Naturopathic Medicine in Colorado

Helpful info

History update
Facts sheet

Population of Colorado ~ census data 2006
Number of ND’s, ANMA, CoANP members
Number of MD’s, DO’s DC’s
Population health figures

Co. top industries

Hospitality/tourism
Target areas of state growth (industry/avenues of economic development)

Senators - the players

Champion of the bill * ID Them!*
Fellowship AANP, CoANP, Health Freedom coalition

Top ten businesses in Co.

Top ten foundations that award anything to medicine or education in home region

Identify the Opposition

Assesment: need for growth in affordable healthcare
Small businesses need the ability to access affordable health care. Businesses also relate the need for a choice of health care providers, rather than being reliant upon a single provider source. In order to attract and retain employees, small businesses must be able to offer competitive compensation packages, which include health benefits. As an example of the burden small businesses face when offering benefits, one small business in rural Colorado is paying approximately $33,000 annually for health insurance to cover 15 employees. When added to a like amount for worker’s compensation insurance, this business is paying $66,000 per year for insurance. It is easy to see why businesses either choose to eliminate expense of health care benefits voluntarily or are forced to eliminate it in order to survive.~2002 http://www.state.co.us/oed/small-business/sbdc-needs-assessment.cfm

Good links
CoANP http://www.coanp.org/
Census data Doc’s http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/co/CO000_62.HTM
AANP http://www.naturopathic.org/

Colorado http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html

Further information

Want more? Browse data sets for Colorado

People QuickFacts	Colorado	USA
Population, 2006 estimate	4,753,377	299,398,484
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006	10.5%2	6.4%
Population, 2000	4,301,261	281,421,906
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2005	7.3%	6.8%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2005	25.3%	24.8%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2005	10.0%	12.4%
Female persons, percent, 2005	49.5%	50.7%

White persons, percent, 2005 (a)	90.3%	80.2%
Black persons, percent, 2005 (a)	4.1%	12.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2005 (a)	1.1%	1.0%
Asian persons, percent, 2005 (a)	2.6%	4.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2005 (a)	0.1%	0.2%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2005	1.8%	1.5%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2005 (b)	19.5%	14.4%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2005	72.1%	66.9%

Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over	44.1%	54.1%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000	8.6%	11.1%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000	15.1%	17.9%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000	86.9%	80.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000	32.7%	24.4%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000	638,654	49,746,248
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000	24.3	25.5

Housing units, 2005	2,053,178	124,521,886
Homeownership rate, 2000	67.3%	66.2%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000	25.7%	26.4%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000	$166,600	$119,600

Households, 2000	1,658,238	105,480,101
Persons per household, 2000	2.53	2.59
Median household income, 2004	$50,105	$44,334
Per capita money income, 1999	$24,049	$21,587
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004	10.2%	12.7%

Business QuickFacts	Colorado	USA
Private nonfarm establishments, 2005	151,0701	7,499,702
Private nonfarm employment, 2005	1,936,2641	116,317,003
Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000-2005	1.2%1	2.0%
Nonemployer establishments, 2004	385,326	19,523,741

Total number of firms, 2002	464,982	22,974,655
Black-owned firms, percent, 2002	1.5%	5.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native owned firms, percent, 2002	0.8%	0.9%
Asian-owned firms, percent, 2002	2.3%	4.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander owned firms, percent, 2002	0.1%	0.1%
Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2002	5.2%	6.8%
Women-owned firms, percent, 2002	29.1%	28.2%

Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000)	34,661,144	3,916,136,712
Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000)	92,092,155	4,634,755,112
Retail sales, 2002 ($1000)	52,226,983	3,056,421,997
Retail sales per capita, 2002	$11,611	$10,615
Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000)	8,808,846	449,498,718
Building permits, 2006	38,343	1,838,903
Federal spending, 2004 ($1000)	30,060,3291	2,143,781,7273

Geography QuickFacts	Colorado	USA
Land area, 2000 (square miles)	103,717.53	3,537,438.44
Persons per square mile, 2000	41.5	79.6
FIPS Code	08

