NBHE Homeopathic Board History

[sunny sunny]

NBHE Homeopathic Board? Is it really necesssary?
Dear Dana,
Thank you for sharing where part of the animosity and breakdown occurred between our organizations. At the NCH conference in San Francisco I was blown away by the energy shown me when I offered to work together in unity. I was blind sided because at that time the old regime was already on the way out and when I came in I was free of old baggage and emotional issues.

The NBHE had booths for over a decade at the conferences including the SF conference and at the one in Orlando, Fl two years ago. We opted not to get a booth this year but to participate
anyway. Many of our members show proof they went to the conferences to claim their CEU's.

First, I desire to tell you that I have personally admired and respected your work for years as a great motivating force of homeopathy. I aspire to do a tenth of what you have done. Thank you for paving the way.

Second, I will publicly apologize to you and others for any inapropriate actions of past members. It is my hope that you will take the olive branch being extended to you and everyone else. We are a new regime with hard working professionals desiring to further the acceptance of homeopathy worldwide.
Third, I am afraid you just didn't recognize us at the Joint Alliance Conference.

The NBHE had one of 8 selected poster presentations put on by Dr. Julie Plezbert, DC, DNBHE on the effectiveness of Arnica in a clinical trial. She personally went up to you and introduced herself and asked you to stop by. You didn't, but we realize you were busy with other tasks.
We also held our annual meeting even though it was not published in the brochure. We found each other and had an independent meeting with current and potential future members.

After our lively discussion at our NBHE meeting Saturday night I was looking for Manfred Mueller to meet with him on Sunday. I did not find him at the same time I was free to have a meaningful conversation as I was working every break at your booth. I am very open to meeting with him. I did network with many other organizations and individuals at the conference.
We are not duplicating any other organization and we do not feel we are competing against anyone for membership.
Now is not the time to divide or pit one organization against another one. I am offering a peace flag and hope to create harmony among all our groups.

There is too much upheaval and discord on the planet now. Our words and actions and feelings have a far reaching effect on all life forms on the planet. Now is the time to come together in strength and bonding so we can survive the government onslaughts to our rights to practice. Please let's work together professionally to promote and educate the world about our valuable modality of healing.

Physicians with the Functional Medicine edge are members of The National Board of Homeopathic Examiners
History of the NBHE

The NBHE board evolved out of a vision of creating standardized inter-professional testing for the advancement of the homeopathic profession. The National Board also acts as a credentialing agency for homeopathic education for physicians worldwide.

The National Board of Homeopathic Examiners came into existence in the mid 1980's, during atime when the allopathic and naturopathic communities were attempting to take for their exclusive possession of all of the healing arts. Chiropractic was abdicating custody of alternative medical thought and Acupuncture was still for the most part an up and coming profession.

In an attempt to gain control, certification boards were put in place as a means to control who would come into the homeopathic community and who would be kept out. The American Institute of Homeopathy (AIH) would only certify Medical Doctors and Osteopaths. (they now recognize nurse practitioners but not DC's Acupuncturists, Pharmacists, etc. The naturopaths had their own exclusive certification board. The need for a group for chiropractors, acupuncturists, practitioners and all others desiring to become certified in homeopathy gave birth to the NBHE.

The NBHE became the FIRST group to open their examination to all establishing an environment of open fairness.

The International College of Homeopathy grew to become one of the largest homeopathic teaching programs in the United States and opened its doors for its students to take the National Board Examination. That was not the only way to earn the credits to take the board exam. We recognized other institutions as well. The ICH merged into Quantum Veritas University Systems. QVIUS is involved with many modalities under one umbrella.
Per Dr. Floyd: At a time when most of homeopathy was taught from a Vithoulkas / Allopathic perspective (which we also learned) the NBHE and ICH was the group that introduced the miasms and the Indian approach to Homeopathy long before anyone had ever heard of Sankaran. Dr. SK Banerjea was one of oure earliest teachers.

