The Food and Drug Administration often completely misses the point when it comes to supplements.

In fact, they usually want nothing to do with nutritional healing. It’s so backwards that when it comes to natural health, even the tiniest acknowledgement from the FDA is a huge victory.

Take their new stance on selenium, a mineral that, in tiny amounts, can help our bodies in a number of ways. Some promising research even shows that selenium could help lower your risk for certain cancers.

The FDA said in June that it’s willing to let supplement makers mention that link, albeit in a very limited way. In fact, the wording the FDA says it will allow is downright unusable. But when you consider the usual stance it takes on supplements, this is a radical departure.

The research on selenium is still ongoing, but so far it’s been very encouraging in areas well beyond cancer prevention. Selenium has been shown to be necessary for thyroid hormone activation, and may have some fantastic antioxidant properties. Both of these roles help you fight off illnesses and even aging.

Maybe next the FDA will admit we’re onto something after all, not just with selenium but the many other vitamins and minerals that can help fight disease and illness better than all of Big Pharma’s meds put together.

Maybe, but I doubt it.

After all, there are so many supplements out there that have helped millions of people treat their illnesses without having to rely on prescription drugs, yet the FDA has barely glanced in our direction.

So while I wish that little opening in the door might be a signal that the FDA is opening its collective mind to natural healing, the cynic in me sees something else at work.

A couple of Big Pharma’s over-the-counter vitamins are starting to include selenium. They’re finally catching on to what the rest of us already know: There’s enough emerging evidence in its favor that people want to make sure they’re getting enough of it.

One of those vitamins got into some hot water in June for making a mild claim about those cancer-fighting properties.

So I see this is as the FDA rushing to the defense of some of its most favored clients, not a signal that the winds are finally shifting in favor of truth.

Too bad. One more missed opportunity.