Most Admired Companies City Industry rank
	Ball Broomfield 4 ProLogis Denver 1 CH2M Hill Englewood 3 Contenders TransMontaigne Denver 9 Qwest Communications Denver 10 AIMCO Denver 9 MDC Holdings Denver 7 Molson Coors Brewing Denver 9 Newmont Mining Denver 7 EchoStar Communications Englewood 9 Liberty Media Englewood 6 First Data Greenwood Village 8

Breakdown of medical practices and facilities for 2002 (good breakdown site worth visit) http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/co/CO000_62.HTM

Summery
2002 census data lists 2814 physician offices employing some 26,574 another 2,411 offices of other health care practitioners employing 9,211 and 812 DC employing 2,204 with 500 Physical Therapist’s employing 3-6000 another ~ 800 “other” health care practitioners maintaining ~ 2,000 employees

Numbers of ND’s AANP LISTS 40 practitioners in Co http://www.naturopathic.org/

For reference U.S. CENSUS BUREAU REPORT: HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE 2002
(Published September 30, 2003)
* An estimated 15.2 percent of the population (43.6 million) were without health insurance coverage during the entire year in 2002, up from 14.6 percent in 2001, an increase of 2.4 million people.
* Middle-income households accounted for most of the increase in the number of uninsured. In households with annual incomes of $25,000 to $74,999, the number of uninsured rose last year by 1.4 million, to 21.5 million, and the increase was most noticeable among households with incomes of $25,000 to $49,999.
* The number and percentage of people covered by employment-based health insurance dropped in 2002, from 62.6 percent to 61.3 percent, driving the overall decrease in health insurance coverage.
* The number and percentage of people covered by government health insurance programs rose in 2002, from 25.3 percent to 25.7 percent, largely from an increase in the number and percentage of people covered by Medicaid (from 11.2 percent to 11.6 percent).
* Forty-nine percent of the uninsured living in poverty worked full-time. Although Medicaid insured 14.0 million people in poverty, 10.5 million additional people in poverty had no health insurance in 2002.
* There were 8.5 million uninsured children, 11.6 percent of all children, in 2002 unchanged).
* 1 in 3 Hispanics are uninsured. 1 in 5 Blacks and Asians are uninsured. 1 in 10 Whites are uninsured.

* The proportion who had employment-based policies in their own name decreased from 56.3 percent to 55.2 percent from 2001 to 2002.
* Young adults (18 to 24 years old) in 2002 were less likely than other age groups to have health insurance coverage -- 70.4 percent, compared with 82.3 percent of those 25 to 64 and 99.2 percent of those 65 and over (reflecting widespread Medicare coverage).
http://www.healthcareforallcolorado.org/index.php?p=2&ID=98&d=1

Colorado 2002 Census data Last revised: July 11, 2005

Health Care and Social Assistance - by subsector Data based on Geographic Area Series reports. Table includes only establishments of firms with payroll. Nonemployers are shown separately. Introductory text includes scope, methodology, non-sampling error, and confidentiality protection. For descriptions of column headings and rows (industries), click on the appropriate underlined element in the table.
D = Withheld to avoid disclosing data of individual companies; data are included in higher level totals
More data	NAICS code	Description	Estab- lish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees
	62	Health care & social assistance	11,629	17,499,334	7,094,913	202,409
	621	Ambulatory health care services	8,494	8,091,313	3,346,555	77,088
	622	Hospitals	85	6,582,178	2,466,650	60,496
	623	Nursing & residential care facilities	830	1,592,987	760,663	33,852
	624	Social assistance	2,220	1,232,856	521,045	30,973

