Articles

THE TAKE ON PHARMACEUTICALS

Who is Codex?
by Aleksander Strande. Ph.D.

August 2005

This ongoing featured issue concerns the actions unfolding on an international level at Codex Alimentarius. Because rules now being formulated outside of the US might end up influencing how you will purchase supplements in the future, please read Dr. Aleksander Strande’s thoughtful commmentary on this important topic.

Codex Alimentarius

Who are they and how will they affect your ability to ingest herbs and supplements in the future?

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a body created by the United Nations Food Standards Program based in Rome, Italy. Codex was founded in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food guidelines. It has only been since 1994 that Codex has become powerful. And, why do they meet in Germany? They meet in Germany because this country has the most restrictive rules against alternative healthcare and an extremely strident anti-supplement agenda due to a strong pharmaceutical industry based there. This year their annual meeting will be held in Germany from November 1st through November 5th.

The goal of this organization is to ratify their position on nutritional supplements. The bottom line, especially from my perspective as a naturopathic physician concerned with nutrition, is that any supplement is a food product - not a drug. This has always been so, but Codex wants to tell us how and when we will take herbs in the future. Most of the people on the panel at Codex are low level members of official national health ministries, typically of the food control department in health or agricultural. Currently the entire EU, the United States, and Australia as well as many third world countries are participating in these recommendations.

Now, who are they really? These are mainly pharmaceutical interests at work. Since it is one of the most lucrative and profit-based industries, Big Pharma will not relinquish control easily. Most drugs have a profit margin of about 1000% once they are taken to market. Isn’t it interesting that Codex will not let alternative practitioners or alternative researchers join their club? And why do they have very restricted access, secretive meetings with little input from anyone other than their own pharmaceutical-based members?

Why is this? The Codex organization is a very powerful and slow legislative body that wants to control the supplement industry. Actually, they want not just to control it, but they seek, in fact, the destruction of the entire supplement industry as it currently operates. Did you know you cannot buy supplements or herbs in Germany or Norway? This is because of Codex.

While in France last year I needed some Vitamin E. The pharmacist relented and sold me Vitamin E at the 400 I.U. dosage, but made certain I knew that typically a prescription for anything over 100 I.U. was needed. 100 I.U. is a practically useless dose. He only sold me the Vitamin E at the 400 I.U. dosage because he knew I was a doctor. What we have here is a very narrow-minded and dangerous international law-making body that wants to eventually control the entire supplement industry. The alarming news is that The World Trade Organization may enforce standards issued by Codex.

Let’s talk about reality now. In her recent paper, Death by Medicine, October 2003, released by the Nutrition Institute of America, Dorothy Smith, Ph.D. wrote: “The number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million per year. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million cases. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization is 8.9 million cases annually. The total number of iatrogenic deaths shown is 783,936.” It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in this country.

The 2001 heart disease death rate was 699,690 and the cancer death rate in that same year was 553,251. Yet, how many people actually died from herbs in the last 4 years? 12. In summary, close to 800,000 people die from allopathic medicine in any given year and 12 from alternative medicine in four years. Trust me, if that many people were dying from herbs, I would be an easy target for every lawyer across the country.

Why won’t Codex allow any alternative or herbal and/or supplement-based practitioners to be included on their panel? This can be explained by the absence of any real profit motivation in herbs or supplements. You cannot patent herbs or supplements because they are a food-based product; you see, most of them can be grown in your own backyard. Can you patent a carrot or a piece of celery? Well, obviously not. Pharmaceutical company drug lords cannot get their hands on herbs or supplements because they are inherently foods. They can neither patent them nor control them as they have been able to do so with legalized, pharmaceutical drugs.

This state of affairs is downright scary. I immigrated to the United States because having been raised in a communist country, I am able to better understand and savor democracy. For people who have not experienced a loss of civil rights, it is hard to imagine how a government can control every aspect of your life. I would hate to see Americans slowly and insidiously lose their rights because Codex is scheming to infringe on your ability to treat yourself naturally, as people have done so for centuries. Why does anything have to change? As Codex slowly chips away at our rights to obtain supplements and herbs, we will all lose. We will be drugged by doctors and worse yet, be dispensed negligible doses of supplements by M.D.’s who have not been trained in how herbs and supplements work.

