Tag: Health Canada

Audit reveals supplement regulation and oversight is lacking

A Canadian audit of dietary supplements shows serious problems with the quality and safety of the products you may be buying.

/ May 13, 2021
Teenagers

Teenager? Anxious? Yes, there’s a supplement for that, too.

Health Canada has criticized the marketing of an "anxiety supplement" for teens, without recognizing the larger problem involved; the poor regulations and lack of safety and efficacy data for this, and many other supplements sold.

/ October 3, 2019

Thermography is Not Approved for Breast Cancer Screening in Canada

Breast cancer thermography is being promoted across Canada as a reliable and effective way of identifying breast tumors. There is no evidence thermography is actually capable of doing so.

/ October 12, 2018

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 05/14/2017.

The week in review. Measles cases climb in Minnesota; Texas is jealous. Koala and rabbit abuse. FDA suggesting pseudo-medicine? And more.

/ May 14, 2017

Ignorance is Strength?

Findings from a recent consultation suggest that consumers don't want health claims to be supported by evidence. Do consumers really prefer ignorance over evidence? Or is this the product of a industry campaign to derail new, science-based regulations?

/ April 6, 2017

Natural Health Products: Loosely regulated, little evidence of benefit, and an industry intent on preserving the status quo

This week’s post will revisit a topic I recently covered, but it’s time-sensitive and needs your input. Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent to the US Food and Drugs Administration, is considering revisions to the way in which it regulates dietary supplements, which are called “natural health products” in Canada. It is rare that a regulator acknowledges that a regulatory system isn’t working,...

/ October 20, 2016

Fixing the supplement market for consumers

When it comes to regulating and selling dietary supplements, should consumer interests be higher priority than those of manufacturers? While regulations are seemingly created to protect consumers, governments around the world have consistently given manufacturers the upper hand, prioritizing a company’s desire to sell a product over a consumer’s right to a marketplace with safe, effective products. Nowhere is this more the...

/ September 22, 2016

A homeopathic win for consumers

Do you believe in magic? It might surprise you to learn that some people believe sugar pills have healing properties. This belief system, called homeopathy, is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, and it’s growing. While there is no convincing evidence to demonstrate that homeopathic treatments are more effective than a placebo, many consumers and even some health professionals accept homeopathy as a...

/ August 13, 2015

Homeopaths Threaten Public Health Selling Sugar Pills as Vaccine Alternatives

Alternative medicine is ascendant in Canada. From the dubious remedies that are now stocked by nearly every pharmacy, to the questionable “integrative” medicine at universities, there’s a serious move to embrace treatments and practices that are not backed by credible evidence. Canada’s support for alternative medicine, and for its “integration” into conventional health care is arguably is worse than many other countries....

/ December 4, 2014

Don’t supplement users deserve consumer protection, too?

The Canadian Parliament, hypothetically protecting consumers since Confederation. One of the most pervasive yet appealing health myths is the idea that natural equals safe. It’s a statement that’s repeated constantly by manufacturers of supplements and “natural” health products. It’s been the primary argument used, with considerable success, to give these products completely different regulatory structures than exist for drug products. Weaker regulation...

/ June 5, 2014