NC bill threatens to criminalize naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, midwives.....

[Unbreakable]

NC bill threatens to criminalize naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, midwives, aromatherapists as FELONS.


(NaturalNews) Alternative health practitioners in North Carolina (NC) and their patients need your help to defeat a stealth bill that flew under the radar of most everyone in the natural health community. Senate Bill 31, which clarifies the penalties for the "unauthorized practice of medicine," essentially criminalizes the practice of unlicensed forms of medicine, which includes the work of many naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, aromatherapists, and even some midwives in the state. The bill was adopted by a judiciary committee in early March, and it recently passed the NC Senate. Now, the NC House is set to vote on the bill tonight, and unless NC governor Bev Perdue vetoes it, the practice of natural medicine for many in NC may soon become a more severe criminal offense.

SB 31 states that anyone who practices medicine or surgery without having been first "licensed and registered to do so" will be guilty of a Class I felony. Class I felonies in NC are the least severe kinds of felonies, but they do include things like burning crosses on private or public property, and sexually exploiting children. So if passed, SB 31 will essentially make those who practice alternative medicine without an official, state-sanctioned license and permit, criminals of the likes of sexual predators and cross burners.

You can read the short bill for yourself at the following link:
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/...

Proponents of the bill say it fixes a loophole in the current law that classifies out-of-state practitioners who practice without a license as Class I felons, while in-state practitioners who practice without a license are only guilty of a Class I misdemeanor. But what the bill actually appears to do is make it even harder for alternative practitioners who literally cannot be licensed in NC because their work is not "approved," to practice at all. After all, who is going to be willing to provide alternative medical services for consenting patients when doing so makes them a felon?

SB 31 is really just another way to target alternative practitioners and reign in the practice of medicine to only that which has been approved by the government overlords. And the timeline for defeating this bill is very short. Alternative practitioners in NC, and those who safely and successfully use their services, need your help now to successfully defeat this bill.

Citizens for Healthcare Freedom (CHF), a nonprofit health freedom organization in NC, says the bill is "not in the interest of the citizens of North Carolina" because it affects many alternative practitioners who will be put out of business if it passes. The vast majority of these practitioners have been practicing for years, and they have helped thousands of patients over the years using methods not officially sanctioned by state medical boards (http://www.ncchf.org/2011/03/29/opp...).

The NC House is set to debate and vote on SB 31 at 7:00 pm tonight. And whether or not you live in NC, this bill contributes to setting a precedent of intolerance for natural and alternative medicine, so it is important to oppose it regardless of whether or not you live in NC.

You can reach the NC House to oppose the bill by calling (919) 733-7928.

You can reach Governor Bev Perdue's Washington DC office to oppose the bill by calling (202) 624-5833.

Remember, when contacting government officials to express your thoughts, always be respectful, but firm in your discourse. Clearly and succinctly express opposition to SB 31 on the grounds that it further erodes health freedom in NC by criminalizing those who practice alternative medicine. Also, urge support for the CHF Consumer Health Freedom Act, which establishes the freedom to practice alternative medicine without criminal penalty (http://www.ncchf.org/2011/03/29/opp...).

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031953_medical_practice_licensing.html#ixzz1IaoTUvuq

 

[Hammilton]

Homeopathy should be banned. It's absolute fucking nonscientific nonsense. Aromatherapy seems less problematic, but I'm really not sure what's entailed in naturopathy and herbalism. Herbalism could probably be a really great practice, but I fear it's rooted in nonsense symbolism.

Is this really to ban these things or to ban retarded religious treatments? I know something like this has been proposed in many states after someone in my state decided to cure their diabetic child with prayer...

 

[|>R()|)!G/-\|_]

Does this include things like Oriental Medicine or acupuncture?

 

[Khadijah]

this means that doulas, birth assistants that are like a 'birth coach', which aint licensed
(no licensing for them exists
0 woulfd be iillegal too.....awful...more later gtg now.

 

[PwnX]

Good. They are basically thieves and fraudsters, taking money away from innocent people in exchange for false hope and quackery.

 

[Khadijah]

MIDWIVES are 'fraudsters'? lol.

 

[Herbal~Jah]

Homepathy really is just nonsense.. Most those homeopathic remedies you find in little 'tinctures' are just water with food coloring in them..

 

[Mora Fiend]

I am pretty sure acupuncture is recognized as having medicinal benefits, I know my pain management doctor has suggested it to me before but I refused.

