remedy for: Deletion of Natural Remedies from Pharmacology...

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Phil, for your comments. Your acknowledgement only adds to my evidence

that foreigners tend to see the problems in America more clearly than Americans

themselves. 80% of the comments I received from readers of:

 

>For a sobering read, see Roger Wicke's " The Dumbing Down of

>American Education: Implications for Herbal Education " , Herbalist

>Review, Issue 2003 #4, at:

>http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2003-4.html

 

were from foreigners. I've proposed specific solutions to this problem. Again,

it is often foreigners who offer the most positive feedback and suggestions.

 

I'm not a person who likes to whine about problems without proposing solutions

and remedies. I've written a number of lengthy articles on the subject of

improving the quality and integrity of herbal training, while at the same time

avoiding those pitfalls that allow treasonous elements to subvert herbal

medicine for their own profit and political power. (Links to these articles are

included at the end of my comments.) While there are many well-meaning,

alternative-leaning medical doctors, the medical profession as a political

force, in cooperation with the pharmaceutical cartels, has done everything in

its power to ridicule herbal medicine, and then, finally, when this attempt has

utterly failed, they want to re-absorb it into their domain once more. It is no

accident that in the early days of alternative health - 1960's to 1980's, that

many so-called alternative medical organizations would bend over backwards to

give lip-service to every New Age alternative that came along, ***except*** for

herbal medicine. Even up to just a few years, ago, I remember seeing medically

sponsored websites that had links pages to alternative health resources: Reiki,

past-life regression, aromatherapy, prayer and positive thinking, etc,

***except*** for herbal medicine, which was conspicious for its absence from the

list. My own pet theory is that the medicos thought they would be able to fend

off the inevitable flood of interest in herbs for a few more years by

distracting people with fluff, especially the New Age stuff that they perceived

to be relatively harmless and not in competition with their services. Herbal

medicine has always been a threat to the pharmaceutical interests, which is why

they worked so hard to actually ***ban*** it from the curriculum at medical

colleges (Flexner Commission of 1908).

 

The biggest problem I see facing TCM herbology is that it is currently a

stepchild of other groups, completely unlike its former traditional status in

China.

On one side, the acupuncturists and accredited TCM colleges want to keep control

of it, at the same time that many of the acupuncture schools teach it almost as

an afterthought. The American Herbalist Guild (AHG) has correctly seen that

there is a demand by both the public and by TCM herbalists themselves to be

recognized and certified based solely on their competence as TCM herbalists, not

as acupuncturists, violinists, or as western-style biomedically oriented

herbalists. However, the AHG is very heavily dominated by biomedically oriented

herbalists. I've attempted to stir up interest among them regarding TCM

herbology, as I feel that the diagnostic aspects would provide the missing

element in their system. Many western herbalists correctly recognize that they

lack diagnostic skills and are helplessly dependent on a medical diagnosis that

has been provided by other practitioners. However, most of them remain

stubbornly resistant to ideas of a TCM nature. Consequently, I do not feel that

the AHG currently has the perspective nor the foresight to create an appropriate

certification system for TCM herbology.

 

The other TCM Herbology certification organization, the NCCAOM, is heavily

dominated by acupuncturists. The NCCA, predecessor organization for the NCCAOM,

has publicly stated that acupuncture and herbology represent distinct and

independent bodies of knowledge:

 

The legal standards set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court and the EEO Act

require that

certification be related to the skills and knowledge necessary to

practice

the profession which is being certified. As stated by the National

Commission

for Certifying Agencies, which certified the NCCA, the mechanism used to

evaluate individual competence is objective, fair and based on the

knowledge

and skills needed to function in the profession.

 

... Within our profession, the NCCA could not require licensure in or a

detailed

knowledge of acupuncture as a prerequisite to certification in herbal

practice

when the research consistently indicated that detailed knowledge of

acupuncture-point location, angle and insertion of needles, point

functions,

clean needle technique, etc. - is not necessary to practice Chinese

herbology

competently.

 

Yet in spite of this statement (1992), the current NCCAOM, successor

organization to NCCA, only allows graduates of TCM colleges (de facto

acupuncture schools) to sit for the Chinese Herbology exam. This would seem to

be to be a direct violation of their own stated policy of 1992, and might even

be in violation of the laws and standards set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

In any case, I am not interested in trying to convince the NCCAOM of the error

of their ways. What I am proposing would involve a voluntary certification

system for TCM herbalists that would have the following characteristics:

 

1. Supports Health Freedom Acts worldwide and opposes licensure

for herbalists;

* (Reason: The public is overwhelmingly supportive of this type

of legislation to protect their right to choose health care

options; see Stephen Buhner's article extensively documenting how

licensure almost always tends to establish professional

monopolies, increase health-care costs, and limit public

health-care options.)

 

2. Creates a voluntary certification that would represent a

standard of quality above that of the NCCAOM;

* (Reason: It is essential that certification be voluntary;

mandatory certification can only be created by licensure statutes

- see (1) above. This is the only way to avoid professional

monopolies and to protect the public's right to choose.)

 

3. Would not discriminate against non-acupuncturists;

* (Reason: There is no logical reason why an herbalist needs to

know acupuncture to practice effectively.)