The NBHE was opened up to lay people in the 1990's, which was one of the NBHE's biggest challenges. We recognize that some of the most knowledgeable and effective homeopaths in the world are lay people. The ICH graduated many lay people. After taking the comprehensive board exam they were granted the title of Certified Practitioner of Homeopathic Therapeutics (CPHT).However, some of the lay people just could not understand that a certification by the NBHE WAS NOT A LICENSE TO PRACTICE HOMEOPATHY IN THEIR STATES. That has always been left up to state and federal laws to control and regulate who they choose to.

Some disgruntled lay people in Minnesota talked of suing us because they couldn't get a state license. The NBHE decided in 1999 to close the door to lay people. We are currently discussing whether to reopen that door.

I was told by Chuck Wilcher: In 1990 there was discussion of merging the NBHE with another group. The NBHE was concerned that this group felt that chiropractors and acupuncturists were second class citizens who shouldn't be allowed to be certified in homeopathy. They desired us to give our membership to them and hand over the treasury. A fight ensued and evidently the wounds on both sides are still festering.

This came down over a decade BEFORE the current board came into service and was mentioned in passing but not made out to me to be the issue that it apparently has been.

In 1990 the CCH and NASH came into being and admitted physicians and lay people. Four years AFTER we had incorporated.

In the 1990's the NBHE accomplished the impossible, implementing a state recognized postgraduate homeopathic program in a recognized institution of higher learning that would lead to DNBHE certification. The homeopathic curriculum is now available in colleges and universities recognized by the Department of Education. It started with the chiropractors in Chicago and then was approved in subsequent institutions. Though inactive now at The National College of Chiropractic (now National University of Health Sciences) it is ready to be reactivated at any time. It has also been established at New York Chiropractic College ... degree granting institutions that have gone through all the rigors of accreditation. The Texas Chiropractic College was the first to give CME's to chiropractors thus legitimizing homeopathy as a vital modality for healing in their profession. They were part of our network.

Acupuncturists were attacked in Florida for practicing homeopathy over a decade ago. Through a very committed effort homeopathy has been written into the law in Florida as a valid modality for Acupuncturists who are considered primary care physicians in that state. Several acupuncture colleges and institutions are now offering homeopathy classes there as well.

In Idaho, NBHE members worked with the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture toincorporate homeopathy into their acupuncture laws.

Chuck Wilcher, DC, ND, Lac, DNBHE is now teaching at a naturopathic college in Idahothe basics of classical homeopathy as it pertains to their professional practice. We are encouraging other states and institutions to do the same.
Cliff Kearns, DC, DNBHE, featured in last months NCH magazine Homeopathy Today is working in a hospital introducing homeopathy to physicians in a 30 day rotation. Some are so impressed they have expressed an interest in working closely with homeopaths in the towns they plan to settle in
or go back and learn it themselves.

The NBHE was the first board to use a competency exam including written and oral case taking to see how the candidate uses their research books and interview techniques to find the simillimum. The ND's at this time I am told have no competency just a written exam. The Arizona Chiropractic Board does do competency exams at this time and there may be others.

The NBHE administers a comprehensive examination, which certifies the basic level of proficiency of homeopathic physicians who successfully pass the exam. Successful candidates are awarded the title of Diplomate by the National Board of Homeopathic Examiners and can use the initials DNBHE after their names.

The NBHE exam is comprehensive,
Part I: Open book examination covering the basic laws of healing, homeopathic principles, repertorization, philosophy, history, polycrests, small remedies, keynotes, miasms, materia medica, prescribing, and case management. There are 240 fill-in, multiple choice, and matching type questions. It is open book because in real life we use our books. It is a timed exam so one needs to be really familiar with their research materials.
Part II: Practical/oral examination in which the examinee is required to take a case history and determine the appropriate remedy selection, potency selection and detail the explanation for your choice as well as the differential diagnosis of remedies. You will need to list any possible medical
co-management available per your profession if needed.