 

[DJ 303]

fantastic news.

No-one should be practising "alternative medicine", or claiming their psuedo-scientific nonsense in order to take money from people who are genuinely sick.
People seeking medical attention, physically or mentally, should have the right to proven and trusted pharmacology or psychiatric treatment, without misplacing their trust in non-qualified idiots, pedalling their particular branch of new-age nonsense, in order to make a quick buck from other people's misfortune.

And whilst I'm at it, why is it ok for non-certified "spiritual" healers and "psychics" to even exist unchallenged. Isn't it just fundamentally sick?
Some lying old fraud pretending that she is in contact with the "other side", or that she can heal people's "aura" or some such nonsense. The people that resort to going to these people are in serious mental distress, and they need professional cognitive proven methods of emotional support.

I went to America once. just once. with my ex-girlfriend.
Half way through the holiday she was suffering from a major migrane.
Instead of being referred to a physician, she was advised to go and try homeopathy and aromatherapy as the doctor said it was down to stress.
bollocks.
as soon as we got home to England, the professional and qualified folk at the clinic immeadiately gave her an MRI and discovered she had an abcess in her gums that was causing such physical pain that it was impossible to locate the exact position.
within an hour, the tooth was removed, she was given proper codeine based pain killers and a course of antibiotics, she was fine within 24 hours.

Fucking frauds.

And my last point, as i gnash my teeth, can we just think about the phrase "alternative medicine" for a minute??????

"Alternative medicine" is a term that, by definition, refers to medical practises that have either....
- NOT been proved to work or
-HAVE been proved not to work

DO you know what they call alternative medicine that is proven to work???

****Medicine*****


sheesh


Well done North Carolina, it's about time someone stopped this nonsense as it does more harm than good.

 

[Z Y G G Y]

MIDWIVES are 'fraudsters'? lol.

lol

doulas are pretty much non-existent anyways, in the US at least, where what less than 1% are home births and over 25% ends with a C-section.

now if you want a home birth in NC you better help yourself or else, who ever helps you will be a felon. Hospital or in the woods alone.

alternative medicine I don't care much about

just wonder how much home birthing will be affected

but I really don't know enough about it...just watched the movie about home vs hospital births

 

[Z Y G G Y]

quote from a website:

I am a Licensed Homeopath and I see nothing wrong with this bill. Getting rid of the people who read a book online and now call themselves a Homeopath with no education or even basic knowledge of Homeopathy will help increase awareness & positive outcomes through a higher percentage of successes, because the treating Homeopath has actually proven themselves through education and credentials. How can one be opposed to getting rid of the uneducated and unproven people that are ruining this industry and giving us a bad name?

And another one:

Long story short - I emailed all senate members and every single person in the house. Heard back personally from the sponsor of the bill, along with others. What this website has stated about what this bill is doing is not exactly correct. Some bill, but not this one, already makes it a misdemeanor for an alternative practitioner to practice, and this bill is only targeting folks who want to put MD after their name or prescribe medicine without a license. This came from the sponsor himself. He made it clear to me that he has no intention to start a "witchhunt," only to make those who are "posing," by doing specifically what I just said, have to stop. I am a writer, and wrote a pretty powerful email about how something that limits natural healing would also affect the families of our people in positions of power. I encourage each of you who have taken an interest in this subject and have posted here today, to call your senators and members of the House and speak to them about this. Ask direct questions as I did. Only then will you know if everything you see on a website or written on the internet is 100% accurate. I think we need to be wary and on alert, because there are people who want to take our freedoms away, but you have to have your facts straight before sitting down to the table. I was satisfied that right now, this bill does not get into "scope of practices." They could have been lying, but I doubt it.

 

[DJ 303]

but I really don't know enough about it...just watched the movie about home vs hospital births

nuff said

 

[Kenickie]

lol

doulas are pretty much non-existent anyways, in the US at least, where what less than 1% are home births and over 25% ends with a C-section.

now if you want a home birth in NC you better help yourself or else, who ever helps you will be a felon. Hospital or in the woods alone.

alternative medicine I don't care much about

just wonder how much home birthing will be affected

but I really don't know enough about it...just watched the movie about home vs hospital births

*waves hands furiouly*

doula! right here! i was born at home, as were all my sisters, as was my mother and all her brothers and sisters! i refuse to get into this debate, but i seriously resent your characterization of those who chose to give birth the same way women have done for thousands of years vs the hospital.

the title of this thread is misleading. or maybe this bill is misleading. i had to be certified through DONA international, and midwives have to register and be certified with with MANA. now, does this bill make ALL midwives illegal since you aren't a doctor but you're still registered with an official org? because if that's the case, then acupuncturists, chiropractors, midwives and doulas will all be criminals. even though they are all things you have to go to school for, pass exams for, have internships for, and get insurance for.

fuckery.

