AA and OTC

[Guest guest]

Yeah, I'm with Todd on this too.

 

The AAOM is putting together a statement which should be approved for

press today or tomorrow... it may reflect some of these ideals. In

either case, I'll be uploading any professional consensus to the AA

pages at acupuncture.com. If Todd and Z'ev would like to send me

something along these lines, I'd be happy to attach all these statements

to the main article.

 

Will, that includes you too.

 

-al.

 

wrote:

>

> No, I agree wholehearted with Todd.

> While I do believe there are a limited number of herbal products that can be

> safely offered to the public, a majority of Chinese herbal medicines should

> be, in my opinion, prescription only from a licensed practitioner. We

> should set out to draft a profession-wide policy statement and encourage

> input of schools, organizations and practitioners, to come up with an

> 'over-the-counter' and prescription-only list of herbal products, so that we

> are regulating ourselves. Otherwise, the AA business is just the beginning

> of what we will face.

>

>

>

> on 1/22/01 10:24 AM, Will at will wrote:

>

> ....are you suggesting that the whole patent industry in China and the

> > over the counter drug trade in this country is unethical? And the natural

> > health industry is subject to a differing set of ethics than standard care

in

> > China or the US where physicians frequently recommend OTC for conditions,

> > patients self-prescribe, and store personnel provide information?

> >

> > I disagree, I support my patients educating themselves and function as a

guide

> > and teacher in their process of self empowerment and provide service when it

> > is beyond their skills. The situation can easily reverse into an ethic of

> > territorial imperitive.

> >

> > Will

> >

> > <<when a product is called alleraid or digestease or livercleanse, it is

> > suggested to the consumer that they can safely self medicate for the

> > implied uses. this leads to a few problems. It runs a high risk that

> > consumers will injur themselves with incorrect medications. these

> > injuries reflect poorly on the professional practice of chinese

> > herbology. It is lose-lose situation for professional practitioners.

> > Our professional practice is reduced in importance and equated with the

> > advice of healthfood store clerks and we are nevertheless blamed for

> > every adverse effect casued by this usage. Thus we should not support

> > the legislative activities of such companies. There is much greater

> > potential for sales revenues by these companies if they subtly induce

> > consumers to save money on " unnecessary " office visits and instead

> > purchase medicine without consultation.

> >

> > A very high number of patients in my practice are experiencing

> > iatrogenic effects of self medication with herbs and dietary regimens

> > based upon the advice of people who are neither trained nor licensed to

> > practice medicine. Every few months, a scare is raised about

> > professionals losing their right to pescribe certain substances, but

> > these are typically no more than thinly veiled attempts by

> > manufacturers and their allies to preserve their unfettered access to

> > gullible laypeople. The risk in this tactic is that consumers will

> > inevitably be injured by this tactic and then we will truly experience

> > professional repercussions. I don't buy the slippery slope theory that

> > by allowing reasonable regulation, we will lose access entirely. By

> > supporting reasonable public safety legislation, we will actually

> > enhance our professional credibility and portect our longterm

> > interests.>>

>

> Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare

practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in

Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including

board approved online continuing education.

>

>

 

--

Al Stone L.Ac.

<AlStone

http://www.BeyondWellBeing.com

 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

 

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