Let’s connect a few dots here from the recent past to show what sort of creeps are staging the current show.

In the fall of 1989, the Federal Drug Authority, (FDA) ostensibly the protectors of the public, recalled L-Tryptophan, an amino acid nutritional supplement, stating that it caused a rare and deadly flu-like condition (Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome / EMS). This was a lie, and they knew it was a lie.

They didn’t’ mention that it was only one batch of contaminated L-Tryptophan from a nasty Japanese company named Showa Denko that caused the problem, not L-Tryptophan generally. Showa Denko is not a nutritional supplement company, it is a pharmaceutical company. They are bad news even in Japan. On one occasion they blew up part of their plant to counter a Japanese government inspection which would have proved that they were responsible for contaminating a river in Japan with mercury, causing kids to be born with birth defects.

It’s the equivalent of the shredding of documents in government agencies that want to keep their secrets secret. Then they look blank and say “What documents? We are willing for you to search our files.”

The contaminated L-tryptophan was caused by using genetic engineering to develop bacteria that would produce the substance quicker than any other method. Being first was more important than being safe, just as it is with our own pharmaceutical companies.

L-Tryptophan was used by millions of people in this country to help with sleep disorders and depression, which it does perfectly well and without side effects and at a low cost.

On March 22, 1990, the FDA banned the public sale of L-Tryptophan completely. The reason is the one always given…'to protect the public.' Since government institutions have long realized how few of the American public have dot connecting capability, it was only four days later when Newsweek had a lead article praising the virtues of the anti-depressant drug Prozac. You may remember the front cover with its huge green and white capsule of Prozac, and the headline: "Prozac: A Breakthrough drug for Depression."

That cannot be a coincidence. Both L-Tryptophan and Prozac work on the serotonin creation in the body. As levels of serotonin go up depression goes down, so does anxiety and stress. Prozac like Paxil and Zoloft work to increase levels of serotonin by working with the serotonin in the body and making it more available. None of the three produce serotonin. L-Tryptophan actually helps people produce their own serotonin, a producer rather than an enhancer.

Remember the political proverb “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” The FDA jumped at the chance to hit the natural supplement industry using their legal powers, and also of course to help their great buddies in the pharmaceutical companies.

Those Americans who used the harmless L-Tryptophan now had to use very expensive, addictive and sometimes dangerous prescription drugs, or suffer their depression, sleeplessness or anxiety.

The FDA policy still maintains that L-Tryptophan is an untested, unapproved and dangerous drug. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and the researchers at the Mayo Clinic have proved that the problems came from contaminants in the Showa Denko material, not from the L-Tryptophan itself. But no evidence is allowed to interfere with pharmaceutical profits.

And we aren’t supposed to notice either that on February 9, 1993, a United States government patent (#5185157) was issued to use L-Tryptophan to treat, and cure EMS, the very same condition which allegedly prompted the FDA to take L-Tryptophan off the market in 1989. They are very sure that Americans don't notice anything except what is said and shown on TV. Maybe they are right.

And we aren’t supposed to notice that although the public is banned from buying L-Tryptophan the FDA today allows Ajinomoto U.S.A. the right to import from Japan human-use L- Tryptophan. From Ajinomoto in Raleigh, North Carolina the Japanese L- Tryptophan is then sold to, and through, a network of compounding pharmacies across the United States. So now we have the banned ex-dietary supplement available only on prescription, and guess what, the price is about five times what it was in the health food stores.

If you can’t connect those dots and see how the FDA serves corporate interests first and the public way below second then click onto somewhere else. We are both wasting our time.

The FDA is always selective in its persecutions. Tryptophan has never been removed from baby food produced and sold within the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture still allows the legal sale and use of non-contaminated L-Tryptophan for animals. Today, as in the past, feed grade L-Tryptophan continues to be used as a nutritional and bulk feed additive by the commercial hog and chicken farming industry. Additionally, L- Tryptophan is now available for use by veterinarians in caring for horses and pets. Only sick people are banned because they can be forced to pay more.

Outside of the United States, in countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, England, and others, L-Tryptophan is widely used. Nowhere, have any serious or widespread health problems occurred.

The FDA public ban of safe, non-contaminated L-Tryptophan is obviously biased in favor of the pharmaceutical industry. The FDA ban awards billions of dollars in profits to its buddies in the pharmaceutical companies and at the same time adds billions of unnecessary dollars to the nation's health care costs.