 

[Khadijah]

ZYGGY, theres lots of doulas in the US. Doulas aint just women who are only present at home births or non hospital births. Lots of doulas work in hospitals too. A doula can be at a home birth, a birthing center birth, a hospital birth, you name it. Her purpose is to offer support, encouragement, assistance, and generally be there as a birth 'coach' but without the instruction-type stuff that 'coach' makes you think of. Shes basically there to be a supportive, empathetic presence who is more or less involved depending on each woman and wat she wants. A doula is like a cheerleader, guide, mother/sister/friend, and assistant all in one and any birth can be helped by a doulas involvement.

Matter fact, some hospitals require you to have a doula present if you want to do certain things during the birth like use a birthing pool or tub.


Anyways, I can only say L-O-Fucking-L to the people who think that criminalizing some of this shit is "supar great!!! yayy!"

some of the people who do the shit named in this bill, yea they are fuckin quacks who take advantage of people.

But one posters description of "alternative medicine" as "things that havent been proven to work or have been proved not to work" is just laughable.

Acupuncture, for example, has many, many research studies done that prove its effectiveness, over and over. Thats one example. "alternative medicine" is NOT all just bullshit.

It makes me laugh that people here think anything without the FDA stamp of approval must be bullshit. Come on yall, how many times have you read on here about some ass backwards head up the ass shit the FDA has decided on? They are so, so, so in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industries--dont you think that has a LITTLE somethin to do with their "dont want nothing to do with it, dont approve of it" position on non-pharmaceutical types of medicine and treatments? If there was as many lobbyists, politicians, and other influential people involved with 'alternative' and natural medicine as there is with the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, if there was as much money in it for them, the FDA would be fallin all over themselves to regulate and approve supplements, herbs, and all that type of shit--whether it worked or not. just like they do for pharmaceutical drugs.

Acting like whether or not somethin is FDA approved or not is an honest evaluation of its effectiveness or worthiness is hilarious. We all know the FDA is far from truthful, righteous, or havin the publics best interest in mind. They do all type of shady shit, approve and promote pharm. drugs that are known to either be useless, ineffective, or actually harmful, allow corporations to dictate their safety standards, and I could go on for days about the less than honest, far from reliable, and straight up wrong shit they do. I for one dont trust them, so why anybody would act like they are the bottom line when it comes to whether or not a drug , supplement or treatment is good or not, is way beyond me.

I aint gonna get all into it now, since I gotta go in a minute, but just to get back to my original posts....If you think that midwives and doulas are in the same category as people who claim to be "healers" and wave their hands over your head to "cure you of hepatitis" or some shit like that, you are so confused that calling it "ignorance" would be generous.

 

[Tardvark]

I live in South Eastern North Carolina, and to the people worrying about midwives? There are only a handful in this state anyways. My wife and I looked into midwives while she was pregnant, but ended up going to the hospital as she had pre-eclampsia or however you spell it, and almost certainly would have died if not for the team of TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS that stood by us for her 3 days of labor, not knocking doulas or midwives, they serve their purpose of mental support and extra hands, but they dont have access to oxytocin or epidurals. That being said... I suffered from terrible headaches through most of my life and acupuncture and opiates were about the only 2 things I could find to help the pain, thankfully they went away. Homeopathic-wise the only experience I have is Humphreys teething tablets and strips that I tried giving my son but they have no more effect than dipping his pacifier into a sweet drink. I do not however believe that the people practicing alternative medicines should be charged as felons. They should be required to inform their patients that their care techniques have not been FDA approved or proven scientifically and may or may not work if they are not already required to do so, so that the patient may make their own informed decision for their care. I am sure that I am not the only one that is sick of the government deciding what is best for me and the rest of the country when everyone has their own different wants and needs. If someone has terminal cancer and they want to try and cure it with scented candles that is their decision not Gov. Perdue's.

