How government agencies and academic elites are planning to halt the spread of “misinformation.” Action Alert! Last week, the 2023 Nobel Prize Summit was hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Titled “Truth, Trust, and Hope,” the summit’s main goal was to figure out how to deal with the scourge of scientific “misinformation” relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and elections. Read more.
Get Informed on U.S. Legislation That Could Restrict Your Health Freedom
FDA Standing in the Way of Natural Pain Management
Why the many health benefits of CBD could be the reason it gets put out of reach for many consumers. Action Alert! The FDA recently held a Stakeholder Call with the hemp industry to provide further information on the agency’s plans to regulate CBD. Recall that the agency has rejected CBD as a supplement and is working with Congress to develop a “new pathway” for CBD. Details on this new pathway are scarce, but the idea seems to be to regulate CBD more than supplements but less than drugs. Read more.
Honor National Women’s Health Week by Supporting Access to Bioidenical Hormones
Compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (cBHRT) is in peril. Help support a sign-on letter in Congress telling the FDA NOT to limit access to these treatments. Action Alert! The letter, circulated by Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Michael Burgess (R-TX), draws attention to many of the issues with the FDA’s process we’ve discussed in our Pulse newsletter in the past, urging the FDA to enact policies that allow patients to continue using cBHRT. Read more.
Stop RESTRICT Act Threat to Free Speech
A bill designed to ban TikTok gives the government far-reaching powers to continue its campaign against free speech and expression. Action Alert! It’s a scenario that’s played itself out countless times in history: under the guise of “protecting” us, the government wants to take away key liberties. The latest assault comes in the form of the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act. Read more.
Efficacy and health issues stop release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California; Florida continues
British biotechnology company Oxitec is withdrawing its application to release billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California, according to a recent update from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. The withdrawal is a victory for environmental and health campaigners concerned about the release of a novel mosquito that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had previously authorized under an “experimental use” permit. Read more.
Tell the USDA they must Responsibly Regulate Genetically Modified (GM) Microorganisms
While IRT believes that the only responsible way forward is to prevent the release of any GM microbes into the environment, we demand that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must, at a minimum, assess the full range of GM microbes, wherever they are created and used, and implement regulations that match the enormous, and even existential risks associated with this technology. Read more.
CRISPR Sausage gets FDA Green Light for Consumption
The FDA has given Washington State University (WSU) researchers the green light to feed five gene-edited pigs to people. The approval could help build public trust in CRISPR’d foods and be the first step in a new food revolution. Read more.
Minnesota Prepares for New-Total Ban on ‘Forever Chemicals’
Legislators, environmentalists and family members paid tribute Tuesday to Amara Strande. She died two days shy of her 21st birthday last month from a rare form of liver cancer. She grew up in a St. Paul suburb where the groundwater is contaminated by PFAS and believed the chemicals were part of what caused her cancer, which was diagnosed when she was 15. Read more.
Banning PFAS Chemicals a Good Step in Combatting Obesity Epidemic
More evidence that environmental exposures are a driver of the obesity epidemic—and another reason to ban PFAS chemicals. Action Alert! A new study found that elevated levels of PFAS chemicals in the blood were associated with weight gain, increasing the already-lengthy list of negative health effects linked with PFAS exposure. Read more.
LAUNCH: ANH Reframes Ethics for the Therapeutic Relationship
Perhaps you’re aware of breaches of respect for the autonomy or privacy of individuals? Or the failure of health authorities to offer the public properly informed consent? Government and medical authorities were able to coerce consent to COVID vaccination through a variety of tactics, including withholding information that would have likely greatly changed the public perception of the risk/benefit profile of those products. Those who refused to consent often faced discrimination, including loss of livelihood. Read more.