herbs in
Traditional Herbal Medicine. (November 1995)
The Future of Herbal Drugs
Alberta Prairie Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Conference - 1996
The promising gleam in the future of herbal drugs is shadowed by the gloom attaching to a
pervading lack of regulatory control and the attendant lack of assurance of botanical
identity, purity, quality and strength. Numerous instances of misbranding, adulteration
and substitution have been detected in herbal products, resulting in lack of medicinal
effectiveness and occasional poisonings. This state of affairs has recommended that
consumers exercise careful choice in the selection of commercial formulations and place
great reliance on the reputation of manufacturers, particularly those having recognized
experience with particular plant materials.
(This is a stinging endictment of the Canadian government's failure
to control the herbal industry)
Independent Herbal Quality Report
Report reveals leading brands may be substandard - Wampole Canada
TORONTO, ON - (March 11, 1999) - Results of two independent studies commissioned by
Wampole Canada Inc. show that some leading brands of St. John's Wort and Ginkgo Biloba,
two of the most popular herbal medicines in Canada, contain little or no active ingredient.
"The results of the Wampole Herbal Quality Report are signiflcant and emphasize the need for
regulation and standardization within the natural health products industry in Canada," said
Heather Boon, Pharmacist, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.
"Canadian consumers are buying these products assuming that the government, manufacturers and
pharmacists have checked the quality of the products, but that is not always the case."
Herbal Medicines - An Evidence Based Look
- Therapeutics Letter. (Issue 25, 1998)
The Therapeutics Initiative is funded through a 5-year grant to the University of British
Columbia from the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Health and Ministry Responsible
for Seniors. This is an excellent summary with lots of sources and links.
Back to HerbalWatch
|
