Every month the FDA sends out warning letters to make certain companies aware of violations. Nine letters have been sent out this month alone, to companies all over the country. Many of these letters informed companies that their products are “misbranded” or “unapproved.”

Believe it or not, these letters are actually really important to everyone. If you’re interested in what you’re putting on or into the bodies of yourself and your loved ones, you may want to start checking them out.

These letters highlight specific aspects of FDA law when they are violated. It’s good for consumers because it allows us to be aware of frequently violated sections. With each newly publicized FDA warning there are many things to be learned.

Take, for example, the recent Zicam controversy. Many people claimed to be losing their sense of smell from using Zicam. The FDA gently reminded people that homeopathic drugs aren’t necessarily regulated. What we learned from that is to do our research before taking anything.

By just taking the time to skim any of these letters, you may be surprised at how much you’ll learn. Let’s take a look at the most recent warning letter was sent out on Tuesday to American Cellular Laboratories, Inc. in Pacifica, Calif. (You can check out the actual letter here.) The subject is dietary supplements that have been “misbranded.”

The gist of the letter was this:
- your products are labeled and advertised as something that they’re not
- your steroids are not dietary supplements
- if you say something is a dietary supplement it MUST meet the actual definition of a dietary supplement
– According to the FDA’s Cosmetic Act, a product claiming to be a dietary supplement must have at least one dietary ingredient like a vitamin, mineral, amino acid or any ingredient of the other categories.
- your products are “new drugs” that aren’t generally recognized as safe and effective
- your products are prescription drugs because they have a potentially toxic or harmful effect and must be taken under direct supervision of someone director
- the products’ directions are inadequate

You can stay up-to-date on all of the FDA’s recent warning letters by checking its Web site. Who knows? You may even learn something.

Within the past ten years, celebrities like Jenny McCarthy have brought awareness to popular culture about what autism is and how to protect your children from an increased risk. Because of books like Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism, by McCarthy, and many others, Americans have become interested in learning more about the disability that could affect their own children.

Controversy surrounds everything attached to autism. While scientists try to prove if children immunized or vaccines and autism are connected, parents must decide whether or not to take a chance and immunize saying, “They haven’t proved it does, but they haven’t proved it doesn’t.” It’s hard to know what to do especially considering there’s not very much known about the cause.

According to a 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of 150 children and one out of 94 boys will develop autism. As with most disabilities, this doesn’t only affect the person, but also the family, community and country. The Autism Society of America (ASA) estimates that “the lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million, and that the United States is facing almost $90 billion annually in costs for autism.”

Autism develops within the first three years of a person’s life, and according to the ASA some signs include:
• Delay in spoken language
• Strong use of motor mannerism (“talking with their hands”)
• Little or no eye contact
• Little or no interest in relationships with peers
• Little or no make-believe play
• Easy fixation on parts of objects

In recent autism news found in Science News, three different studies point to brain molecules’ connectivity as a possible autism culprit. In one of these studies, scientists found that only 65 percent of the 14,000 autistic people studied have a “variant.” The conclusion with that is because only 65 percent of those with autism have the variant, there must be other genetic and environmental factors involved.

The “variant” in this study was found on chromosome five (one of the 23 found in our DNA) between two genes that carried special encoding for cells. The variants are two molecules responsible for the encoding connectivity named cadherin 9 and cadherin 10. Cadherons are cell adhesion proteins responsible for binding cells to a surface. It’s a bit confusing, yes, but basically all you have to know is this: the genes in chromosome five that include these cadherins put a person at a higher risk of developing autism.

This study further confirms the belief that autism is caused by brain connectivity problems. Cadherin 10 was found in the frontal cortex of the brain, which is the part of the brain most affected by autism. Because a big part of cell adhesion proteins’ jobs is to make sure neurons get to the right place, the severity of them not working properly is a step in the right direction in further understanding autism.