This is a short and essential blog.

I need your help if you are a physician or health scientist (or know any physicians or health scientists).

Yesterday, the terrain in CODEX land changed dramatically when the World Health Organization (WHO) made it clear that CODEX’s impact on health, as opposed to regulation, was significantly lacking and that CODEX would now be required to relate to nutrition, not just control food. The WHO Global Strategy on health focuses on diet, nutrition and physical exercise and CODEX is expected to help implement that strategy. This is our opportunity: we can shape and impact both US and global policy based on the WHO directive if we are organized, focused, effecive and clever.

General Stubblebine and I are staying at the same hotel as the US Delegation to CODEX and had the opportunity to chat informally and congenially with Dr. Ed Scarbrough, the US CODEX Manager, about this change of terrain over our excellent Italian coffee (although it is probably not organic, it is delicious!) this morning. Now the responsiblity falls upon us to make proper use of it. Dr. Scarbrough offered to help us find the proper people inside the US to work with to support our belief that US Policy should support DSHEA as the international standard because it offers choice, not restriction, and is consistent with US law.

Dr. Scarbrough made it very clear that he cannot be an advocate of our position but he would help us find our way through the CODEX system. I’ll take that! Having another point of contact with whom we have cordial relations is always useful and Dr. Scarbrough is willing to help us get our information to the right places.

One of his interesting comments was on the fragmented and dysfunctional nature of the Health Freedom Movement and we agreed that adult, reasoned discourse and data would go a lot further than shaking fists in the air and making irrational accusations. Sounds good to me!

We now have the opportunity to apply the useful and wise military notion of shifting and capturing the critical terrain. Part of the critical terrain is the database from which decision-makers are operating and how CODEX seeks to be science based. So here is what we need: a volunteer corps of people skilled in science and scientific methodology to compile the sharpest, strongest and most compelling research on the science of nutrition to present to the US Delegation to CODEX, the FDA, the CODEX Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses next November in Bonn, Congress and elsewhere in the universe of policy decision making.

Science-based is the paradigm: we have the science on the side of health freedom, supporting nutrients as effective means of health promotion (whereas Risk Assessment – a branch of the science of toxicology – as used by CODEX to assess nutrients is unscientific because nutrients are not toxins). Now we need to really prove that science is on the side of the case for laws such as DSHEA. If you have the skills and the passion, come onboard, and welcome! The creation of the science base (supporting the use of nutrients and other natural health products) for our policy makers is crucial. Write to me at rima.laibow@healthfreedomusa.org and tell me what your expertise is and we’ll put the task force together. Let’s make the best use of the critical terrain for the sake of health and health freedom!

Yours in Health and Freedom,

Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation