Preview of the Herbal Safety Database

By Michael Taromina, Esq. with contribution from Bill Bookout

As advance notice, the AAAOM is publishing an article in the December issue of Acupuncture Today on the AOM profession’s development of an Herbal Safety Database. Authored by Michael Taromina, Esq. (AAAOM Board Legal Counsel), with contributions from Bill Bookout, President, of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), the article details the AAAOM’s formulation of a legislative and fundraising strategy to protect herbal practice by credentialed practitioners, both federally and on the state level.

Over years of escalating threats involving our profession’s access to herbs, it has become clear to AAAOM Board of Directors, the Herbal Medicine Committee and the National Government Affairs Committee that the most feasible approach to this goal utilizes the proven NASC model. The NASC effort was conceived and championed by Mr. Bookout in response to intensifying FDA opposition to the pet supplement industry. NASC realized that only through their development of an Adverse Events Reporting database (AER) system would the industry be able to acquire evidence-based safety data necessary to secure regulatory protection of pet supplements. Today, the AER database allows both the animal supplement industry and its regulators to monitor access and risk.

Given AOM similarities to the self-regulatory needs of the pet supplement industry, Mr. Bookout discusses the benefits and advantages to adopting the NASC strategic approach for Chinese herbs. He addresses how the establishment of their early warning adverse effect database has protected their products on the market which practitioners, companies and consumers depend upon. He also shares his firsthand insight into the role of the FDA within the supplement industry, and much more.

Read further details on the Herbal Safety Database and the AAAOM role in its realization in the forthcoming Acupuncture Today.