Misinformation about the Arizona bills on homeopathy
Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:59 pm
Dear Friends,
I have waited to respond to the rampant mis-information about the homeopathic bills in Arizona until I can be certain to provide ACCURATE information...and I am not ready to tell you the following...
Before discussing THIS issue, I want to remind people that I was arrested for practicing medicine without a license back in 1976. I have been a long-time advocate for consumers having the freedom of choice as to which health practitioners they wish to see. However, I am also an advocate of regulation for TITLES, that is, anyone can and should be able to practicing healing methods, but only people who have attended certain training programs and who then pass licensing (or certification) examinations should be able to call themselves "homeopathic doctors" or "acupuncturists" or whatever. It is this way with accounting too...anyone can do accounting, but only people who pass certain examinations should be able to call themselves a "CPA."
A freedom of choice ideal AND "title licensing acts" CAN live and work together!
As much as I appreciate the work of the National Health Federation, I have been concerned about some of their work for a long time, especially their hyper-libertarianism. They seem to be against any form of regulation of health care professions. While THAT type of free-market lack of regulation may work in an "ideal world" or a world in which no other health or medical professionals are regulated, I (and many others in the homeopathic community) see some value in certain regulation, especially regulation of TITLES, not or PRACTICES.
Anyone who told you that the Arizona bill would restrict the practice of homeopathy OR nutrition has purposefully provided MIS-INFORMATION...and sadly, the NHF did this.
The bottomline here is that even VEGA ROZENBERG, one of Arizona's leading professional homeopaths, is supportive of this bill...as are the naturopathic physicians, the nurses, and the homeopathic MDs. As you will all see from the letter below from Dr. Todd Rowe, the Arizona bill has achieved an remarkable degree of support from a wide assortment of people and organizations in Arizona. Strangely, it seems to be people outside of Arizona who have been the primary people to complain about this bill and who have been found to spread mis-information about it.
Todd Rowe, MD, CCH,DHt, is the Founder of the American Medical College of Homeopathy, and he was the President (!) of the National Center for Homeopathy. He has been a long-time big supporter of professional homeopaths, and I consider him a GOOD friend of mine and of homeopathy's. Most of all, I trust him to advocate for high-quality homeopathy and for the use of homeopathy by all.
--Dana Ullman
Dear Dana
A warm greetings to you from Arizona. Thank you for your support and trust. It has been a difficult process but I am hopeful that the community may benefit and grow through this.
Our non-profit Board has discussed this issue at length and decided to take the high road and not engage directly with the attacks and simply to speak our truth and keep moving forward. With all of the external attacks on homeopathy, we felt that it was better not to feed that energy and to escalate a war within the homeopathic community. We are not ready to send out a formal statement at this time.
Currently Arizona has two bills that are going through the legislature, SB1175 and SB1382. SB1175 has been focused on creating licensure for the graduates of our medical school that opened last month. SB1382 has focused on expanding the practice of those individuals who are currently practicing under the freedom legislation here in Arizona, so that they can now call themselves homeopaths or homeopathic practitioners.
We have worked hard on these bills for some time within the community here in Arizona. There was initially much opposition from the MD’s that we were able to overcome and they are now on board. Later there was opposition from the nurses which we were able to work out. There has been considerable opposition from the naturopathic profession but after meeting with them, we were also able to work things out. Lastly, there have been ongoing meetings with the unlicensed homeopathic community in Arizona, including Vega Rosenburg and we have also been able to work things out. Vega Rosenburg is in support of both bills. Through this collaborative process we have created three separate amendments which have served to resolve problems and differences with these various groups.
The bottom line is that there has been no opposition to the Bills from Arizona which has been remarkable in itself.
In the last two weeks, we were contacted by the National Health Freedom Coalition. I met with them and again tried to work out differences but was unable to do so. They demanded that we insert health freedom legislation into SB1175. I explained to them that SB1175 is not about deregulation but about regulation of doctor’s of homeopathy. I suggested to them that if this was an important agenda that they either create a separate bill or insert an amendment into SB1382 which does relate to health care legislation. They refused and decided to oppose the Bill.
