Here’s a confession: I wrote that post with more histrionics than was probably necessary if you consider the subject matter alone. If you consider what is potentially at stake, and what it takes to prompt action, I was probably too subdued.

However, I was too one-sided on the FDA. I will explain this in a moment.

Potentially Good News

I have it on good word from an attorney who has looked over Docket No. 2006D-0480, which is the FDA’s RFC pertaining to the regulation of “CAM”, or “Complimentary and Alternative Medicine”, that we may not have anything to worry about here.

May.

Let’s emphasize that word. According to this source, who probably knows more about this subject than all of us, even if this proposal was legislated into law, the natural foods industry would pretty much stay the same as it is.

He was concerned about a few bits of the RFC. These were some of the same bits I was concerned about as well…the “may” lingo if you will. However, the overall gist of his email was, “Jon, chill out. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Yet, I’m not chill.

“Why The Hysterics, Jon?”

Good question, Jon. : )

Yell “smoke” and no one moves; yell “fire” and you’ll get a stampede. I felt it necessary to yell “fire” in this case, even if there was only smoke present at the moment.

Trends over the years with FDA practices and pushes toward big government over personal responsibility, in my opinion, is reason to shout. It never hurts to let your voice be heard, even if it’s in a proactive manner.

It is far better to protest something that may happen rather than ignore it with Pollyanna thinking and assume “this too shall pass.” That’s not my style. When it comes to the FDA, I truly feel that a more proactive — nay, overly reactive stance is warranted.

Some Background

Let me tell you where this cry for action, warranted or not, comes from.

It comes from seeing thousands of people over my career who were cured and/or helped by nutritional supplements when conventional drugs failed them. It comes from my own experience of curing (there’s that nasty word again) and/or helping my own health conditions using supplementation I can get down the street without a prescription. It comes from my passion for personal responsibility for one’s health and one’s safety.

That being said…

We probably do need tighter regulation on facets of the CAM world. These include “miracle fat-burners”, “penis pills”, and what-have-you. Of course this is bogus nonsense. Of course the natural foods industry is polluted with slime who will sell anything for a buck.

Then again, so is the pharmaceutical world. And the FDA seems more willing to toss the baby out with the bath-water when it comes to the CAM world than the SCAM world. That acronym was a joke, btw…but somewhat fitting for a lot of the drugs that are being peddled by Big Pharma.

Both worlds have their good guys. Those who produce top-quality supplements that truly do make a difference — and who can currently distribute them without jacking up insurance premiums in the process. Those who devote their entire lives to studying the art and science of alternative nutritional-based “medicine” — either through self-education or via “the system”. There are geniuses in both camps.

The pharmies have their good guys, too. Drugs to ease pain, prevent disease, and lower blood pressure when natural methods fail. Drugs that can help someone overcome life-threatening depression until he can get back on his feet. Drugs that can restore hormone balance after someone loses pituitary function.

If any of this sounds overtly personal, it’s because it is.

Bad Jon…Bad!

My rebuttal to myself is this: I bit the hand that helped me by not pointing out that some drugs have helped save and prolong my life. I’ve never denied this, of course, but it should have been stated more clearly in my original post.

On the other hand: had I known what I know now about nutrition and CAM, some (not all) of these drugs could have been unnecessary. Had I eaten correctly as a child, would I have had depression in my 20s and 30s? (I am free from it today, thankfully, without medication.) Would I have had the pituitary issues that led to my need for HRT? Would I have “genetically high blood pressure”?

I don’t know. My suspicion is that I would be free from the vast majority of these ills, but some may indeed by “genetic.” I am realistic.

I now manage these issues with total personal responsibility. That means I do not take a ton of blood pressure meds — I take a very low-dose blood pressure med and combine that with (go figure) natural supplements, training, and diet.

Note: my blood pressure is almost normal off all meds, but I consider it a safety precaution to take a low-dose med for prevention reasons. My father died of a stroke, or so we believe, and my long history of sky-high blood pressure, prior to my body transformation, makes me more susceptible to blood pressure spikes and potential damage. So, being 100% honest, I do not rely on a drug for controlling my pressure, but rather managing it during stressful peaks in the day.

The pituitary damage was done in my 20s. This was probably a result of a high fever I had…doctor’s best-guess. Whatever the cause, be it poor nutrition as a kid (which was my fault, as I was sneaking a lot of Oreos) or the fever, the end result is a clinical need for HRT.

I take many things to protect myself from the necessity of HRT, and all of these are, again, natural alternatives found in health food stores.

The rest of my health — physical and mental — is regulated without drugs through lifestyle. For example, my mental state is optimized by controlling blood sugar and my workouts. My blood pressure is maintained with diet and exercise as well — and if I was not a bodybuilder, I would not even be on a blood pressure med at all. Heavy weight training spikes blood pressure during the event, but lowers it over the course of time. I’m only concerned with the spikes.

My joint health is now 100% thanks to natural supplements. My lipid levels are managed without statin drugs. I could go on and on…

A Cry For Responsibility

The point is simply this: I am managing my healthcare. Not my doctor. Not the FDA. They are assisting me, but they do not control me nor are they responsible for me.

Granted, the FDA should be responsible for a travesty like Vioxx or Phen-Fen. They should also be held responsible for a hundred other atrocities that…well, that’s another article.

But it still comes down to personal responsibility, doesn’t it? Sally and Bob Smith should have the freedom to decide if XYZ Miracle Drug, ABC Natural Appetite Supplement, or superior nutrition and exercise is their best best for weight loss.

My personal decision was a combination of all three — merely one that limited the use of the miracle drugs in favor of lifestyle changes and natural supplementation.

And its that point that deserves my own wrath: I do appreciate the doctors and the drug companies when they do their job, and shame on me for not making that more clear.

I come down too hard on both at times due to my passion for responsibility. I do see the medical community acting like sheep on issues like cholesterol and so-forth, and the pharmaceutical companies supporting it with million-dollar ad campaigns. This is frustrating.

Still, most doctors want to help. And, as I’ve written a hundred times before, a great doctor is a true godsend. They are true heroes.

I do not think most doctors qualify. Doctors are no different than, say, CPAs. Some are excellent. Most are mediocre. Some just downright suck. The difference is a crappy CPA will cost you a few grand (more or less) — a crappy doctor, or even an average doctor, can cost you your life.

The FDA, in my humble opinion, is not on the par of excellence, either. They are poor to mediocre in many respects; functional to good in others. And anything, and I repeat anything that hints at even more control as opposed to more responsibility will always evoke an outcry from me.

That said, I thought it only fair to give props where props are deserved. I thank my doctor for his help with my health. It took me a long time to find a truly good GP, but I have one now. He’s smart as hell, and he’s open to some CAM — although he’s pretty skeptical until he looks at my lab reports. That’s okay. At least he’s cool with it. And I’ve learned to respect his calls on some things. “Jon, just take this drug,” is not something I take lightly.

But I take it. And for that, the FDA and our medical system can and must be thanked.

For Docket No. 2006D-0480, the FDA probably needed the slap I gave them yesterday — that you all gave them with your petitions.

Perhaps not. Perhaps their intentions are noble.

Perhaps.

That word is not sufficient when it comes down to my health, and my personal responsibility for it.

I’ve now slapped my own wrist a bit. Perhaps I’ve just restated my case. Either way, my conscious is clear.

[jB]