FLA Bill Hijacks Herbal/Homeopathic Remedies- please act now.

[Misty L. Trepke]

If this speaks to you, please spread the word...
Misty
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

Subject: URGENT! Florida Health Freedom Act needs your Action TODAY

Dear Practitioners and Clients

I'm writing from the Florida Health Freedom Action about HB 1301, the
Florida Consumer Health Freedom Act. Our lobbyist and attorneys will
meet with members of the House of Representatives' Health Care
Committee this coming Monday and Tuesday, March 17 & 18, to ask them
to support our bill.

It is critical that these legislators know that this bill is
important to you, the voters.

Strong and well funded opposition to our bill is being led by the
"Naturopathic Physicians" (NPs). The NPs are seeking to create a
licensed profession in Florida which will combine both conventional
medicine and naturopathy (natural healing). They are changing what
has defined the practice of naturopathy for decades (natural healing
methods involving plants)-- adding prescription drugs, insisting
that they are still practicing naturopathy, and declaring that no
other practitioner may use that term to describe natural healing
methods.

Under their bill, HB 1615, NPs would have the exclusive right to use
natural health care remedies, such as herbs and homeopathic
remedies. The NPs want to keep unlicensed CATH practitioners off
of "their turf." Giving the NPs a monopoly on natural healing
methods will put natural healing practitioners out of business, and
drive up the cost of natural healing to consumers by requiring them
to go to licensed Naturopaths for natural healing services.

Your message will be most effective if it is received on Monday or
Tuesday. For this reason, please call first. If you are willing, a
letter is also important. It will take just 5 minutes of your time
to make a call or write a letter. 10 minutes to do both!

It is essential that members of the House Health Care Committee hear
that the Consumer Health Freedom Act HB 1301 is important to you. If
a Representative does not receive a sufficient number of contacts
from voters, it is possible that he or she may vote against our
bill. It is equally important that they know that you want them to
vote against HB 1615, the Naturopathic Physicians' bill, because of
their effort to claim a monopoly on natural healing methods and the
overlap their bill creates between natural healing methods
(naturopathy) and conventional medical care which involves drugs and
surgery.

Here are the steps:

1. STARTING MONDAY MORNING (the 17th!), CALL as many of the
legislators at the end of this email as you can. Speak with the
legislator directly or one of their staff. Ask them to:

A. VOTE IN FAVOR OF HB 1301, THE CONSUMER HEALTH FREEDOM ACT.

In your phone call, inform the legislator or their staff that HB
1301 is needed for 3 important reasons:

(1) to allow Floridians greater access to complementary and
alternative health care ("CATH care") by allowing unlicensed persons
to practice those therapies which pose little or no risk to
consumers (such as homeopathy and vitamin therapy).

(2) to allow consumers to make informed CATH care choices by giving
consumers written information about their CATH practitioner and the
therapies they provide.

(3) to encourage communication between licensed health care
providers and CATH care practitioners, by removing the threat of
prosecution of CATH care practitioners for the unlicensed practice
of medicine. When this threat is gone, CATH practitioners will feel
safe about suggesting that their clients share information with
their medical doctors about the CATH care that they are receiving.

B. VOTE AGAINST HB 1615, THE NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIANS' PRACTICE ACT.

Tell your legislator that HB 1615 confuses the public by changing the
definition of an age-old natural healing word - "naturopathy". Ask
him or her to look in their dictionary. They will find
that "naturopathy" is described as "a system of treating diseases
without drugs or medicines and without surgery, by physical agents
such as light, heat, air, water and plants".

This is what a traditional naturopath is doing. This is not what HB
1615 would allow Naturopathic Physicians to do i.e. to prescribe
many pharmaceutical drugs---and perform minor surgery!

Tell your legislator that HB 1615 would give NPs a monopoly on
natural healing methods that do not harm consumers. This monopoly
would drive up the cost of your natural health care, and drive your
unlicensed traditional naturopath out of business.

2. RIGHT NOW ask 10 of your friends, relatives and clients who live
in Florida to call, write and/or e-mail the legislators using the
enclosed information.