Since that time, they have been steadily attacking the Bill and sending out e-blasts to the national homeopathic and nutritional communities attacking the Bill. They allege that SB1175 will prevent others from practicing homeopathy and nutrition. This is categorically untrue. In their arguments they have been using incorrect outdated information that no longer applies to the Bill that is being passed and its amendments. The current Bill in no way limits or restrict the practice of nutrition or homeopathy by practitioners here in Arizona. The only mention of nutrition in this Bill is that it is included within the scope of practice of the Doctor of Homeopathy. Nutrition is also included in the scope of practice of MD’s, DO’s, ND’s, Nurses, Chiropractors and Acupuncturists here in Arizona. It also is not something that is generally regulated in a protected way, and anyone can practice nutrition.
Also, the majority of our students (from our certificate programs) will be practicing under the exemption and it is critical to us that both freedom legislation and licensure paths be available to practitioners here in Arizona. The problem has been that the NHFC is unwilling to accept any regulation or licensure for homeopathy and will attack such an initiative wherever it occurs. They have done so elsewhere in the country with naturopathic licensure using the exact same tactics.
Unfortunately, NASH has also elected to forward the information to its membership without contacting anyone here in Arizona to verify or check the facts. The homeopathic community has been supportive and has been putting increasing pressure on NASH to retract. The NCH, CCH, CHE (ACHENA) and AIH have all been very supportive of what we are trying to do and have verified the facts.
I am not sure of where all of this is going but am hopeful that this can lead to healing within the national homeopathic community. I think this is stirring up a national discussion about pluralism and whether one group can mandate one type or nature of practice or whether we should all try to create a larger tent where there are multiple styles and methods of practice that do not interfere with each other and are honored.
Thank you again for all of your support. Feel free to share this information with anyone who asks but please don’t send out as a mass communication. We hope to have a statement later.
Warmly,
Todd Rowe MD, MD(H), CCH, DHt
President
American Medical College of Homeopathy
"Transforming Lives"
1951 W. Camelback, Suite 300
Phoenix, Arizona 85015
602-347-7950; 602-864-2949(fax)
www.AMCofH.org
I have waited to respond to the rampant mis-information about the homeopathic bills in Arizona until I can be certain to provide ACCURATE information...and I am not ready to tell you the following...
Before discussing THIS issue, I want to remind people that I was arrested for practicing medicine without a license back in 1976. I have been a long-time advocate for consumers having the freedom of choice as to which health practitioners they wish to see. However, I am also an advocate of regulation for TITLES, that is, anyone can and should be able to practicing healing methods, but only people who have attended certain training programs and who then pass licensing (or certification) examinations should be able to call themselves "homeopathic doctors" or "acupuncturists" or whatever. It is this way with accounting too...anyone can do accounting, but only people who pass certain examinations should be able to call themselves a "CPA."
A freedom of choice ideal AND "title licensing acts" CAN live and work together!
As much as I appreciate the work of the National Health Federation, I have been concerned about some of their work for a long time, especially their hyper-libertarianism. They seem to be against any form of regulation of health care professions. While THAT type of free-market lack of regulation may work in an "ideal world" or a world in which no other health or medical professionals are regulated, I (and many others in the homeopathic community) see some value in certain regulation, especially regulation of TITLES, not or PRACTICES.
Anyone who told you that the Arizona bill would restrict the practice of homeopathy OR nutrition has purposefully provided MIS-INFORMATION...and sadly, the NHF did this.
The bottomline here is that even VEGA ROZENBERG, one of Arizona's leading professional homeopaths, is supportive of this bill...as are the naturopathic physicians, the nurses, and the homeopathic MDs. As you will all see from the letter below from Dr. Todd Rowe, the Arizona bill has achieved an remarkable degree of support from a wide assortment of people and organizations in Arizona. Strangely, it seems to be people outside of Arizona who have been the primary people to complain about this bill and who have been found to spread mis-information about it.
Todd Rowe, MD, CCH,DHt, is the Founder of the American Medical College of Homeopathy, and he was the President (!) of the National Center for Homeopathy. He has been a long-time big supporter of professional homeopaths, and I consider him a GOOD friend of mine and of homeopathy's. Most of all, I trust him to advocate for high-quality homeopathy and for the use of homeopathy by all.
