Almost 30 years ago, Stanley Gross brought to my awareness the serious inadequacy of licensure in his groundbreaking book, Of Foxes and Hen Houses. Shortly thereafter along came Paul Starr’s The Social Revolution of American Medicine. The bottom line is, unfortunately, that licensure is a system to keep the INS in. It has little to do with quality. Gradually, with the help of the Rockefeller Foundation, the American Medical Association (AMA) achieved dominance in the arena of medical practice-it cannot be called health care or medical care. Since its ascent to the domination of what is the "standard" of medical practice, the AMA has fought to destroy osteopathy, chiropractic, homeopathy, midwifery, herbology, naturopathy and many other "natural" approaches to health.
Interestingly, initially orthodoxy attempted to prevent both hospital and medical insurance but failed and ultimately embraced these latter two. With the allopathic dominance of medical practice, both state and federal laws have increasingly restricted innovations that are not approved by the AMA. Osteopaths and chiropractors have survived because of the passion of their founders. Homeopathy, acupuncture and naturopathy have been at best on the sidelines. The PharmacoMafia has become the major determiner of the "standards" of medical practice, with the full compliance and support of the medical establishment. The major medical journals, and indeed almost all medical journals, are virtual servants to the PharmacoMafia. Incidentally, the American Dental Association (ADA) has been equally vicious in keeping dentists in line. Those who dare talk about the dangers of silver/mercury fillings are often disbarred. And the ADA is responsible for fluoridation of our water supply, another serious risk to overall health.
Even more critically, allopathic physicians (M.D.s) have been rigidly restricted and often brutally attacked by county and state medical societies, as well as laws restricting innovations. Private citizens are equally restricted in what they can do for themselves and their children. And almost everyone is restricted in what they can offer for health enhancement. Schools have been enlisted in the fight to control everyone, with many schools forcing parents to place children on drugs. These same schools are prostitutes for the junk food and pop industry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remains a major participant in the delusion that it is protecting health, while it approves drugs that often are minimally better than placebo, but with hazards that take decades to stop. Remember that FDA-approved prescription drugs are the cause of death in at least 106,000 people each year (Journal of the American Medical Association, July 2000). Each year just from approved drugs we have the equivalent of 30 9/11 deaths! That is one 9/11 every 20 days!
Some six years ago I became aware of the remarkable success of Diane Miller, J.D., and her fledgling organization, the National Health Freedom Coalition of Minnesota, in securing the passage of the first state law guaranteeing freedom of access to and provision of a variety of health practices that were previously restricted or legally attacked. The following is a brief summary from www.nationalhealthfreedom.org:
"The goal of the health freedom movement is to make sure that the fundamental right of privacy of Americans, the right to make health care decisions, is protected. Health freedom advocates believe that their privacy right is fundamental and that regulations by governments that decrease the number of health care options by only allowing those government-approved options is an infringement on their fundamental decision-making right.
"Because they hold their right to make health care decisions to be fundamental, they believe that the laws should be held to a strict scrutiny standard and the laws should be narrowly construed to a compelling state interest. Health freedom advocates believe they have the right to choose from all health care options and information and that regulation should be the least amount in order to maximize their options. They believe that government should not regulate those things that they have not been shown by clear and convincing evidence, to pose significant danger warranting police power regulation."
I endorse the National Health Freedom Coalition and I am happy to be a board member of this important organization.
United States Health Freedom Assembly and Leadership Training | October 12-14 – This fifth annual National Health Freedom Coalition returns to William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, offering a space where health freedom organizations and individual activists can come together to strategize and find ways to work together to promote public access to all health care information, services, treatments and products. Participants will learn about six key health freedom topics and receive leadership training in health freedom advocacy. Keynote speakers are Sandra Duffy, J.D., an advocate for mercury-free dentistry, and Clinton Miller, a health freedom activist. Admission is $20 at the door or register online. Visit www.nationalhealthfreedom.org or call 651.688.6515.