Another advantage of being a member on the Board: Should a legal problem arise, the NBHE will provide an expert witness to explain the benefits of homeopathy in a court of law.

We also formed a Speaker's bureau for any media contacts and organizations, hospitals, clubs, or institutions to learn more about classical homeopathy. We have the advantage of being able to use the diverse credentials of members to suit the audience.

We are promoting the classes of many instructors all over the USA and Canada.
Many who attend these classes may use the hours to become eligible to take our board exam or use the hours as CEU credits if already a member.

We are listing on our website a 100 hour basic homeopathic online class for lay people and physician's alike. Several colleges and individuals who fall short of our required hours to take the NBHE board exam are using these classes to get a good solid education and partial hours to takeour boards. We are also listing and promoting many well known homeopaths and their curriculum. Go to whitefeather@3oaks.com for more info for online classes.

We are in the process of changing servers and revising the website however www.TheProver.com a professional online homeopathic journal THAT IS FREE will be back up and running soon.

If anyone on the list wishes to offer classes as an approved facilitator or as an individual please email me off list. If you wish to take our board exam please contact me off list as well.

These are the highlights and not a complete list of everything the NBHE has been involved with. My reply has been delayed as I was doing my best to get insights from many members as to what they felt were our greatest achievements. Some of you are on this list. I am sorry I didn't get to all of you. I was busy working as well.

An Aside from the NBHE topic:

I would like to add that I came into the NBHE as a lay person with the designation of CPHT. I was in a class at the ICH composed of MD's Chiropractors, Dentists, Acupuncturists and a (vet for a very short time.) I quickly realized that I did not have a great enough understanding of what wasthe disease and what was the patient's reaction to the disease. I desired to treat the red itchy rash not the reaction to the rash: Be quiet in bed, be weepy clinging, go outside to play, etc. At the same time as Florida does every decade they were coming after anyone practicing alternative medicineand complementary medicine modalities without a license. I chose to go to medical school for two reasons: to not be hassled about homeopathy and also I desired the medical background to help my practice. As a result I was awarded the title of DNBHE after I earned my medical degree.

It is at a vicious peak again this decade as the Naturopaths are attempting to reinstate their modality in Florida and make it unlawful for all other unlicensed practitioners to do alternative health. Let them be king of the roost. Just like MD's, DO's and Dentists who can call themselves acupuncturists with 0 hours of training the ND's wrote into their proposed bill the entire acupuncture practice act with 0 hours of training. (Chiropractors only need 100 hours Acupuncturists over 3,000 hours.) So now the infighting among tas we try to protect the public and their turf. On top of it the massage therapist have ruled that unless you have a massage license one can't do Reiki or several other modalities in Florida unless your medical license has it in the practice act (which Acupuncturists do.) Why can't we all just get along and play nice, I ask?)
Homeopathy is unregulated in Florida even though it is part of the acupuncturists practice act. We didn't go around telling anyone else not to practice homeopathy.

I hope this answers many questions for you. I would be glad to discuss everything with any of you.
Sincerely,

Solara Attatharya, DOM, AP, DNBHE
NBHE Secretary
www.NBHE.org
www.TheProver.com
Sunny@isp.com
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[Rosemary C Hyde PhD]

Dear Solara --
Thanks so much for your thorough and factual description of NBHE and its history and orientation. I really hope that your organization and the other North American organizations that have already joined forces for homeopathic certification, networking, and education can get together. I firmly believe that the only way we can strengthen our position as a profession is to use all available resources and work together instead of presenting a fractured front. I was delighted to learn that there is an organization that targets the homeopathic education of chiropractors and acupuncturists -- holistic professions that are very poorly represented at present among certified homeopaths that we're aware of through CHC and NASH. Please keep us informed when you get your online journal functioning, and also when other initiatives become available so that your efforts become more widely known in the broader homeopathic community.
Rosemary
Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D., C.C.H., RSHom(NA)
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