Health Care and Social Assistance - by industry Data based on Geographic Area Series reports. Table includes only establishments of firms with payroll. Nonemployers are shown separately. Introductory text includes scope, methodology, non-sampling error, and confidentiality protection. For descriptions of column headings and rows (industries), click on the appropriate underlined element in the table.
D = Withheld to avoid disclosing data of individual companies; data are included in higher level totals
NAICS code	Description	Estab- lish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees
621	Ambulatory health care services	8,494	8,091,313	3,346,555	77,088
6211	Offices of physicians	2,814	3,648,790	1,770,675	26,574
621111	Offices of physicians (except mental health specialists)	2,616	3,603,105	1,751,028	26,191
621112	Offices of physicians, mental health specialists	198	45,685	19,647	383
6212	Offices of dentists	2,202	1,343,306	496,804	13,268
6213	Offices of other health practitioners	2,411	745,687	263,600	9,211
62131	Offices of chiropractors	812	204,307	59,455	2,204
62132	Offices of optometrists	327	153,694	48,937	1,716
62133	Offices of mental health practitioners (except physicians)	377	92,273	35,933	1,043
62134	Offices of physical, occupational & speech therapists, and audiol	474	196,747	81,513	3,038
621340	Offices of physical, occupational, & speech therapists and audiol	474	196,747	81,513	3,038
6213401	Speech therapists & audiologists	73	17,517	5,821	254
6213402	Physical & occupational therapists	401	179,230	75,692	2,784
62139	Offices of all other health practitioners	421	98,666	37,762	1,210
621391	Offices of podiatrists	89	39,850	16,183	431
621399	Offices of all other miscellaneous health practitioners	332	58,816	21,579	779
6214	Outpatient care centers	556	1,302,008	418,994	12,413
62141	Family planning centers	44	38,988	15,255	474
62142	Outpatient mental health & substance abuse centers	220	208,241	110,118	3,932
62149	Other outpatient care centers	292	1,054,779	293,621	8,007
621491	HMO medical centers	21	D	D	(2500-4999)
621492	Kidney dialysis centers	39	D	D	(500-999)
621493	Freestanding ambulatory surgical & emergency centers	42	D	D	(500-999)
621498	All other outpatient care centers	190	451,881	137,399	3,857
6215	Medical & diagnostic laboratories	134	368,229	101,191	2,534
621511	Medical laboratories	68	221,964	68,021	1,768
621512	Diagnostic imaging centers	66	146,265	33,170	766
6216	Home health care services	232	327,113	175,402	9,635
6219	Other ambulatory health care services	145	356,180	119,889	3,453
62191	Ambulance services	47	150,191	54,177	1,732
62199	All other ambulatory health care services	98	205,989	65,712	1,721
621991	Blood & organ banks	22	65,140	21,957	639
621999	All other miscellaneous ambulatory health care services	76	140,849	43,755	1,082
NAICS code	Description	Estab- lish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees
622	Hospitals	85	6,582,178	2,466,650	60,496
6221	General medical & surgical hospitals	70	6,206,678	2,270,668	55,668
6221101	General medical & surgical hospitals, government	30	1,672,848	706,081	17,380
6221102	General medical & surgical hospitals, except government	40	4,533,830	1,564,587	38,288
6222	Psychiatric & substance abuse hospitals	5	D	D	(1000-2499)
6222101	Psychiatric & substance abuse hospitals, government	2	D	D	(1000-2499)
6222102	Psychiatric & substance abuse hospitals, except government	3	D	D	(250-499)
6223	Specialty (except psychiatric & substance abuse) hospitals	10	D	D	(2500-4999)
6223102	Specialty (exc psychiatric & subst abuse) hospitals, exc govt	10	D	D	(2500-4999)
NAICS code	Description	Estab- lish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees
623	Nursing & residential care facilities	830	1,592,987	760,663	33,852
6231	Nursing care facilities	224	827,448	443,727	18,671
6232	Residential mental retardation/health & substance abuse facility	232	261,381	102,439	4,822
62321	Residential mental retardation facilities	151	185,320	64,699	3,097
62322	Residential mental health & substance abuse facilities	81	76,061	37,740	1,725
6233	Community care facilities for the elderly	255	370,529	147,648	7,623
623311	Continuing care retirement communities	49	182,780	76,230	3,435
623312	Homes for the elderly	206	187,749	71,418	4,188
6239	Other residential care facilities	119	133,629	66,849	2,736
NAICS code	Description	Estab- lish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees
624	Social assistance	2,220	1,232,856	521,045	30,973
6241	Individual & family services	880	582,399	226,943	11,635
62411	Child & youth services	224	134,507	51,192	2,291
62412	Services for the elderly & persons with disabilities	201	194,069	76,645	5,040
62419	Other individual & family services	455	253,823	99,106	4,304
6242	Community food & housing/emergency & other relief services	216	173,654	56,779	2,335
62421	Community food services	62	60,603	10,028	553
62422	Community housing services	127	95,150	39,661	1,503
624221	Temporary shelters	62	35,279	16,902	792
624229	Other community housing services	65	59,871	22,759	711
62423	Emergency & other relief services	27	17,901	7,090	279
6243	Vocational rehabilitation services	117	95,603	45,383	3,833
6244	Child day care services	1,007	381,200	191,940	13,170

