FDA conspiracy theories
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The FDA conspiracy theories are a group of conspiracy theories involving various beliefs that the United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and its counterparts in other countries, are not working in the best interest of the public. Rather, it is believed that the FDA exists to further some nefarious goal, usually to increase profits for the drug companies.
The primary people and groups responsible for creating and pushing this conspiracy theory usually have some connection to alternative medicine, and some of them stand to gain monetarily by creating distrust for the pharmaceutical industry. The author Kevin Trudeau is perhaps the best known person currently supporting these ideas, and he discusses it on his numerous infomercials and his book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About
Like all good conspiracy theories, there are elements of truth with these. For example, in 1990, the FDA pulled all L-Tryptophan products off the market after several people died of a "bad batch" made by a company in Japan. Despite discovering the cause of the problem, the FDA didn't loosen restrictions until 2001, and then only because of public pressure for the amino acid. The pharmaceutical companies, for their part, are now advertising prescription drugs on television in America, which disturbs some people. Finally, the FDA requires that anything marketed in the United States to cure, treat, or prevent any disease must be proven safe and effective. Since many herbal products are questionable when it comes to safety and/or effectiveness, most naturopathic remedies must include an FDA disclaimer. Non-herbal over-the-counter products are in a different group, as they have been proven in studies to be safe and effective, and may legally advertise what conditions they treat, provided the medication in question is approved to treat those conditions. While unapproved (and in some cases, dangerous) herbal compounds are not allowed to make specific health claims without FDA approval, there are no other limitations upon these products. Those interested in herbal products can still do research to determine what herbs are believed to benefit their conditions, and subsequently purchase those products.
In fact, the United States National Institutes of Health (a government entity) has a very complete website with databases covering most herbal remedies and their indications, side-effects, and other information. See "External links" section for more information.
[edit] Common beliefs among FDA theories
Believers usually hold that the FDA is a corrupt organization and serves the aims of the large pharmaceutical companies instead of the population, as they are supposed to. Often, believers of this theory also believe that the FDA and pharmaceutical companies are actively suppressing known cures for serious diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's Disease, and many others. Skeptics of the conspiracy say that if these cures existed but were being witheld by "big pharma" then family members of drug company CEOs would never die of these diseases.
It is also claimed that drug companies (with help from the FDA) are attempting to get herbal products pulled off the market so that the population is forced to treat disease using pharmaceutical drugs, thus increasing the industry's profits. Some believers claim that if people are given knowledge of and access to herbal remedies, the pharmaceutical companies would go out of business.
Since the FDA covers food as well as medicine, it has been claimed that the food industry is including ingredients intended to make people fat and/or addicted to the food. Skeptics point out that making people fat is not in the best interest of the food industry because when people gain weight, they generally go on diets and eat less food.
[edit] See also
- Kevin Trudeau
- Alternative medicine
- List of Frontline (PBS) episodes
- AIDS conspiracy theories
- Codex Alimentarius
- Fast Food Nation
