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January / February *Current Issue*



     Feature Article



     Natural Medicine Updates



     An observer of the health care system today

     notices profound changes taking place,from the use

     of traditional herbs to treat cancer effectively

     (such as Essiac/Floressence/Native Essence) to

     incorporating recent scientific findings

     (intravenous or oral chelation therapy) as

     effective and economical natural alternatives to

     conventional medical treatments for removing

     plaque from arteries.



     Bastyr University, the only accredited educational

     institution in the world that offers degree and

     certificate programs in both eastern and western

     natural medicine, including naturopathy,

     nutrition, acupuncture and Oriental medicine,

     homeopathy, midwifery and Chinese herbal medicine,

     in 1994 received a NIH grant to establish a center

     for alternative medicine research in HIV/AIDS. The

     University is now developing a model for medical

     education which integrates the study and practice

     of therapeutic nutrition with health promotion,

     disease prevention and treatment of chronic and

     acute illness.



     Bastyr has established an endowed chair to

     incorporate this model into the University's

     medical programs in honor of Dr. Jeffrey Bland,

     founder of HealthComm International, Inc., for his

     work in therapeutic nutrition and nutrition

     research. Alan Gaby, M.D., has been appointed as

     the first Dr. Jeffrey Bland Endowed Professor of

     Therapeutic Nutrition.



     Gaby is from Baltimore, Maryland, where he is a

     family practitioner specializing in nutrition and

     natural medicine. He is a pioneer in the field of

     nutritional medicine, and has authored several

     books on the subject, including Nutritional

     Therapy in the Medical Practice, Preventing and

     Reversing Osteoporosis, Nutritional Therapy as an

     Alternative to Drugs and Surgery, and Natural

     Hormone Therapy.



     Gaby's national lecture credits include a recent

     presentation on the pharmacologic uses of

     nutrients in cardiology at the American Heart

     Association's first conference on Alternative and

     Complementary Medicine. He currently serves as

     president of the American Holistic Medical

     Association. (Bastyr: 144 NE 54th St., Seattle, WA

     98105-3752, 206-523-9585.)



     DR JONATHAN WRIGHT AND FDA



     Almost four years ago, in May, 1992, agents of the

     FDA and Sherriff's agents from King County in

     Washington state, raided the office of Jonathan

     Wright, M.D., a specialist in nutritional

     medicine. The raid was characterized by the media

     as ``gestapo-style.'' Sherriff's agents along with

     FDA agents, broke through the locked doors of

     Wright's clinic early in the morning before office

     hours, and with guns drawn and pointed at staff

     members yelled ``freeze.''



     Wright earlier had a lawsuit pending against FDA

     actions in confiscating his uncontaminated batch

     of L-tryptophan. This lawsuit and Wright's

     international reputation in treating disease with

     nutritional means, supplements and specialized

     vitamins, led observers to comment that the FDA's

     actions seemed retaliatory; not only that, it

     substantiated evidence that FDA bureaucrats

     continued to be extremely biased against

     alternatives to orthodox medicine.



     King County Sherriff's spokespersons later

     admitted that FDA agents pressed the office into

     overreaction in the raid at Wright's Clinic. FDA

     regional officials, and Commissioner David Kessler

     publicly accussed Wright of drug-smuggling and, on

     national television news asserted that the raid

     uncovered illegal products and medical techniques

     that would result in charges against Wright.



     According to an FDA memo made public as part of a

     civil suit Wright filed in 1992, local FDA agents

     were coached to tell the press that Wright was

     ``smuggling foreign drugs into the country, the

     clinic was manufacturing medicines using improper

     procedures and trying to defraud the government.''



     Now, after hundreds of thousands of dollars and

     untold hours spent in defense of Wright, the

     Justice Department decided no charges will be

     filed against Wright.



     According to a front-page article in the Seattle

     Times (9/23/95) Wright's advisers did not know yet

     ``whether the doctor plans to sue the FDA again

     for damages, but hoped he would not. `He is an

     honorable, ethical person, and he suffered

     unnecessarily for four years,' said Jonathan

     Emord, an attorney for Wright in Washington, D.C.

     `This hopefully ends the persecution of Dr.

     Wright. Now I think he is just going to do what he

     does best, which is continue on with his

     practice.' ''



     Regarding the actions against Wright of the

     current administrators and officers of the FDA,

     and therefore our current government, one is

     reminded of Thomas Jefferson's words in the

     Declaration of Independence: ``He [King George/the

     government of England] has erected a multitude of

     New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to

     harass our people, and eat out their substance.''

     When will the government reflect values of

     kindness, wisdom and restraint? When its people

     do? If not now, when?



     INSURANCE COVERAGE



     Patricia van der Meer's conventional insurance

     does not cover the alternative treatments she

     feels helped her regain her health: nutritional

     therapy, massage, and herbal medicine; because

     health insurance rarely covers so-called

     alternative treatments, most people pay for these

     treatments out of pocket, which is testimony to

     their desirability and efficiency.



     This scenario is starting to change. Insurers are

     beginning to cover certain alternatives. Mutual of

     Omaha is only one of 15 companies now offering

     insurance for Dr. Dean Ornish's diet, meditation,

     and yoga program that helps reverse heart disease.



     Alternative Health Insurance Services of Thousand

     Oaks, California covers both allopathic and

     complementary/alternative treatments, such as

     acupuncture, Ayurveda, biofeedback, bodywork and

     massage therapy, maternity/midwifery, chelation

     therapy, chiropractic, oriental medicine,

     homeopathy and more. Patients may choose any

     provider, M.D. or N.D., or D.O. or D.C. The

     company was started in 1985 by Sherry and Steven

     Gorman, who were from the natural foods industry.



