If there was ever any doubt in your mind that getting natural products (supplements, etc.) and alternative medicine practices into the mainstream has been a long struggle, you’ll want to read James Gormley’s recent blog. Among the eye-opening tidbits he shares are these:
1910-1930
The American Medical Association (AMA) and a lobby of early “modern” pharmacies are embarrassed by the Flexner Report of 1910 (which made disease-focused, or allopathic, medicine look bad) and work together to mainly run natural medicine “out of town,” focusing especially on Eclectic, naturopathic and homeopathic medical schools. By 1930, aside from osteopathic and chiropractic schools, alternative medicine has been dealt a severe blow.
1960
In December, government agents enter the warehouses of the Balanced Foods Company in New York City and seize many copies of Folk Medicine and Arthritis and Folk Medicine, two popular books by the late doctor, D.C. Jarvis. The agents also seize bottles of vinegar and honey, since they were referred to in Jarvis’ books. The FDA brought suit against Balanced Foods in Federal District Court in New York City on the grounds that the vinegar and honey products constituted “misbranded drugs”! Milton Bass won this case … for consumers and the industry.
1998
FDA inspectors arrive at the offices of a Texas-based stevia company to "witness destruction" of "offending" cookbooks featuring stevia, and other literature. A video camera taping the aborted destruction, and the intercession of Julian Whitaker, M.D. and Jim Turner prevented the book burning.
This last one will probably come as a surprise to many people who now see stevia (Reb-A) being used as an alternative sweetener in soft drinks, among other things. The early pioneers tried for 40 years to get the FDA to even look at stevia as a sweetener. Then when Cargill and Coca Cola teamed up to petition for it last year (because the grassroots have been demanding it), it happened almost overnight. Now stevia is a burgeoning new industry.
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