You can often pick up gems from company reports; leaks about true intentions. Well on June 15, 1993, the FDA Dietary Supplement Task Force published a report on the work it had been doing in the area of developing FDA policy around nutritional supplements. On page two, the report states, "The Task Force considered various issues in its deliberations, including ... what steps are necessary to ensure that the existence of dietary supplements on the market does not act as a disincentive for drug development."

That bit of spin is pretty clear…”We will do anything we can to cut out nutritional supplements that help people because our friends in Big Pharma won’t research drugs when a nutritional supplement already does the job.” That little bit of history which was pretty much ignored by everyone in the media except the health writers, was to set the stage for what is going on today. Same old methods, different minor targets, same major target, your pocket book and pharmaceutical profits.

The swine flu crisis can’t be allowed to go to waste. At the beginning of this month the clever spins and lies were dropped on a scared public, the main one being the idea that there’s nothing that can help them except doctors and drugs.

It was astonishing to an ex health writer to see that, the Natural Products Association (NPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) came together to issue a warning against any "natural" remedies that are being promoted as ways to prevent or treat H1N1 influenza.

This is what they issued as a joint statement: "We are unaware of any scientific data supporting the use of dietary supplements to treat swine flu." Sounds final and authoritative, but it’s a crock of BS.

To the so called Health authorities in this country there is no such thing as a dietary supplement that TREATS or cures any disease. As soon as a supplement actually cures a disease it is labeled as a drug. Remember the L-Tryptophan.

So, talking like a lawyer, which is the way the FDA always talks, there is no way that a natural supplement could be mentioned as curing a disease. The label would be changed.

Then the ‘scientific evidence’ nonsense. The current swine flu is only a few weeks old. It’s not possible to have done the scientific research to have the scientific evidence in the time, and that also goes for the drugs the government is pushing. There are no studies and no research papers on the efficacy of Tamiflu on infections of swine flu. It hasn’t been carefully studied by anyone.

What the statement from the leaders of the natural remedies people is meant to convey to an ignorant and scared public is that there isn’t any plant or herb from which an anti-viral agent can be made. Now a moment’s thought by a someone not a fundamentalist would show how ridiculous that statement is. It is probably very difficult to find a plant that doesn’t have some way of combating viruses. After all it was the plants who encountered them first.

Plants have manufactured substances that fight viruses for millions of years and many of the drugs that make obscene amounts of money for the drug companies are modifications of plant extracts.

I’ll just mention for the moment one case. The main ingredient in Tamiflu is shikimic acid, and guess what, shikimic acid is derived from a plant called star anise, a centuries old Chinese medicine remedy. You’ve probably heard of vitamin C and the latest health buzz resveratrol, both plant based. I’ll list some power houses for you a little later. But to imply that natural remedies for viral infections do not exist is nonsense. And for the natural remedy people to do that shows that Big Pharma has got a hold over the industry. And Big Pharma and the FDA are two horns on the same goat.

So when it’s found in a plant it’s no use in medicine. When the same stuff is taken from the plant and prescribed by a servant of Big Pharma it becomes an active fighter against some disease. Isn’t that a pretty dumb thing to say? And that’s what they said. It would be even dumber to believe it.

So what can we say to all the crowds of frightened people wearing totally useless masks and wearing out their adrenals with stress, a stress that automatically makes them more vulnerable to viral infection? Well obviously we musn’t diagnose or prescribe. Only the people responsible for the third major cause of death in the country, prescription drug related deaths, can do that. But I can say what I would do to avoid flu problems. Incidentally I’ve never had a cold or flu since I was seventeen. Maybe I’m doing something right.

The experts tell me to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and high quality protein. O.K. I do that, and I take anti oxidants like C and resveratrol and trace minerals that are no longer found in the chemically deranged soil.

If I felt for a moment that flu was on the way I would check my little cabinet for any or all of these centuries old and well known anti viral remedies:

Lomatium. This is an anti-viral herb used by Native Americans to treat upper respiratory infections. It helped them combat the post WWI Spanish Flu outbreak. The allopaths were having death rates of over 90%, particularly among those who had been vaccinated. The homeopaths had a 56% survival and recovery rate. So if you know a homeopathic physician, there’s a nod to a blind horse. Lomatium is available in capsule or liquid form.