 

[Mora Fiend]

If someone has terminal cancer and they want to try and cure it with scented candles that is their decision not Gov. Perdue's.

Amen brother.

 

[Khadijah]

if not for the team of TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS that stood by us for her 3 days of labor, not knocking doulas or midwives, they serve their purpose of mental support and extra hands, but they dont have access to oxytocin or epidurals.

actually, they do. many midwives practice in hospitals. and they can give pitocin and stadol/nubain as well when practicing outside hospitals. when IN a hospital, they have access to anything that any doctor would. The team of anasthesiologists, surgeons, aides, nurses, and all that are right there available if needed. The thing is, they frequently aint needed in a midwife delivery because the techniques that midwives use are more effective, efficient, and work in tune with the way a womans body naturally functions, so that many times all those things aint necessary.

however neither an epidural or pitocin is somethin that will save a womans life, so its really not all that relevant to mention it as something thats important to have, safety-wise.

While you cant get around the fact that there are some situations and conditions that pretty much require an OB and hospital birth with lots of doctors on hand like preeclampsia, placenta previa, and other shit like that, there are relatively few things that a midwife cant handle in the big scheme of things.

A breech baby, a cord around the neck, a large baby, things like that midwives are very capable of handling and delivering the baby safely. Its not like a midwife is only a person who can handle a routine, totally normal, uncomplicated in any way pregnancy/delivery.

By the way, midwives ARE trained medical professionals. some are less certified than others, but there are many levels of certifications for midwives, you cant just decide thats wat you want to be and just do it. You can be a certified nurse-midwife for example, and then you got all the qualifications of a nurse plus education on childbirth, etc. Thats one very qualified professional, and its fair to say that a CNM has more knowledge of how to deliver a baby than your average doctor who went to medical school (but didnt specialize as an OB.)

As a midwife, you may not have an MD but there is a tonnnn of training that the majority of midwives go thru and they are far, farrrrrr away from anywhere near people who are ''aromatherapists'' or ''homeopaths".grouping them in together is insane.

 

[Tardvark]

actually, they do. many midwives practice in hospitals. and they can give pitocin and stadol/nubain as well when practicing outside hospitals. when IN a hospital, they have access to anything that any doctor would. The team of anasthesiologists, surgeons, aides, nurses, and all that are right there available if needed. The thing is, they frequently aint needed in a midwife delivery because the techniques that midwives use are more effective, efficient, and work in tune with the way a womans body naturally functions, so that many times all those things aint necessary.

however neither an epidural or pitocin is somethin that will save a womans life, so its really not all that relevant to mention it as something thats important to have, safety-wise.

While you cant get around the fact that there are some situations and conditions that pretty much require an OB and hospital birth with lots of doctors on hand like preeclampsia, placenta previa, and other shit like that, there are relatively few things that a midwife cant handle in the big scheme of things.

A breech baby, a cord around the neck, a large baby, things like that midwives are very capable of handling and delivering the baby safely. Its not like a midwife is only a person who can handle a routine, totally normal, uncomplicated in any way pregnancy/delivery.

By the way, midwives ARE trained medical professionals. some are less certified than others, but there are many levels of certifications for midwives, you cant just decide thats wat you want to be and just do it. You can be a certified nurse-midwife for example, and then you got all the qualifications of a nurse plus education on childbirth, etc. Thats one very qualified professional, and its fair to say that a CNM has more knowledge of how to deliver a baby than your average doctor who went to medical school (but didnt specialize as an OB.)

As a midwife, you may not have an MD but there is a tonnnn of training that the majority of midwives go thru and they are far, farrrrrr away from anywhere near people who are ''aromatherapists'' or ''homeopaths".grouping them in together is insane.

In my town there is only one midwife, so I have never seen one in action, and it should be obvious only thing im qualified for medically is taking pills and putting band-aids on, I was just extremely impressed with the doctors at our hospital. I am 99% sure seeing as how the human race still exists that midwifes are more than capable of delivering a baby under the most difficult of circumstances, The only reason I grouped them in the same post, let alone same web site,with homeopaths and aromatherapists was that the idiot government that runs this state grouped them together so they must all be addressed simultaneously. I agree with you 100% that they should not be piled into a bill with smellicine and people that treat diseases with things that cause the same symptoms of the afflicting disease(if I am even correctly understanding homeopathy). If we had known that we could have had a midwife at the hospital we probably would have, but along with many many other things, we were not informed of that possibility, and as I said there is only one in our area and she stays very very busy, which I suppose is a testament to her skills. my wife went in for a pre-natal check up and they took her blood pressure and said meet us at the hospital at 9 tonight we are going to start inducing and that was that.

 

[DJ 303]

ZYGGY, theres lots of doulas in the US. Doulas aint just women who are only present at home births or non hospital births. Lots of doulas work in hospitals too. A doula can be at a home birth, a birthing center birth, a hospital birth, you name it. Her purpose is to offer support, encouragement, assistance, and generally be there as a birth 'coach' but without the instruction-type stuff that 'coach' makes you think of. Shes basically there to be a supportive, empathetic presence who is more or less involved depending on each woman and wat she wants. A doula is like a cheerleader, guide, mother/sister/friend, and assistant all in one and any birth can be helped by a doulas involvement.

Matter fact, some hospitals require you to have a doula present if you want to do certain things during the birth like use a birthing pool or tub.


Anyways, I can only say L-O-Fucking-L to the people who think that criminalizing some of this shit is "supar great!!! yayy!"

some of the people who do the shit named in this bill, yea they are fuckin quacks who take advantage of people.

But one posters description of "alternative medicine" as "things that havent been proven to work or have been proved not to work" is just laughable.

Acupuncture, for example, has many, many research studies done that prove its effectiveness, over and over. Thats one example. "alternative medicine" is NOT all just bullshit.

It makes me laugh that people here think anything without the FDA stamp of approval must be bullshit. Come on yall, how many times have you read on here about some ass backwards head up the ass shit the FDA has decided on? They are so, so, so in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industries--dont you think that has a LITTLE somethin to do with their "dont want nothing to do with it, dont approve of it" position on non-pharmaceutical types of medicine and treatments? If there was as many lobbyists, politicians, and other influential people involved with 'alternative' and natural medicine as there is with the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, if there was as much money in it for them, the FDA would be fallin all over themselves to regulate and approve supplements, herbs, and all that type of shit--whether it worked or not. just like they do for pharmaceutical drugs.

Acting like whether or not somethin is FDA approved or not is an honest evaluation of its effectiveness or worthiness is hilarious. We all know the FDA is far from truthful, righteous, or havin the publics best interest in mind. They do all type of shady shit, approve and promote pharm. drugs that are known to either be useless, ineffective, or actually harmful, allow corporations to dictate their safety standards, and I could go on for days about the less than honest, far from reliable, and straight up wrong shit they do. I for one dont trust them, so why anybody would act like they are the bottom line when it comes to whether or not a drug , supplement or treatment is good or not, is way beyond me.

I aint gonna get all into it now, since I gotta go in a minute, but just to get back to my original posts....If you think that midwives and doulas are in the same category as people who claim to be "healers" and wave their hands over your head to "cure you of hepatitis" or some shit like that, you are so confused that calling it "ignorance" would be generous.

ahh well.

i come from england you see.
we don't subscribe to your system.
healthcare is free for all, and medicine is often goverment sponsered.

we dont have an fda, and it would be of no use for doctors to prescribe meds or use techniques that had no viable evidence of their effectiveness, because it would only result in the governments expense as patients would have to come back and get more free treatment.

I never once eluded to midwifes or doula's being included with the psuedo-spiritualists either.

I was merely making the point that the medical service should have the patients best interests at heart, giving the best possible remedies that are tried and tested. i consider it taking advantage of the sick to promote homeopathy or things like that, so these people ought to get viable certification for the validity of their practise.

of course midwifes and acupuncturists will be able to gain certification provided they have had sufficient training, as they offer a viable and valuable service. somebody trained and experienced in childbirth is not someone practising "alternative medicine".

acupuncture is also practised by licensed doctors in hospitals so that is considered a viable medical technique.

you inform me that even your government approved medical system is shit and not to be trusted. too bad. that sucks.im glad i dont live their. but surely it can't be ALL a waste of time. If someone has to prove they are qualified or that they offer a genuine cure that is not harmful or entirely useless, this cant be a bad thing.
If your "fda" is really that shite, then surely youd have to be a real fucking fraud not to get licensed.

 

[Tardvark]

you inform me that even your government approved medical system is shit and not to be trusted. too bad. that sucks.



Medical system is shit? pretty much whole government is shit and never ever to be trusted. It sucks hard.