Free Republic

Americans may love to eat junk, but we’re nearly as passionate about doing penance, with more than half of us scarfing down dietary supplements on a regular basis. From herbal remedies to energy boosters, vitamins and weight-loss pills, supplements form a massive global industry — one that’s expected to reach $200 billion in value by 2025, according to the AMA Journal of Ethics. Trouble is, it’s a largely “Wild West” scene — and that’s by design, believe it or not. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 limits the ability of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate...

On June 19, 1987, Ben & Jerry’s introduced Cherry Garcia, in honor of the man who played lead guitar for the Grateful Dead. The Food and Drug Administration struck back three months later, when it approved the first of a new family of statin drugs that curb cholesterol production in the human liver. A synthetic statin licensed a decade later would become the most lucrative drug in history. At its peak, Lipitor was streaming $14 billion a year into Pfizer’s coffers. Let’s not blame the victim: we don’t choose Cherry Garcia; it chooses us. Lipitor is a lifesaver for 600,000...