Reishi Mushrooms. These medicinal mushrooms are used in Chinese medicine to fight all types of viral and bacterial infections. They are high in antioxidants and soothe the respiratory tract. Reishi mushrooms are available raw or as a supplement or tea. Just check them on the Web.

Garlic. Garlic stimulates the immune system and helps stop the spread of viruses, bacteria and fungi in the body. It works best, say the European MD’s when crushed and eaten raw. If it’s a couple of generations back that your Italian ancestors came over and you can’t eat raw garlic now there are odorless garlic extracts like Kyolic garlic available.

Pau d’Arco. This herb grows in the Brazilian rainforest and has been shown to kill both viruses and bacteria. It helps get rid of mucus, cough it up more easily. Pau d’arco is available in capsules, tea or tincture. Recommended in The Green Pharmacy.

Beta glucan. This cultured extract derived from yeast and mushrooms stimulates the immune system. Hundreds of studies have shown that it stimulates both the production and activity of immune cells. Beta glucan is available as a nutritional supplement. The notice on the bottle will tell you that the FDA hasn’t tested that the stuff is any use in curing or treating disease. To a cynic like me of course that is a qualification.

Colloidal Silver. This is the ultimate anti biotic. If you have a copy of my 1998 Health Matters there is a long article about its use and capabilities. It kills hundreds of kinds of bacteria and viruses on contact, and nothing has ever grown resistant to silver. Doctors used it a lot before penicillin and then it was forgotten by them in favor of the in/out five minute doctor’s visits and a prescription for the latest antibiotic. I make my own colloidal silver. Check it on the Web before the FDA outlaws it, which they are working to do. For history buffs it is the origin of the ‘Born with a silver spoon in his mouth’ phrase. The upper class in mediaeval society suffered less than the peasants from disease because they used silver dishes and cups and spoons. The great wealth and the better health were combined in this little phrase.

A little investigation will show you that many companies in the natural product industry are now owned by Big Pharma, which uses their lackey spokespersons to promote its own agendas. You may remember Prevention magazine in the early 70’s. It was the health conscious person’s bulwark against the propaganda of the pharmaceutical companies and the nonsense of the allopaths. Then the old man died and now they are just an agent of the pharmaceutical companies against whom they fought for many years. Very sad.

And check your Readers Digest and Womens magazines, how many pages are devoted to drug ads? Check by tearing out all the drug ads and the four point type side effects and see what’s left.

So, in the event that the swine flu thing continues just have a little think. There are 300 million people in this country. There certainly isn’t enough Tamiflu to go around, and obviously the rich will have priority. Some of the available Tamiflu is pretty old remember.

The only available anti-viral medicines for hoi polloi will be from among the families of plants that I have mentioned. Get to know about them.

If flu does arrive round here then I might take Tamiflu because it’s based on ancient Chinese medicine and is derived from star anise. But anyone who follows the advice to avoid taking dietary supplements will probably have a much better chance of dying than someone who ignores such advice.

And here is the final nail in the coffin of the person who wants to help himself, yet still believes the new spokespersons of the natural remedies people. They said this in their joint press statement

"Each of the associations is also committed to recognizing that there are some health conditions for which the choice of self-care should be actively discouraged. The current global outbreak of swine flu is such a condition."

In other words don’t think for yourself. Depend entirely on Western medicine that is run by the pharmaceutical companies whose only aim is making a fortune out of your desperation. It’s clear that anyone who could say what they said is in the pocket of Big Pharma and is best ignored.

Now we have established a couple of axioms…the FDA is a servant of Big Pharma, not of the people it was established to serve. The FDA will take every opportunity to stop the production of anything that improves health and will then work it into the pharmacy lists to ensure huge profits for their Big Pharma buddies. The major spokesmen for the Natural Supplements people are now firmly in the pockets of Big Pharma and trusting them is not a good idea for people who wish to enjoy good health.

With these things in mind it will be easy to understand the latest FDA caper about Hydroxycut. This used to be America’s #1 Weight loss substance in many different forms.
Since Americans generally refuse to change their life style i.e. eat less, eat better, exercise more, in favor of ‘Give me a pill,’ tens of millions of doses of Hydroxycut have been taken in one form or another. Then one person died. There were also reports of some 23 problems of liver-related side effects. Remember L-Tryptophan.

