Policy Statement

Position & Rationale

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) disproportionately affects Black and marginalized communities, with healthcare solutions historically rooted in medical-industrial dependency rather than culturally relevant, accessible interventions.

While gene therapy is marketed as a breakthrough, it is invasive, prohibitively expensive, and inaccessible to the majority of SCA patients, reinforcing structural inequalities. Instead of promoting biomedical interventions with unknown long-term consequences, policymakers must prioritize food-based and agricultural solutions that empower communities with autonomy over their health.

This policy advocates for low-tech, non-invasive approaches, integrating thiocyanate and isothiocyanate-rich plant extracts (found in moringa, mustard greens, and cruciferous vegetables) into SCA management frameworks, ensuring cost-effective, sustainable, and culturally rooted healing.

Key Policy Recommendations

1. Recognize Nutritional Therapy as a Primary SCA Intervention

- Fund research on the efficacy of thiocyanate/isothiocyanate plant compounds in reducing sickle cell crises.

- Integrate nutritional therapy into SCA care models, ensuring nutrion -based solutions are covered under Medicaid and community health programs.

2. Promote Agricultural Sovereignty for Health Equity

- Support localized cultivation of high-impact medicinal crops like moringa to enhance community-based SCA management.

- Invest in farming initiatives that empower Black and Indigenous growers to supply therapeutic plants for local health networks.

3. Reject Cost-Prohibitive, Biomedical Dependency

- Oppose policies that prioritize invasive gene therapy as the dominant SCA solution while failing to fund accessible alternatives.

- Advocate for legislative shifts ensuring food-as-medicine models are recognized in public health policy.

4. Align Funding & Research Priorities with Equity Goals

- Leverage GusNIP funding to integrate plant-based interventions into federally supported nutrition equity programs.

- Collaborate with policymakers like Latifah Simon, Cory Booker, and Lori Wilson to reframe SCA advocacy toward nutritional sovereignty and agricultural empowerment.

Expected Impact

- Reduced dependence on high-cost, invasive medical interventions, ensuring health autonomy for marginalized communities.

- Expansion of agricultural initiatives, boosting economic sustainability for small farmers while improving health outcomes.

- Health equity reforms, positioning food-based therapies as a legitimate policy focus for chronic disease management.

- Create Society

Creation of Society Wellness

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