You may remember last year I posted information about a direct attempt by Wyeth, the maker of synthetic hormone replacements, to make the compounding and formulating of bio-identical hormones illegal.

Not only would this have removed from health store shelves the standard menopausal comforts, it would also have meant that your Doctor could not send to your compounding pharmacy for your personal prescription.

That attempt was foiled, but in a turn-around from its historical stand the American Medical Association is now considering a request from certain member groups to petition the FDA to declare compounded medication illegal. Wyeth has contributed some thousands of dollars to the groups within the AMA which have put forward this resolution.

The AMA has in the past defended the right of Doctors to decide what treatment to administer, and many Americans support their health using  certain drugs “off-label” and compounded medications for their health that are lawful and medically appropriate, even though they are not “FDA-approved.”

If the FDA is permitted to regulate this physician discretion, while it may start with restrictions on compounding bio-identical hormones, it could lead to regulation of all  medicines for off-label uses.  My own use of Naltrexone for cancer would be affected.

Go here to send a letter to the President of the AMA to express your concern over this broadening of FDA power into areas which should be the sole purview of your Doctor.

If I were a drug company and I wished to patent a readily available and inexpensive natural substance which has been shown to prevent disease, what would I do?

I think that first of all, I would make it sound as though my version were not only different but superior.

And I would definitely try to show that the natural version is not only ineffective but dangerous, even in the teeth of evidence to the contrary. I might even try to manipulate a focus on those side effects ....

I would probably say something like "our improved version will have therapeutic results without the dangerous side effects of the natural substance".

Ta Da!  Watch for a pharmaceutical version of Vitamin D in the next few years.

Vitamin D analogue

Vitamin D5 Ready for Clinical Trials in Breast Cancer

So, does Echinacea help with colds or not?  The studies I like say it does:  it both protects against the onset of a cold, and shortens its duration.  It also protects against respiratory infections.  

What about the studies I DON'T like?  It helps to consider the source.  When a negative study can be traced back to a non-neutral source, it will almost always be found that the herb administered is either 1) the non-effective part medicinally or 2) given in incorrect amounts.

Bear this in mind whenever you see a negative study on a nutrient:  1) what is the source of the study? and 2) does it go against the majority of other study results? A discriminating intelligence will determine the truth.

Where there is no disagreement, however, is in the warnings which suggest that OTC cold medications are not safe for young children.  This quote from the report gives me extra amusement: "There are no studies demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of cold and cough medications in this under age 2 population,"  says Ian Paul, MD, a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa.

I recall very well how frightening it is to be a Mother with a sick child, but with fevers,  remember that high temperatures have a purpose:  they are Nature's way of fighting a disturbance in the body.  Unless the child is very uncomfortable, it is best to let fever run its course.  Here is an explanation ( including when to worry) with valuable information, though I do not endorse the references to ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

Zinc Echinacea tablets for Children

Try Gaias's Quick defense for your self