Because of these few problems in millions of cases the FDA has pushed the manufacturers to recall some fourteen different Hydroxycut products. The thinking behind the warning? The risk of side effects is very low, but the FDA says that it doesn't believe consumers should be exposed to such risks.

That excessive caution does NOT apply to their pharmaceutical friends. In their cases the risks are ‘acceptable.’ Remember what happened with the COX-2 inhibitor drug Vioxx? Dr. David Graham of the FDA calculated that the drug killed over 60,000 Americans? That drug was voted "safe" by an FDA panel even after its own manufacturer voluntarily recalled it from the market!

When it comes to pharmaceuticals, you see, killing 60,000 Americans is no big deal. But when a dietary supplement like L-Tryptophan or Hydroxycut is linked to a single death, that's enough for the FDA to destroy the credibility of the dietary supplement in question with its expertise in spinning lies to the public.

Maybe the ephedra fuss is still somewhere in your memory. This has been used in Chinese Medicine for over 5000 years. Perfectly safe when used as directed by those who know about it. It's an important ingredient in anti-viral formulas that could save lives during a pandemic. But thanks to the FDA, it is now illegal to sell or prescribe ephedra in the United States, and anyone prescribing it to patients can be arrested and threatened with being shut down and put out of business.

So, let’s look at why the problems occurred with a few people using the supplements. It’s a very American thing psychologically to think that if ‘some is good’ then ‘more is better.’ And if for example Mr.Jones is obese and wants to lose weight by pilling himself instead of changing his life style, then Mr. Jones is probably a sick man already. If he is a hundred pounds overweight then his liver and heart are probably in pretty bad shape. It may have been his own poor health, coupled with ‘more is better’ that sent Mr.Jones to the morgue with his overdose. It could just as easily have been a snow shovel, or picking up a grandchild.

And those overweight people already suffering from liver problems weren’t likely to be taking care of their liver with milk thistle or yellow dock. The caffeine in Hydroxycut could quite likely have taken such livers to the point of no return.

Now I’m not advocating the use of Hydroxycut. It’s loaded with caffeine and a nutritional no-no. I wouldn’t touch it. But there is something more going on than protecting the public when the pro Pharma FDA bans a whole line because of one death. Remember my previous point; 36,000 deaths every year since the early 90’s from car accidents and 120,000 every year from drugs certified safe by the FDA and prescribed by certified physicians, including over 16,000 from common pain killers like aspirin, which most people don’t even think of as a drug, more like candy for a headache.

Is the FDA taking common pain killers off the shelves of Walgreens. No they aren’t, even though Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s) are responsible for over 40% of drug related visits to emergency rooms in hospitals. That’s over 100,000 cases a year. No action by the FDA is taken for such over the counter stuff as Ibuprofen because it’s made by their buddies. One death from someone already in poor health who takes a supplement and they are on the war path.

Some people have said that the FDA should check for the safety of such things as Hydroxycut before they go on the shelves, and not wait until they are being sold. But the totally wrong assumption behind an apparently sensible objection like that is that the FDA is concerned about safety. It isn’t.

If it was concerned with safety it wouldn’t have given aspartame the OK. It would be monitoring the amount of nitrites in various foods. It would be checking the amount of MSG allowed in canned goods, a common reason for misdiagnosed heart attacks. It would have banned the dye stuffs in food colorings that have been proven to produce hyperactivity in many children. I could list for paragraphs.

The FDA doesn’t bother its friends in Big Pharma unless they do something that cannot be overlooked by bureaucrats practiced in the art of overlook. Even then the offending manufacturer gets several warnings. The asthma inhalers that contained no inhalant took three warnings before anything was done about it.

And lastly, the FDA does not review the ads of its Big Pharma buddies. They can get away with almost any hype, while the ads of supplements are looked it with a magnifying glass and a lawyer’s twisted mind to see if the words can be spun to convict the manufacturer. In the 70’s I knew health writers who recommended that people took vitamin supplements. The lawyers managed to twist that into prescribing without a medical certification and they were arrested.

So, the FDA is using the same tactic on Hydroxycut that it did on L-Tryptophan and Ephedra. Keep alert for the second shoe to drop which will very likely make it obligatory to get your weight loss advice only from certified, and possibly fat physicians who will prescribe very expensive drugs with multiple side effects to people with compromised bodies because of their life style. And when they die from the effects of overdose it will just be collateral damage, business as usual.