Alternative medications in Oz & NZ

[eve]

I read in the NZ Health Trust website, that their Labour Government is trying to change the way in which all Natural Health Products (NHPs) are regulated. They plan to treat NHPs as medicines and give the power to control them to the controversial Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA):

At the moment in Europe, Codex has control, and the intention is that all supplements, alternative including herbal medications, as well as alternative treatments, are to be covered by a doctor's certificate, who will ensure that whatever it is has been 'tested'. So even though you've been taking St Johns Wort for many years, once Codex is ratified, that will no longer be possible.

Australia and NZ are following in those footsteps. This would mean:

* Fewer Natural health products available - consumer choice reduced
* Increased cost to consumers
* Natural health products treated as drugs
* Many NZ businesses forced to close - jobs lost
* Australia would make decisions for NZ

The Australian TGA would take over NZ's natural health industry, and it's known to use an extremely heavy-handed approach to supplements. Remember the Pan debacle? The TGA recalled 1200 natural products off the market on the strength of one manufacturer's lax handling of quality control standards, and Pan went broke - it was a disgrace. Of more than 1200 products recalled, NOT ONE of the natural health products was found to be at fault. It was only one pharmaceutical drug which was a problem”.

NZ signed the Treaty with Australia on 10 December last year. But the Govt still needs to have the treaty passed into law and for that it needs the support of the opposition parties. I've looked through the official site, but can't find the starting date for this agreement to begin in Oz and NZ. I just hope there's enough opposition to stop it in its tracks.

[eve]

Consumers and producers of popular vitamin and mineral supplements used by thousands every day will this week make a last-ditch attempt to prevent a European Union directive from banning them.

Full story in today's Independent: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/hea...p?story=603785

[eve]

http://www.evehillary.org/the.war.na...healthcare.htm is where you'll find an article bringing up-to-date for 2006 the pharmaceuticals situation for Oz & NZ. Well worth a read - we are fortunate to have someone keeping an eagle eye on things for us.

[eve]

Prince Charles has sparked a furore by backing complementary medicines hours after leading doctors called on the NHS to stop funding them. Full article here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1774

[treehugga]

I read in the NZ Health Trust website, that their Labour Government is trying to change the way in which all Natural Health Products (NHPs) are regulated. They plan to treat NHPs as medicines and give the power to control them to the controversial Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA):

At the moment in Europe, Codex has control, and the intention is that all supplements, alternative including herbal medications, as well as alternative treatments, are to be covered by a doctor's certificate, who will ensure that whatever it is has been 'tested'. So even though you've been taking St Johns Wort for many years, once Codex is ratified, that will no longer be possible.

Australia and NZ are following in those footsteps. This would mean:

* Fewer Natural health products available - consumer choice reduced
* Increased cost to consumers
* Natural health products treated as drugs
* Many NZ businesses forced to close - jobs lost
* Australia would make decisions for NZ

The Australian TGA would take over NZ's natural health industry, and it's known to use an extremely heavy-handed approach to supplements. Remember the Pan debacle? The TGA recalled 1200 natural products off the market on the strength of one manufacturer's lax handling of quality control standards, and Pan went broke - it was a disgrace. Of more than 1200 products recalled, NOT ONE of the natural health products was found to be at fault. It was only one pharmaceutical drug which was a problem”.

NZ signed the Treaty with Australia on 10 December last year. But the Govt still needs to have the treaty passed into law and for that it needs the support of the opposition parties. I've looked through the official site, but can't find the starting date for this agreement to begin in Oz and NZ. I just hope there's enough opposition to stop it in its tracks.

And yet we're still allowed to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol - 2 main poisons.
I suppose the pharmacutical companies are worried their not already getting enough of the pie.
Are people not allowed choices anymore? What about herbal medicine people have used for thousands of years?