All-sector table

Map in PDF
(new window)

Data in formats for downloading

PDF for this sector and state

1997 Economic Census

Source: 2002 Economic Census, Geographic Area Series Questions?
Last revised: July 11, 2005

IN the NEWS

Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians

Clarifications regarding HB 1192 to regulate naturopathic doctors

You may have recieved emails that are in opposition to HB 1192, a bill that we are strongly supporting and asking you to as well.
Current Colorado law, under Title 12, the Medical Practice Acts, defines which health care practitioners can practice medicine. Medical doctors, osteopathic doctors, dentists, podiatrists, physical therapists and a long list of other practitioners are granted under this law the privilege to practice their respective professions. Naturopathic doctors are not included under Title 12 and as a result are practicing medicine without a license. Thus, it is illegal for us to provide care to our patients. Because of this situation, we have pursued legislation since 1992. Our goal is to allow those trained as doctors of naturopathic medicine the legal right to practice as doctors in Colorado.
We would like to clarify certain points in the bill:
1. The bill, HB 1192, does not limit who can use natural therapies. It does not outlaw or in anyway restrict the use of homeopathic medicines, vitamins, herbs, botanical extracts or any other natural or alternative therapies. Oregon has licensed naturopathic doctors since the 1920s. The use and sale of herbs and other natural remedies is alive and thriving. There is no language in the bill intended to close down health food stores or in any way limit access to natural medicines. In fact, health food stores are specifically excluded from this bill in section 12-37.3-106, item (e).
2. Colorado law already defines who can use the title ‘doctor.’ Current law says only individuals awarded doctorate degrees from institutions accredited through the US Department of Education may use the term doctor. The bill does not change who can call themselves a doctor.
3. Under current law naturopathic doctors such as ourselves, even though we are graduates of Department of Education accredited naturopathic medical programs and have been issued licenses to practice in Oregon, and are even legally called doctors in Colorado, are at constant risk of legal prosecution under the Colorado Medical Practice Acts. The bill if passed will allow us to practice naturopathic medicine legally.
4. Representatives Labuda and McGihon, the legislators working on this bill, as well as all the other legislators, are concerned about the right of people in Colorado to make a living. Great efforts have been and continue to be made to incorporate language that guarantees protection of all practitioners.
If you are receiving these emails in opposition to HB 1192, please take a moment and ask a few simple questions. Who stands to gain from killing this bill? Who stands to profit? Does anyone benefit when a naturopathic doctor gets a ‘Cease and Desist’ order? What is the gain in holding back the practice of naturopathic medicine?
The practice of naturopathic medicine encourages the growth of both herbal medicine and health food stores. In all the states that currently regulate naturopathic medicine health food stores are thriving.
The link to HB 1192 follows. Please take a moment to read the language if you have concerns about the provisions. http://www.leg.state.co.us/...
We hope that this clarifies and reassures those who may have concerns about this bill and its effects on retail sales, other practices and the use and access to natural supplements. Please forward this email to anyone expressing concern about HB 1192.
If you have any questions about HB 1192, please contact:
DrJacobSchor1@msn.com

Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians

Naturopathic Update --- October, 2007
Dear ________, This is an update regarding the progress of the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians. We realize that though your headaches have waned, blood pressure reduced, and insomnia has receded, you really have missed our political updates over the summer and would like to barge right into politics once again! Our bill sponsor, Representative Labuda, plans to reintroduce a bill to regulate naturopathic medicine in Colorado during the 2008 session. We have confirmed that Senator Suzanne Williams will be the senate sponsor with Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon as a co-sponsor. Our doctors are working to confirm as many additional co-sponsors as possible. Members of the CANP and some of the legislators have been meeting with interested parties during the summer including representatives from the Coalition for Natural Health, Colorado Health Freedom Alliance, Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation, Vitamin Cottage, the Colorado Medical Society, and other interested groups in hopes of finding some common ground. We are awaiting the publication of the 2007 sunrise review from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. The DORA is hosting a meeting with all interested parties in October before writing the conclusion of their report. In the meantime, we would like to know who you know among the members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Politics is all about relationships, and we’d like to know about yours! Do you rub shoulders with any of the following senators? Do you have friends that have personal connections? I have included some very basic biographical information for each senator in hopes of finding some relationships. If you think you may have a connection with any of them, please contact our Legislative Chair, Rena Bloom ND (drrenabloom@msn.com) 303.337.4884. Chair: Senator Bob Hagedorn. Arapahoe County, lives in Aurora. Instructor of Public Administration & Policy, Metro State. Vice Chair: Senator Betty Boyd. Lives in Lakewood. Former non-profit manager & advocate, husband Douglas. Senator Shawn Mitchell. Adams, Weld, and Broomfield Counties. Attorney from Broomfield, wife is Yvette. Senator Scott Renfroe. Weld County. Concrete contractor from Greeley. Senator Paula Sandoval. Denver County. Member of the Hispanic Caucus. Business woman from NW Denver, husband Paul. Senator Dave Schultheis. El Paso County. Lives in Co Springs, retired real estate investor. Senator Brandon Shaffer. Boulder County. Attorney from Longmont, wife Jessica. Senator Steve Ward. Arapahoe and Jefferson counties. Business owner from Littleton. Currently serving in Iraq. Senator John Morse. El Paso Cty. Executive from Colorado Springs. Finally, the CANP is actively fundraising, as legislative costs are significant. If you would like to make a donation towards our effort, please send a check payable to the CANP to the association treasurer: Kimberly Nearpass-Pollack ND Mountain River Naturopathic Clinic PO Box 4236 Frisco, CO 80443 970.668.1300 Although the CANP is a non-profit organization, funds donated for lobbying efforts are not tax deductible. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation we can use for expenses not associated with lobbying, please contact Kimberly Nearpass-Pollack ND for details. Any amount is greatly appreciated and will help launch our 2008 effort.

Rep. Labuda appears to have a great deal of support from CoANP

Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians

{April 10, 2007}

HB 1192 is Postponed Indefinitely

Dear ___,
Representative Jeanne Labuda, the sponsor of HB 1192, the bill to regulate naturopathic medicine in Colorado, asked the House Health and Human Services committee to postpone action on the bill yesterday which effectively halts it for this session. She concluded that there was not enough time left in the current legislative session to work out the remaining details of the bill language. The committee members respected the bill sponsor's request, and voted in support of the motion. Representatives McGihon and Roberts made it very clear they voted to postpone the bill only due to the bill sponsor’s request.
Representative Labuda, with tremendous leadership support from HHS committee chair Representative McGihon, made extraordinary good faith efforts to address a complicated set of issues and concerns regarding this legislation. They worked diligently to sort through a variety of sensitive issues to find the best possible solution for Colorado alternative health care consumers and Colorado alternative health care providers. Members of the HHS committee let Representative Labuda know how much they appreciated her efforts on this complex bill.
The committee members also made it very clear that this is an important issue and the discussion must be continued to allow for future action by the General Assembly.
The CANP will be holding its annual meeting in early June. At this time we will discuss our plans for the upcoming year. We will keep you informed of our decisions and requests for continued support of our efforts.
We will also be actively raising money for the 2008 session. Before proceeding with another legislative effort, we must shore up our financial resources. We are happy to accept fundraising ideas and donations!
Throughout the summer we will be actively working with Representative Jeanne Labuda, the Department of Regulatory Agencies, the other interest groups, and the legislators who have dedicated many hours of their time to this effort already and who are committed to seeing this legislation passed.
Although we are disappointed HB 1192 did not proceed all the way through the legislative process this year, we are very pleased with the progress it has made. We will be letting you know how you can help us this summer and into next session.
Please accept our deepest gratitude for your phone calls, your letter writing, and your attendance at legislative hearings. We would not have gotten as far as we did without each and every one of you.
We thank you for your continued support and look forward to the next step in the legislative process!
Dee Koloski ND, LAc
Grassroots Chair

