The CodexFund.com was formed in 2009 as an activity to bring together all parties interested in maintaining and promoting health freedom in particular as it relates to dietary supplements and complementary and alternative health practices.
A primary concern, through which our name was drawn, is the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an activity of the United Nations begun in the early 1960s to ensure food safety and fair practices in food trade.
The food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice are increasingly being drawn upon as the basis for regulations.
In the matter of dietary supplements, the CODEX Commission has become a vehicle through which those who desire to reduce access to vitamin and mineral dietary supplements have operated. As a result, many countries around the world, in particularly in Europe. Consumers have far fewer products available to them in the marketplace.
CodexFund.com has actively worked to insure that Congress stands strong in protecting and promoting health freedom and insuring the protection of the hard won victories in dietary supplement legislation such as the Proxmire Amendment and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.
Working together as a community, we can maintain and promote health freedom.
Good News About Dietary Supplements in Health Promotion
August 2010
A majority of Americans use dietary supplements. Too often the headlines are filled only with negative findings. There is a lot of good news about the benefits of using dietary supplements. Our first focus as we launch this segment of our website is on the 'Sunshine Vitamin" Vitamin D.
Vitamin D: Studies around the world are showing an increasing world -wide trend of Vitamin D deficiency. This includes the United States and all age groups.
Vitamin D has many benefits such as helping our bodies absorb calcium as well as playing a major role in the development and maintenance of strong bones.
Researchers from the Georgia Prevention Institute studied a group of black teens and found that supplementing with 400 IU of vitamin D per day was not sufficient. Their study found that 2,000 IU was needed daily. After 8 weeks vitamin D sufficiency was achieved. The researchers measured arterial stiffness and found the vitamin D supplementation at 2,000 IU offered greater arterial flexibility. This is direct evidence that the 2000 IU a day may protect vascular systems.
According to a recent article by Dr. Ernest Levister Jr., "studies have linked Vitamin D deficiency to a number of serious health problems, including heart disease, several types of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and some autoimmune disorders. Low levels of Vitamin D are even associated with high blood pressure.
There is new enthusiasm with Vitamin D studies showing that it does boost the immune system and fight off viral infections such as flu and at the same time tempers the immune system from overworking, which can create more mucus and fluids in the lungs, causing further problems such as pneumonia." He goes on to state, "Vitamin D signals the intestines to absorb calcium. With low levels of Vitamin D, the body will break down bones to get the calcium it needs. Without enough Vitamin D, the body cannot absorb enough calcium to satisfy the body's need, no matter how much calcium you consume in food supplements." He concludes his article by stating, "…many experts recommend adults take 1,000 to 2,000 units a day, an amount only possible to get though supplements." (blackvoicenews.com, 2010)
Dr Mehmet Oz often talks about the importance of Vitamin D on his top rated television show. He says that as many as 60% of his viewers are likely Vitamin D deficient and specifies that the type of Vitamin D supplement that should be taken is Vitamin D3.
Another recent study looking at senior citizens requiring home care, found that only 35% had sufficient levels of Vitamin D. Those with sufficient levels "… had better cognitive performance on the tests than those in the deficient and insufficient categories, particularly on measures of "executive performance," such as cognitive flexibility, perceptual complexity, and reasoning. The associations persisted after taking into consideration other variables that could also affect cognitive performance." Another study found that seniors with low levels of Vitamin D were at greater risk of developing Depression. (Natural Products Insider.com)
Another study conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering found a correlation between higher rates of Vitamin D at the time of diagnosis and survival in colorectal cancer.
In the 1960's when Clinton Ray Miller was in Washington fighting the FDA's attempt to set upper limits on vitamin supplements, Vitamin D was among the products the FDA was trying to set potency limits on.
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What Can You Do While Congress is on Break?
Congress will be going home shortly for their annual August break. All members of the House of Representatives and 1/3rd of the United States Senate are running for re-election and will be actively campaigning leading up to the November election.
While Codex Fund.com as a non-profit cannot and does not endorse any candidate and does not actively engage in elections, we are allowed to educate consumers about the issues and to advocate for civic participation.
As citizens, you have the individual liberty to participate and actively inquire of those running office what their positions are on issues that you care about.
Questions you might consider asking?
- Do you support the rights of all Americans to make personal health decisions including the decision to use dietary supplements?
- Do you support the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA)?
- If elected, or re-elected, will you work to make sure consumers continue to have access to dietary supplements and complementary and alternative health practices?
- If elected, or re-elected, will you work to make sure practitioners of complementary and alternative health therapies are not forced out of the health promotion marketplace through onerous legislation or regulations?
- Do you and will you support health freedom?