Can you imagine what it will be like to have to get a prescription for a simple dose of Vitamin C?

What can you do? Contact the Health Freedom Foundation at P.O. Box 1005, Great Falls, VA 22066. Their toll-free number is 800/230-2762. The people at Health Freedom Foundation can give you more information and are also accepting donations.

What else can you do?

You can research Codex Alimentarius yourself using the Internet. We all need to stand up for what is right and safeguard our ability to act as people have done for centuries.

© 2005-2006 Aleksander Strande. Ph.D.  All rights reserved.

RECIPES

Lentil Stew for Diabetes

Julian Whitaker, MD

September 2006

4 Servings

Focus on: Diabetes management, blood sugar

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 1/2 whole cauliflower, cut into bit-size pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable seasoning

Bring the water to a boil and add lentils.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and celery, and cook for 30 minutes more.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

… you are feeling sleepy, very sleepy, 3,2,1…, make the soup, make the soup…

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Source: Reversing Diabetes by Julian Whitaker, MD (Warner Books: 0-446-67658-6)

© 1997-2007 Garden of Healing®. All rights reserved.

RECIPE BANC

Ginger Sweet Potato Winter Soup

Almost all winter menus include warm comforting soups to keep the cold from invading our bodies. This soup is very easy to make. It aids digestion as it satisfies hunger.

Prepare this nourishing winter soup ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator. This soup offers a tasty energy boost and supports the energy of the Kidney, the organ system that rules the winter season according to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory.

Focus on:  Kidneys

6-8 Servings

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 quarts of filtered water (or 1 quart vegetable broth and 1 quart water)
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• pinch ground white pepper
• ¼ cup rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (or 6 thin slices, 1-inch diameter)
• honey
• chopped cilantro

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Directions:
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-1/2-inch rounds. Cut rounds in half again and place with all the other ingredients (except the cilantro) in a soup pot. Simmer until the potatoes are soft but not mushy. Add drizzle of honey and sprinkle with a little bit of chopped cilantro before serving.

… you are feeling sleepy, very sleepy, 3,2,1…,

make the soup, make the soup…

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La miscela perfetta della cucina, dell’arte e della scienza…

© 2006 Garden of Healing®. All rights reserved.

A classic soup revised with escarole, a mildly bitter green, joined with earthy lentils in a broth with balsamic vinegar.

4 Servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef, vegetable, or chicken broth
3 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 bay leaf
2 cups escarole, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon mild-pepper sauce

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the broth, water, tomatoes (with juice), lentils, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the escarole, vinegar, and mild-pepper sauce. Cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

This hearty soup is easy to fix and is a wonderful dinner on a cold winter’s night served with fresh cornbread and a mixed baby green salad.

Contributed by: Nancy Ann Otis Zuleger

Serves 4-6

2 pounds thinly sliced yellow and zucchini squash
1/2 cup cooked onion
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Sea salt
Pepper
Dill weed

Simmer squash and onion in broth until tender.
Pour into a blender or food processor and process at high speed.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle dill week on top.

RECIPES

Hippocrates Soup for Digestion 

This is a lovely soup to use during any detoxification or cleansing protocol for restoration of nutrients. The nutrients are easily digested and absorbed enhancing the effect of your cleanse.

Focus on: detoxification support, replenishing nutrients

Contributed by: Dr. Monique Mazza, ND, Gastroenterology, San Diego, CA

Serves 4-6
Based on your desire for more or less water

1 Medium Celery Knob
1 Medium Parsley Root
2 Small Leeks
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes or more
2 Medium Onions
1 lb. Potatoes
Garlic as Desired
Bit of Parsley
Water (filtered) in amount as desired

Do not peel any of the vegetables; simply wash and scrub them well, then cut them coarsely. Simmer them slowly for 2 hours, then put through a food mill in small portions. Scarcely any fibers should be left.

Vary the amount of water used for cooking according to taste and desired consistency. Keep well covered in refrigerator no longer than 2 days. Warm up as much as needed each time.

Note: For recipes that call for soup stock, use a bit of the liquid from this special soup.

… you are feeling sleepy, very sleepy, 3,2,1…, make the soup, make the soup…

© 2007 Garden of Healing®. All rights reserved.