Weightloss for Life

Hundreds of people worried about a controversial bill that could pose restrictions on natural health products rallied in Edmonton yesterday to send a message to the federal government.

Bill C-51 was put before parliament last month and calls for greater regulation of natural health products like herbal supplements and vitamins. If the bill is passed, companies would be forced to prove their products are safe. Some fear that would restrict access to natural products and treat them more like pharmaceuticals.

“I’m really concerned that it reduces our freedom of choice,” said noted Edmonton photographer Con Boland, who was diagnosed with HIV in 1992 and has been using natural remedies ever since.

Boland, who has rejected Western medicine for years, told CTV Edmonton that doctors told him he only had two years to live when he was diagnosed. Now he worries that the herbal products that he believes have saved his life might be pulled off store shelves.

“Why should I be forced (to give up) something that I have studied myself, that enhances my health?” said Boland. “I passed my doctors’ prognosis by 12 years and I’ve actually saved the medical establishment over $1 million in toxic pharmaceuticals.”
Supporters of the bill like Athabasca University nutrition professor Dr. Norman Temple said people are confused about its purpose.

He suggested Bill C-51 would provide a safety net for consumers by imposing regulations on herbal supplements and getting rid of rogue products that make bogus claims.

New regulations would force companies to get their supplements approved and many say they will be driven out of the industry because they can’t afford clinical trials.