FORWARD THIS EMAIL BY COPYING the whole letter (Select All from the
Edit Menu) AND PASTING IT INTO A NEW email (to avoid a myriad
FARKAS.FRANK@myfloridah
ouse.co
m
Staff: Chris Davis & Rebecca Bailey

3. Rep. Carole Green
221 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-2047
Email:
HREF="mailto:Green.carole@myfloridahouse.com">GREEN.CAROLE@myfloridah
ouse.co
m
Staff: Ashley Tucker & Monica Parker

4. Rep. Ed Homan, Vice-Chair
House Health Care Committee
210 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-3087
E-mail:
HREF="mailto:HOMAN.ED@myfloridahouse.com">HOMAN.ED@myfloridahouse.com
Staff: Linda Barrow & Janet Roder

5. Rep. Dave Murzin, Vice-Chair
House Health Services Subcommittee
1102 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-8278
Email:
HREF="mailto:MURZIN.DAVE@myfloridahouse.com">MURZIN.DAVE@myfloridahou
se.com
Staff: Casey Reed & Dawn Beasley

6. Representative Ralph Poppell
1101 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-3006
Email: POPPEL.RALPH@ myfloridahouse.com
Staff: Christy Lewis & Bonnie Rhodes

7. Representative Julio Robaina
221 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-6506
Email:
HREF="mailto:ROBAINA.JULIO@myfloridahouse.com">ROBAINA.JULIO@myflorid
ahouse.
com
Staff: Claudia M. Miro & Alejandro Dominguez

8. Representative Susan Bucher
1402 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-0175
Email:
HREF="mailto:BUCHER.SUSAN@leg.state.fl.us">BUCHER.SUSAN@myfloridahous
e.comA>
Staff: Audrey Spudeck & Rodney Statham

9. Representative Yolly Roberson
316 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-7088
Email:
HREF="mailto:ROBERSON.YOLLY@myfloridahouse.com">ROBERSON.YOLLY@myflor
idahous
e.com
Staff: Gayle Yenory & Reginald Darbonne

10. Representative Eleanor Sobel, Vice-Chair
House Health Standards Subcommittee
1402 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-0465
Email:
HREF="mailto:SOBEL.ELEANOR@leg.state.fl.us">SOBEL.ELEANOR@myfloridaho
use.com

Staff: Gregory Fields & Bill Sherwood

11. Representative Gus Bilirakis
221 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-5580
Email:
HREF="mailto:BILIRAKIS.GUS@leg.state.fl.us">BILIRAKIS.GUS@myfloridaho
use.com

Staff: Chandry Kime & Anthony De Lucia

12. Representative Rene Garcia, Chair
(Rene Garcia is our Consumer Health Fredom Act sponsor in the House.
Please
thank him for his support)
House Health Services Subcommittee
214 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-487-2197
Email:
HREF="mailto:Garcia.Rene@myfloridahouse.com">garcia.rene@myfloridahou
se.com
Staff: Osvaldo Guerra & Chastity Acosta

13. Representative Gayle Harrell
214 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-8749
Email:
HREF="mailto:HARRELL.GAYLE@leg.state.fl.us">HARRELL.GAYLE@myfloridaho
use.com

Staff: Jeffrey Takacs & Janet Skolnick

14. Representative Stan Mayfield
212 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-0952
Email:
HREF="mailto:MAYFIELD.STAN@leg.state.fl.us">MAYFIELD.STAN@myfloridaho
use.com

Staff: Judith Lellie & Bethany Fretwell

15. Representative Joe Negron
221 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-8832
Email:
HREF="mailto:NEGRON.JOE@leg.state.fl.us">NEGRON.JOE@myfloridahouse.co
m
Staff: Cheri Vancura & Holly Demer

16. Representative Manuel Prieguez
300 House Office Building
Phone: 850-488-4202
Email:
HREF="mailto:PRIEGUEZ.MANUEL@leg.state.fl.us">PRIEGUEZ.MANUEL@myflori
dahouse
.com
Staff: Viviana Bovo & Maritza Prebal

17. Representative Ran Sansom
210 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-1170
Email:
HREF="mailto:SANSOM.RAY@myfloridahouse.com">SANSOM.RAY@myfloridahouse
.com>
Staff: Samantha Sullivan & JoAnn Hofstad

18. Representative Arthenia Joyner
1401 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-5432
Email:
HREF="mailto:JOYNER.ARTHENIA@myfloridahouse.com">JOYNER.ARTHENIA@myfl
oridaho
use.com
Staff: Sonya Pridgen & Rosalie Smith

19. Representative Christopher Smith
316 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-1084
Email:
HREF="mailto:SMITH.CHRIS@myfloridahouse.com">SMITH.CHRIS@myfloridahou
se.com
Staff: Marna Clark & Jackson Davis

20. Representative Shelly Vana
1402 Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-488-4791
Email:
HREF="mailto:VANA.SHELLY@myfloridahouse.com">VANA.SHELLY@myfloridahou
se.com
Staff: Michelle M¹Sadoques & Kathy Fitton

___________________________________________

Florida Health Freedom Action
P.O. Box 430871, South Miami, FL 33243-0871
Phone: 305 668 2800 € Fax: 305 662 1665
Website:
HREF="http://www.floridahealthfreedom.org">www.floridahealthfreedom.o
rg

Promoting freedom for health care choice in the state of Florida.

[isali]

Full text of bill is on www.faom.net under the Forum link