The terrain ~ opposing viewpoints to understand

Colorado health freedom (coalition) summit

Greetings all. I hope you are enjoying as much as I, the sense that the season is beginning to change. And what better time to meet, than a moment when we can feel change is in the air. In the 2008 legislative session, Representative Jeanne Labuda will once again be sponsoring legislation to regulate the Naturopathic profession in Colorado. I have personally met with some of you over the summer, and have exchanged emails with others of you over the past year. I have learned something from each of these interactions. Now it is time for others to be part of this dialogue. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, has generously offered to hold a meeting at their location with those of you who expressed concerns regarding HB 1192, the bill to regulate the Naturopathic Profession, that was introduced in the 2007 legislative session. This will be an opportunity to have your concerns heard by those who actually regulate all the licensed health care professions in the state of Colorado. This will be a chance for those who draft the language of potential legislation, to be aware of the various issues that are a concern to you. This may be a chance to figure something out that could work for many. The outcome of this meeting will be included in the Sunrise Review of Naturopathic Profession in Colorado. Legislators will utilize the information in this Sunrise Review created by D.O.R.A. to help them with decisions they need to make in regard to any proposed legislation to regulate a profession. Your input is highly valued, and necessary to find a political compromise, that will be inclusive of the many needs of many different concerned parties. Please forward this email on to other practitioners you may think should be included in this discussion. Your RSVP’s will be appreciated. I will be attending, and do hope to see many of you on October 4th. Sincerely, Rena Bloom ND Legislative Chair Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicianswww.coanp.org303-337-4884 Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 11:12 AM
We wanted to remind everyone of the Health Freedom Summit this coming Monday, September 10th.We hope that you will be able to attend… even if you can’t stay for the entire summit, please come and stay as long as you can!It is very important that we all work together for health freedom in Colorado. We have heard that there are going to be several bills this upcoming legislative session that will be important for those who want freedom of choice and health freedom! The speakers from Texas that are coming in to help us with this endeavor, come highly recommended and have been very successful in Texas with their Texas Health Freedom Coalition.

(Their website is www.texashealthfreedom.com)If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or call me. Thanks so much!Kimberly Sharples Colorado Health Freedom http://www.wellspringdaily.com/?p=14

United States Health Freedom
Assembly Passes Resolutions!
Twenty seven organizations working for health freedom in the United States sat in an Assembly Round October 12 and 13, and made firm plans to increase and strengthen the voice of the health freedom movement in the United States. Read More

Our Mission at NHFC:

To promote access to all health care information, services, treatments and products that the people deem beneficial for their own health, healing, well-being and survival; and to promote the health of the people of this nation.
Consumers are in jeopardy of losing access to holistic health care practitioners. Medical doctors, dentists, homeopaths, naturopaths, and alternative practitioners across the country are being harassed, investigated, and detained for their actions!
Why? Because practitioners are presenting a health care option to consumers that is different from conventional medicine and are practicing a holistic approach that involves natural substances and techniques. Because of restrictive state practitioner laws, these individuals can lose their licenses or be prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license.
Access to dietary supplements, health care products and devices is at risk. Manufacturer’s are investigated by federal agencies such as FDA and FTC or local authorities for making health claims for products that are therapeutic in nature, even when the claims are truthful and not misleading. This censorship must stop.
Global guidelines and trade agreements are being passed that will impact our access to many products that we appreciate and depend on for maintaining our health.
National Health Freedom Coalition works to protect the right of all people to access their favorite health care practitioners and health care products, as well as to protect the right to access many other healing arts services that really resonate with people’s path to wellness!