Please share your stories about attendance at town hall meetings or other activities with legislators with our lobbyist. You can email her at bclay@dc-strategy.com.
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The Latest News from Washington
August 12, 2010
CODEX and Food Safety Legislation
2010 has proven a very active year for the dietary supplement/health freedom activities in Washington. We had a major victory with Senators Harkin and Hatch, both of whom finally put on the record that the FDA does not have the authority to adopt regulations affecting dietary supplements from CODEX without Congress' instruction. This occurred during the mark up in the Senate of S.510 the Food Safety Bill. The bill technically could come to the Floor in the Senate for a vote at anytime, and Majority Leader Reid noted in mid-July after the Climate Bill and other legislation they were promoting failed to obtain the 60 votes needed to bring it up before the Supreme Court nomination vote; however, this did not occur. We are told by some off the record that the bill has no chance of moving forward in the 111th Congress.
Our primary goal in the legislation was achieved in the mark up. We will use the fall/winter to go back to legislators and work on improved language for the next drafting of the bill as well as to make sure, if the Bill should go forward that nothing deleterious slips in. The thousands of letters delivered to the Senate on CODEX are the reason we got the statements from Senators Hatch and Harkin. Because of those thousands of letters, when our lobbyist, Ms. Beth Clay reached out again to Senators Hatch and Harkin's staff the day before and the day of the hearing, she was able to provide to them once again the specific reasons the Senators needed to make this clarity a part of their opening statements.
Those of you who participated in gathering letters and sending them in, please know that you are the reason we finally have clarity on the Congressional Record from the Senators who are our top bipartisan champions. All of the letters were specifically mentioned in their statements.
FTC
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), like many Federal agencies under the current Administration, has been pushing to expand their authority. The FTC wants to have broader Administrative Rulemaking Authority than they currently have, as well as broader authorities to levy fines and use their own lawyers rather than the lawyers at the Justice Department to take companies to court. During the legislative process to pass Financial Reform legislation language to accomplish the FTC's expanded authority was included at the last minute in the House version of the Bill. We aggressively fought keeping it out of the Senate's version of the Bill and succeeded. Beth took part in dozens of meetings with Senators and their staff, including most of the members of both Committees of jurisdiction.
During the conference process in which the House and Senate Bills are merged, Congressman Waxman attempted three times to have the language put in the final version. He was rebuffed every time. This was an issue that we and many others in the dietary supplement industry and many other industries fought. Beth participated with the US Chamber of Commerce during this process.
The FTC for two reasons should not have this authority. First they are an 'independent' agency and their rule making does not even have to be cleared by the President's staff before being published. Other non-independent Federal agencies have to clear their proposed rules through the Office of Management and Budget, who work directly for the White House. Second, the FTC is an agency that has authority over every industry in the country and not just one. This is unique. They have in past years proven to over use their authority and in the 1970s Congress clipped their wings through the Moss Magnuson Act. The thousands of letters we delivered mattered a great deal to legislators.
S. 3414
Towards the end of May, Senators Hatch and Harkin introduced S. 3414, the Dietary Supplement Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2010. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee is a cosponsor as well. While we are supportive of the concepts of this Bill, there is work that needs to be done to make the Bill something we can consider endorsing. We are currently working with staff from both Senators Harkin and Hatch's offices to improve the language. It is according to all sources unlikely this Bill will move forward in the 111th Congress; it was introduced as a 'placeholder' to lay the ground work in the 112th Congress for a bill everyone can endorse to be introduced and passed.
Going Forward
Through the Fall, leading up to the election, we will be monitoring both the House and the Senate to make sure no deleterious language affecting the industry sneaks its way into any Bills slated for passage. If predictions are correct and the Republicans take control of the House and or the Senate, the Lame Duck session of Congress from November until the end of 2010 will be a potentially dangerous time for the industry and the nation. If democrats are slated to lose control either the House or the Senate (or both) it is likely they will attempt to pass as many of their Bills of the House, they may attempt to shove through every possible bill they can. Republicans are already considering what bills or sections of bills they want to see repealed. The Lame Duck session will be a time of great monitoring and continued education.
We will keep you apprised of the developments as they develop.
Your continued support of the CodexFund.com activity is sought so that we can continue to protect your access to dietary supplements and promote health freedom.
To Read Other Reports, Please Click Here and Visit our Archives
Our 2009 Victory - Congress Takes Public Stand Protecting DSHEA
In late November 2009, all of our hard work paid off. Senators Tom Harkin and Orrin Hatch took an official and public stand that CODEX would not undermine the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). To read the full story, click here.
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www.codexfund.com
We would also like to thank our board of advisors. They are:
Clinton Ray Miller
Scott Tips, JD
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