Drug Rehab Threatened by FDA Attempt to Regulate Supplements

Some drug rehab centers are concerned about a guidance document that is currently on the Food and Drug Administration’s Docket (FDA No. 2006D-0480) that reveals plans to reclassify all vegetable juices, herbs and vitamins as FDA regulated drugs. Even things like massage oils and massage rocks will be classified as “medical devices”.

According to the document, once these vitamins, minerals and other natural methods are regulated, the FDA can then ban anything that they feel is a drug and these supplements can be taken off the market. Currently, there are millions of people using natural supplements as they are much safer and cause no side effects in comparison to many of the drugs that are being approved and promoted by the FDA everyday.

This could be a blow to the drug rehab field. It's been shown that drug free methods to handle addiction with the use of natural supplements statistically achieve the best success rates.

Many of the clients that undergo this type of drug rehab treatment end up being successfully rehabilitated from addiction and do not have periods
of relapse. Trying to regulate these natural methods would be disastrous in the substance abuse treatment arena as many non-traditional treatment methods are now being used.

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