 

4. Would recognize the educational background of herbalists who

have learned by a combination of apprenticeship and private

study, as these have always been effective methods of training,

including in ancient China;

* (Reason: Monopolies created either by licensure or mandatory

school accreditation ultimately have the same effect - destroying

valid options. School accreditation has been used in the U.S. as

a major tool of " dumbing down " the population.)

 

5. Would support the rights of indigenous peoples around the

world to carry on their native health care traditions without

government interference;

* (Reason: The rights of herbalists and of native peoples

worldwide are under assault by the pharmaceutical cartels and

government agencies under their domination - FDA, Codex

Alimentarius, etc. International coalitions of herbalists to

help protect all of our rights are an effective means of

countering such assaults.)

 

6. Would serve as a watchdog organization that reported any

attempts by nations or professional groups to violate the

preceding rights;

* (Reason: The Internet is a potent and cost-effective tool of

the less powerful against the international megacorporations.

Using the Internet as a means for publicizing such violation of

rights will leverage the effectiveness of the certification

organization.)

 

7. All the preceding conditions should be clearly stated in its

organizational charter or founding document.

* (Reason: Any organization can be infiltrated by saboteurs and

change agents; clear and unambigious statements of the

organization's purpose will help inhibit such subversion from

within.)

 

 

Comments? Suggestions?

 

I suggest that lack of action on this matter will only allow the practice of TCM

herbology to further deteriorate and to be divided up by political forces who

have their own agendas.

 

Here is a list of articles exploring various aspects of the problem, and provide

essential background material for the above proposal:

 

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2004-2.html

Why TCM Herbology needs to become an independent profession, separate

from acupuncture

 

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2003-4.html

The Dumbing Down of American Education: Implications for Herbal

Education

 

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2003-2.html

Orwellian schemes for maximizing health-care industry profits

- How these endanger the practice of herbal medicine

 

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2003-1.html

State Health Freedom Acts - A Growing Trend

[The public strongly supports the right to choose health care options, and only

voluntary certification options are compatible with this growing trend. Lobbying

by professional groups for exclusive monopoly licensure are increasingly viewed

by the public as self-serving attempts having little to do with health care

access and quality, but much to do with protecting economic turf. Ten years ago,

the Montana Acupuncturists' attempts to include herbology within their scope of

practice, when most of them had little or no training in herbology, is a

disgraceful example of this, that the public is beginning to react to with

outrage.]

 

 

---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist

contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/

Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA

Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org

 

 

 

> " " <

>Deletion of Natural Remedies from Pharmacology Courses

>

>Hi all,

>

>I am passing a copy of this to VBMA and the Irish Vet Assoc List.

>

>For a sobering read, see Roger Wicke's " The Dumbing Down of

>American Education: Implications for Herbal Education " , Herbalist

>Review, Issue 2003 #4, at:

>http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2003-4.html

>

>I believe that Roger is correct. See the full article! It is right on

>target and is a bit depressing because it is so true.

>

>What Roger says there also applies to other countries also, and to

>the pharmacology course taught to veterinarians. Here is one hard-

>hitting extract:

>

>> The medical college accrediting & funding agencies ... demanded

>> that the practical core courses of botany, phytochemistry &

>> clinical herbalism be removed from the curriculum so as to make

>> doctors dependent on the synthetic chemical industry. Their

>> academic, social, and financial status was improved to distract

>> them from their new status as servants of the pharmaceutical

>> companies.

>

>When I was in the UCD Vet School (1959-1964), the Pharmacology

>course included many old and simple natural remedies, based on

>common plants and minerals: Nux Vom, Amon Carb, Pulv

>Zingiberis, Pot Permang, Gentian, Glycerin, Squill, Tinct of

>Chloroform & Morphine Co., etc.

>

>Colleague Maurice O'Reilly, a classmate in UCD Vet School, wrote

>to the Irish Vet List in July 2002 [apologies for the plagiarism,

>Maurice!]:

>

>> Having read Professor Kealy's notes on old remedies brought back

>> memories of another age. In the late sixties I was in general

>> practice ... and was acompanied on a post-mortem examination by a

>> senior (in many ways) District Veterinary Officer, a Scot by the

>> name of John MacMennenaway, known and revered if not feared, as

>> " Mac " . Anyhow I was driving a VW Beetle at the time. Beneath the

>> front bonnett I had all my array of the latest veterinary drugs

>> laid out with some care. Mac was absolutely mesmerized by the

>> display..

>>

>> " Laddie " , he said, " when I was a young vet we only had TWO drugs in

>> our dispensary- Ginger and Gentian. If the cow was sick we

>> prescribed Ginger. If she was very sick we gave her Gentian and if

>> that didn't work we gave her Ginger and Gentian " .

>>

>> I have often thought about his remarks when we complain about the

>> loss of some of our favourite products that are no longer

>> available. Rgds to all Maurice

>

>As far as I know, the old pharmacology has been deleted from the

>curriculum of the Dublin Vet School. Would colleagues from the

>UCD Faculty please confirm?

>

>Best regards,

>Phil

>

>PS: UCD Graduates: Please contact me off-list if you have a copy

>of the Pharmacology Notes from circa 1961. I would appreciate a

>copy greatly!

 

 

 

---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist

contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/

Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA

Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org