Supplement & Personal Care News Briefs 5391

Starring Dr. Bronner
Joining the list of last summer's movie blockbusters was a documentary about that superstar of soap, Emanuel Bronner. "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox," directed by Sara Lamm, opened in late June, and was scheduled to make the rounds in select theaters around the country, with dates through August. The film peers into the life of the famous chemist, who immigrated to America in 1929, continuing the family tradition of soapmaking despite a spell in a mental institution. Variety magazine said the documentary should "wash well with the uninitiated and faithful users alike." For more information about the film, visit www.magicsoapbox.com.

Secret donor gives Bastyr $2 million
Bastyr University received the largest single donation in the school's 28-year history when an anonymous donor gave the natural health institution $2 million. The gift was designated for the endowed funds of the university, including $500,000 to be used to seed the Dr. William A. Mitchell Jr. Endowed Chair in Botanical Medicine, the world's first endowment fund to further botanical medicine education. The private institution, located in Kenmore, Wash., offers graduate programs in naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and nutrition, among others.

Make mine China-free
Here's a move that may be hard for the Chinese to swallow: A whole food nutritional supplements company is adding "China-Free" labels to its products. Food for Health International President Frank Davis said he wants the world to know that none of the ingredients used in his company's products, which include supplements for people and pets, come from China. The Asian economic powerhouse has come under scrutiny in recent months over dozens of food safety scares. Food for Health International, based in Orem, Utah, said all of its supplements and health shakes use organically grown fruits and vegetables.

More vitamin D, please
Adoctor from Boston University School of Medicine is calling for raising the recommended daily intake of vitamin D. Dr. Michael Holick wrote in a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine in July that the government should quadruple the recommended daily dosage, from 200 international units to 800 or even 1,000. Holick said about one billion people are estimated to be vitamin D deficient, and very few foods are fortified with enough of the vitamin.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVIII/number 9/p. 90