NHFC’s annual Conference for Health Freedom Leaders and Activists brings health freedom activists together from across the country for advocacy training and building strong health freedom alliances.
NHFC hosted the first World Health Freedom Assembly on September 29, 2006, bringing together health freedom leaders from around the globe to meet in a formal Round, to discuss common health freedom concerns. The Assembly created and adopted an International Declaration of Health Freedom. It will continue to independently meet and contribute to global policy.
NHFC attended Codex meeting in Geneva Switzerland, July 2004, and Rome, Italy, in July of 2005, and provides educational memorandums and power point presentations on International health freedom issues.
NHFC responds daily to calls and emails from state, national, and international health freedom leaders, giving out educational materials and documents that can use at hearings, drafting new documents and helping with strategic planning.
NHFC testifies at hearings and public policy meetings and provide public speaking presentations on health freedom.
NHFC and NHFA manages an extensive website of health freedom information, teaching people basic principles of health freedom and alerting people to actions being taken. (See www.nationalhealthfreedom.org)
NHFC works together with our sister organization, National Health Freedom Action (NHFA), a lobbying group providing assistance to state health freedom groups. NHFA assists them in passing proactive health freedom legislation that will ensure the rights of holistic healers to offer their services.

What can you do to help? You can join us in our efforts! You can become a health freedom activist and participate in our annual conference or in your own state health freedom movement.
You can help support the work of NHFC or NHFA with financial contributions that make it possible for us to hire staff and cover expenses needed as we work to preserve our health freedoms. For example, NHFC encourages individuals and groups to participate in the Clark Research Association matching grant by pledging monthly gifts to support health freedom work. You really can make a difference!
We cannot do this without doing it together. We need your help. Please join us by providing your financial support.
Each person’s health journey is unique. Each of us has the right to investigate every possible health choice when making decisions about our health. NHFC is a leading voice in mobilizing our country and the world to create solid solutions ensuring access to all of the healing arts. Together, we can make that happen. I thank you in advance for considering our request.
http://www.nationalhealthfreedom.org/CoalitionHhomepage.html

ANMA - American Naturopathic Medical Association
Recommends you write a letter to you congressman addressing the following points
http://www.anma.com/index.html
SAMPLE LETTER:
The following is a guideline for a letter, email, fax or phone call to your Representative:
Date:
The Honorable (Name)
State of (State name) (District #)
(Possible street address)
(City), (State) (ZIP)
Re: (H.R./S Bill #)
Dear (Representative):
My name is (Name) and I live in (Dist #) in the State of (Name). I am writing to urge you to vote (Yes/No) on H.R./S Bill (#).
This bill would ....Explain how this bill will affect your life and practice such as any of the following thoughts:

My practice involves educating my clients on the use of natural therapies, including but not limited to fresh air, clean water, good diet and exercise to attain a healthier body.
I do not diagnose or treat disease and I represent the majority of practicing Naturopaths.
Naturopaths, Naturopathic Doctors, or Naturopathic Physicians should not diagnose, dispense drugs, or perform surgery as set out in the legislation in question.
Naturopaths, Naturopathic Doctors, or Naturopathic Physicians simply do not have the experience or education required for diagnosing, dispensing drugs or performing surgery’s.
It is in the public interest to protect the public from the group seeking this "Medical" scope of practice.
(Bill #) would take away my right to practice natural healthcare and prevent me from earning a living.

Thank you for considering a (Yes/no) vote on (Bill #).
Sincerely, (or any salutation you want here)
(Signature)
Your name and address
http://www.anma.com/writingyourrepresentative.html