     Subscribers must meet a deductible of up to $1000,

     and the plan pays 80% of the first $5,000 eligible

     medical expenses in a year, then 100 percent

     thereafter, with a $2 million maximum. The plan

     includes prescription drug cards, with a $5

     copayment, as well as ``named partner'' coverage

     for homosexual or non-married couples and their

     families.



     Another plan is offered by American Western Life

     Insurance Co. in Foster City California:

     Prevention Plus. It covers a full range of

     alternative therapies. Enrollees use a naturopath

     as their primary care physician, or the gatekeeper

     who refers to other alternative practitioners.

     There is a $5 copayment for prescriptions,

     including herbal medicines. The company also has a

     24-hour 800 Wellness Line staffed by naturopathic

     physicians, saving on doctor visits where

     possible.



     Leland Wolf, AWL president notes that it is a

     health, not a medical insurance plan. The emphasis

     is on covering people who are actively interested

     in staying healthy, rather than paying doctors for

     treating patients who are sick. The plan is

     available to residents of Colorado, California,

     Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.



     (American Western Life: 1-800-925-5323;

     Alternative Health Insurance Services:

     1-800-966-8467.)



     The following piece is from Dr. Robert Atkins'

     Health Revelations, V. III, No. 10, October 1995

     (address at end of article). The Bill mentioned

     here grew out of the grassroots movement to insure

     medical freedom of choice in the United States;

     this movement was catalyzed by many restrictive

     government agent actions against Dr. Wright

     (supra) and other pioneers in the field of natural

     health care.



     DON'T LET THE FEDS DECIDE WHICH DOCTORS YOU CAN

     SEE



     Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.



     --Thomas Jefferson



     The most signifigant health-care legislation of

     our generation needs your support to become law.



     The Access to Medical Treatment Act (AMTA) has

     been introduced into the House (HR 2019) and

     Senate (S 1035) and has begun its journey through

     the legislative labyrinth. When hearings are held

     this fall, the bills will need your support.



     AMTA would allow people to receive any kind of

     medical care they want from any legally authorized

     health practitioner provided two requirements are

     met:



        *  The treatment could cause no harm more

          serious than that routinely experienced with

          conventional medical care for the same

          condition.

        *  The patient would be fully informed about

          the treatment and its possible side effects.



     The principles embodied in this legislation are

     exactly what I've been working toward all my life.

     If you believe in the alternative medical mission,

     I implore you to get behind the bill actively.

     Every legislator in Washington must know there are

     millions of voters who feel passionately about

     this issue. They must be made to feel obligated to

     support it.



     Thinking through the issues



     Here are a few ideas to get you started when you

     call or write your representatives:



        *  Have you benefitted from unconventional

          therapies? If so, briefly describe how.

        *  The government shouldn't meddle as you work

          with practitioners to find the best approach

          to your health.

        *  This is a question of political and economic

          democracy. It's a freedom-of-choice issue

          that gives people access to the full range of

          therapies. It also increases competition for

          services, thus keeping costs down.

        *  Alternative therapies often save consumers a

          great deal of money. Chelation, for instance,

          is significantly cheaper (not to mention less

          risky) than bypass surgery. Why should people

          be denied access to cost-effective

          alternatives?

        *  The Food and Drug Administration's approval

          process is not designed to handle natural

          treatments. The time and expense (12 years,

          $300 million) it takes to get a drug

          approved, and the agency's disregard for

          anything that can't be tested conventionally,

          effectively precludes any chance for natural

          therapies to be sanctioned. Natural

          substances also can't be patented, which

          means companies can't recoup research and

          development costs, as can the pharmaceutical

          giants.

        *  Threatening to ban alternative approaches

          will just drive practitioners to other

          countries, limiting treatment access to those

          who can travel abroad. Isn't it better to

          encourage the development of these therapies

          in our own country?



     What you can do to help



     When you know exactly what you want to say, call

     the congressperson from your district, and ask to

     speak to the legislative assistant handling this

     bill. The switchboard: 202-225-3121. Letters

     should be addressed to: the Hon. (fill in name),

     House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.

     The Senate's ZIP code is 20510.



     In your letter, state immediately your purpose.

     Mention the legislation by name and bill number

     and include key information about the need for the

     law. Limit your letter to one page and one issue.

     Include the ``self-interest angle''--why the

     legislator should support the bill. Are you in his

     or her district? Did you vote for him or her? The

     more personal your letter, the better.



     It took Sen. Tom Harkin 10 years to get the

     Nutrition Labeling and Education Act passed. It

     took three years of bulldog tenacity from Sen.

     Orrin Hatch and the overwhelming grassroots

     support from people like you to pass the Dietary

     Supplement Health and Education Act. Make sure

     your voice is heard, and don't stop talking until

     the other side cries uncle.



     Read the Bill for yourself



     You can request a copy of the bill from the HR

     Documents Room by calling 202- 225-3456, or, it's

     available on the Internet. Direct your WWW browser

     to: http://rs1.loc.gov/home/thomas.html.



     For more info on the bill and its sponsors,

     contact the American Preventive Medical

     Association (APMA) at 800-230-2762.



     ________________________________________



     Health Revelations:105 W. Monument Street,

     Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-223-2619. Published

     monthly for $80 per year by Agora, Inc. Robert C.

     Atkins, M.D., editor.

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