Bipolar Nutritional Support - Truehope Canada Trial Commences
CategoriesThe Truehope group in Canada which promotes nutritional support for victims of bipolar disease is going to have its day in court. A trial, to decide whether Health Canada's raid and sequester of nutritional products was justified, is scheduled to commence 13 March 2006 and last for 15 days.
The group was raided by the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in July 2003, with Health Canada pulling the strings. Truehope has published a document "Defining a New Model for the Care of the Mentally Ill" which describes current psychiatric practice and its failures as well as a new proposed model based on a specific combination of nutrients that are often found lacking in those affected. The document is available as a PDF file.
Anthony Stephan, the man who initiated Truehope after his wife died from bipolar disease, says the trial will be starting in the Calgary Alberta Provincial Court, 800 - 5th Ave. SW, Monday March 13th @ 9:30 am. It is scheduled to continue over a 15 day period.
Red Umbrellas group protest in support of Truehope
(image credit: Red Umbrellas)While the maximum fine would be CAN $500.00 if we are found guilty, says Stephan, the three year investigation has already cost Canadian tax payers approximately 2 million dollars. "Its all about an agenda to remove competition, halting progress in finding solutions to health care problems and protecting the drug industry."
- - -
Background on Truehope and the upcoming case
by Anthony Stephan
(You can download a PDF version here)It was January 30th of 1994 when Tony Stephan of Magrath, Alberta suffered a life changing loss. His young wife, only 40 years old committed suicide after a lengthy battle with bipolar disorder, a common mental illness affecting hundreds of thousands of Canadians. After losing his wife, Stephan was determined not to lose his son and daughter who had also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
After discussing his fears with a local agricultural specialist, David Hardy, Stephan was shocked to learn about the nutritional impact on a common behavioural problem affecting pigs called ear and tail biting syndrome as identified by agricultural science. After developing a nutritional supplement protocol for both his son and daughter, the 2 children had virtually no symptoms of bipolar and Tony Stephan and David Hardy were determined to share their story.
After introducing this discovery to a skeptical Bonnie Kaplan, the Director of the Behavioural Research Unit at the University of Calgary, she agreed to launch a clinical trial of Stephan and Hardy’s nutrient supplement protocol. Shocked by her findings, Dr. Kaplan presented a detailed report to the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s annual general meeting entitled "Successful Treatment of Bipolar Disorder with a Nutritional Supplement: 10 Cases.” It was shortly thereafter that Stephan and Hardy’s peace of mind fell apart in a nearly 5-year legal battle with Health Canada.
Upon seeing Doctor Kaplan's report on the nutritional treatment of bipolar on CTV National news on October 4th of 2000, Health Canada officials contacted the University of Calgary within days, demanding that all testing and trials be stopped. Health Canada was determined to make this discovery go away by shutting down an Alberta government approved and funded study.
On March 13th, 2006, a noted expert in legal matters surrounding nutritional supplements - Kamloops, B.C. lawyer Shawn Buckley, will defend his clients - Truehope Nutritional Support Ltd. and the Synergy Group of Canada Inc. against a charge of violating Health Canada regulations for marketing their nutrient supplement protocol to bipolar patients without a DIN number. A trial is scheduled for three weeks at the Alberta Provincial Court in Calgary.
- - -
May 2005: From Croft Woodruff (by email)
Health Canada's Bureaucrats would rather see Canadians die than authorize the release of a safe & beneficial nutritional product. They closed down a clincal trial at the University of Calgary, funded by the Government of Alberta, that already had demonstrated safety and efficacy. - CW
Court Transcripts Criminalize Health Canada Enforcement
Raymond, Alberta, April 6, 2006
In the ongoing battle with Health Canada over the legality of providing a vitamin and mineral treatment (EMPowerplus) for various mental illnesses, Truehope has obtained over 1800 pages of court transcript from the trial that played out in Alberta Provincial Court last week. Truehope was accused of selling its vitamins without a drug identification number (DIN) in 2003. In spite of new regulations where Truehope no longer required a DIN in 2004, Health Canada chose to move forward with charges in 2006.David Hardy of Truehope is not sorry that Health Canada went all the way. "They have hurt themselves with this case," says Hardy, "These transcripts expose damning evidence of abuse. (Health Canada) ignored logic, ignored hundreds of letters, ignored crying people on telephones, they tried to hide evidence of harm and there were suicides, hospitalizations and a full out crisis as a result."
The transcripts include the testimonies of two Health Canada agents who claim adherence to policy is paramount, even over lives.
Agent Sandra Jarvis said, "Whether or not (EMPowerplus), you know, did amazing things or not, the fact of the matter is, it was in violation of law." She testified that in spite of her knowledge of direct harm to Canadians, she continued turning back the legally imported nutritional supplement from the USA because the product did not have a drug identification number. Agent Miles Brosseau was questioned by Truehope Lawyer, Shawn Buckley. "So if you were sent a document . . . showing that people were dying because of what Health Canada was doing . . . you would just ignore that because it's not a policy or directive?" Brosseau answered "Yes."
"They did know that people were dying and in crisis because of their actions," says Hardy. "They were fully aware. The Canadian Mental Health Association asked them to stop. They ignored our letters and hundreds of letters from citizens, they ignored people crying on phones and even begging on Parliament Hill. It's all in their testimonies. Right in front of me. It's positively criminal." Hardy plans to use the transcripts to expose what he calls "public service at its worst."
For additional information or a transcript copy, contact:
Anthony Stephan
403-634-4840
1-866-610-0931
a.stephan@truehope.com
www.truehope.com
www.healthcanadaexposed.comSee also:
Bipolar Disorder Treated With Nutritional Supplement Early Study Shows Promising Results
Supplements may help treat bipolar disorder
Firm admits it ignored drug ID issue, kept selling supplement anyway
Health Canada Suit ignored well-being
(original article in Calgary Sun - pdf)
Canadians could be forgiven for assuming that the role of Health Canada is to do what its name suggests - that is to protect the health of Canadians. But yesterday, and for the past three weeks, a Calgary court heard chilling testimony and evidence of how Health Canada cared not one bit about the possible deaths or hospitalizations of Canadians due to its actions, and how it "abused the process" by "blindly" following soon-to-be out-dated regulations to prosecute the makers of a nutritional supplement that has helped thousands of mentally ill people lead normal lives.
Nutrients Quiet the Unquiet Brain - A Four Generation Bipolar Odyssey
Discover Magazine: Vitamin Cure
Can common nutrients curb violent tendencies and dispel clinical depression?Latest news July 2006:
Company can sell supplement to mental health patients: judge
A Calgary provincial court judge ruled Friday that Health Canada didn't give Truehope Nutritional Support Ltd. any legal alternatives to resolve a dispute over the supplement.A scanned copy of the judgement, delivered on 28 July 2006, in PDF format
posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Friday March 10 2006
updated on Tuesday February 27 2007URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/03/10/bipolar_nutritional_support_truehope_canada_trial_commences.htm
Related ArticlesRCMP raids supplements for mentally ill
16 July 2003, Calgary Canada - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as the "Mounties", have raided a call center of Truehope Nutritional Support in Raymond, Canada alleging the compan