--Dana Ullman
Dear Dana
A warm greetings to you from Arizona. Thank you for your support and trust. It has been a difficult process but I am hopeful that the community may benefit and grow through this.
Our non-profit Board has discussed this issue at length and decided to take the high road and not engage directly with the attacks and simply to speak our truth and keep moving forward. With all of the external attacks on homeopathy, we felt that it was better not to feed that energy and to escalate a war within the homeopathic community. We are not ready to send out a formal statement at this time.
Currently Arizona has two bills that are going through the legislature, SB1175 and SB1382. SB1175 has been focused on creating licensure for the graduates of our medical school that opened last month. SB1382 has focused on expanding the practice of those individuals who are currently practicing under the freedom legislation here in Arizona, so that they can now call themselves homeopaths or homeopathic practitioners.
We have worked hard on these bills for some time within the community here in Arizona. There was initially much opposition from the MD’s that we were able to overcome and they are now on board. Later there was opposition from the nurses which we were able to work out. There has been considerable opposition from the naturopathic profession but after meeting with them, we were also able to work things out. Lastly, there have been ongoing meetings with the unlicensed homeopathic community in Arizona, including Vega Rosenburg and we have also been able to work things out. Vega Rosenburg is in support of both bills. Through this collaborative process we have created three separate amendments which have served to resolve problems and differences with these various groups.
The bottom line is that there has been no opposition to the Bills from Arizona which has been remarkable in itself.
In the last two weeks, we were contacted by the National Health Freedom Coalition. I met with them and again tried to work out differences but was unable to do so. They demanded that we insert health freedom legislation into SB1175. I explained to them that SB1175 is not about deregulation but about regulation of doctor’s of homeopathy. I suggested to them that if this was an important agenda that they either create a separate bill or insert an amendment into SB1382 which does relate to health care legislation. They refused and decided to oppose the Bill.
Since that time, they have been steadily attacking the Bill and sending out e-blasts to the national homeopathic and nutritional communities attacking the Bill. They allege that SB1175 will prevent others from practicing homeopathy and nutrition. This is categorically untrue. In their arguments they have been using incorrect outdated information that no longer applies to the Bill that is being passed and its amendments. The current Bill in no way limits or restrict the practice of nutrition or homeopathy by practitioners here in Arizona. The only mention of nutrition in this Bill is that it is included within the scope of practice of the Doctor of Homeopathy. Nutrition is also included in the scope of practice of MD’s, DO’s, ND’s, Nurses, Chiropractors and Acupuncturists here in Arizona. It also is not something that is generally regulated in a protected way, and anyone can practice nutrition.
Also, the majority of our students (from our certificate programs) will be practicing under the exemption and it is critical to us that both freedom legislation and licensure paths be available to practitioners here in Arizona. The problem has been that the NHFC is unwilling to accept any regulation or licensure for homeopathy and will attack such an initiative wherever it occurs. They have done so elsewhere in the country with naturopathic licensure using the exact same tactics.
Unfortunately, NASH has also elected to forward the information to its membership without contacting anyone here in Arizona to verify or check the facts. The homeopathic community has been supportive and has been putting increasing pressure on NASH to retract. The NCH, CCH, CHE (ACHENA) and AIH have all been very supportive of what we are trying to do and have verified the facts.
I am not sure of where all of this is going but am hopeful that this can lead to healing within the national homeopathic community. I think this is stirring up a national discussion about pluralism and whether one group can mandate one type or nature of practice or whether we should all try to create a larger tent where there are multiple styles and methods of practice that do not interfere with each other and are honored.
Thank you again for all of your support. Feel free to share this information with anyone who asks but please don’t send out as a mass communication. We hope to have a statement later.
Warmly,
Todd Rowe MD, MD(H), CCH, DHt
President
American Medical College of Homeopathy
"Transforming Lives"
1951 W. Camelback, Suite 300
Phoenix, Arizona 85015
602-347-7950; 602-864-2949(fax)
www.AMCofH.org
