The more knowledge I acquire the more Health Canada disappoints me (the American Health Care system disappointed me years ago). With talks of Oil of Oregano becoming illegal in the near future the threat of freedom for Canadians is in jeopardy. While I do believe that some supplements may be better off being regulated, it makes me ill (soon it will be literal) to think who may be administering and making these products.
It is safe to say that our nation is much more health conscious than we were a decade ago. Some people decide not to make wise choices about their health but everyone has an enhanced awareness that nutrition plays a critical role in disease prevention and in some cases treatment. With the being said I encourage all of you to take a look at the curriculum for the top four medical schools in North America. You will have to dig deep (real deep) to find any more than FOUR HOURS (yes I said hours) of nutritional education and vitamin/supplement training. Yes, there are some medical doctors (MD) that take it upon themselves to educate themselves on vitamins and supplements along with nutrition but tell me how a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) takes four years of education (post pre-med education) on how to properly administer these supplements and an MD can just be given the automatic rights to administer them.
There are so many reputable and high quality supplement companies on the market today. My fear is that the pharmaceutical companies will buy them out and the quality will go to the dogs. There is no argument in that pharmaceutical companies make efficient drugs and vaccines BUT they have yet to prove themselves on the vitamin and supplement front. Every prenatal vitamin I have come across that was developed and distributed by a pharmaceutical company have been in hard to digest hard pressed tablet forms with added colors and additives which makes it extremely difficult for a pregnant woman to absorb/use. I suppose what I am trying to say is that if you were doing renovations on your house would you call an electrician to install your toilet? I mean they are both in the construction industry but they specialize in two totally different things.
My fear within the health industry is that all vitamins, minerals and supplements will be regulated and administered by unqualified individuals. While some think that this may be a good thing as they will be able to get vitamins and supplements covered by their health care plan you really need to think about what kind of quality they will be and if you will be given the right substances in order to support your health. In short you may just have some really expensive (to all of us tax payers) urine if you cannot absorb these nutrients (best case scenario). I have a hunch that mandatory additional education (as in a weekend course) will be asked of the MD’s which leads me to ask the question of how this is any different from the millions of average people that have done research, read articles and books, or have taken seminars on nutrition? The answer is there is no difference because when it comes to vitamins and supplementation is not that simple. Just to test out the theory the next time you see your MD ask them what type of iron or calcium you should take. They may mention a brand or tell you a dose but did you know that every MD I have come across has prescribed the most inefficient non absorbable type of iron? Qualified? You be the judge.
Make noise and let it be known that you want to make your own decisions when it comes to your health! It is up to all of us to let the government know that we will not be bullied into decisions for their profit!
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