NASH MEMBER UPDATE - May 2006

The North American Society of Homeopaths is dedicated to promote, represent and serve as the voice of all professional homeopaths in North America. NASH aims to develop and uphold the highest level of excellence in homeopathic practice while enhancing the role of the homeopathic profession as an integral part of health care delivery.

Board of Directors

President: Manfred Mueller, CA,
Email: homeopathicassociates@earthlink.net

Vice president: Kate Birch, MN,
Email:  Katebhom@yahoo.com

Treasurer: Julie Mann, CA,
Email:  ma13nn@aol.com

Registrar: Laura Sholtz, ME,
Email:  laurasremedies@hotmail.com

Secretary: Carleen Johnson, ME,
Email:  cjohnson@uninets.net

Canadian Representative: Basil Ziv, Ont.,
Email:  basilziv@rogers.com

Administrator: Liz Bonfig, FL,
Email:  nashinfo@aol.com

Working on the Vision

How can we continue to do the work of the professional homeopath? Our membership drive has started in earnest. The motto generated from this year's annual meeting was "you tell two friends, and they tell two friends." Join NASH today, student, associate, or registered member. Coming soon are levels for homeopathic schools and businesses.

Conference Review

The first ever Joint American Homeopathic Conference was wonderful. With preeminent teachers from around the world and representation of all the major homeopathic organizations, the level of energy generated in the homoeopathic community was transformational.

NASH was represented well with six members presenting and many more attending the conference. Our own Richard Pitt was honored by the NCH with the Henry N. Williams Professional Service award. Congratulations Richard.

Our annual meeting was held during a special luncheon (see minutes below). NASH sponsored the Saturday evening entertainment and a good time was had by all. A special thanks to Washington Homeopathic Products for their participation. Plans for next year are already underway. We look forward to seeing more of you in 2007.

It was surprising to meet many homeopaths who had not yet become certified or registered with any professional organization. While NASH promotes health freedom laws as an avenue to make homeopathy accessible to all, the board believes that the strength of the homeopathic profession comes when its practitioners voluntarily align themselves with their appropriate professional organization. Through representation by these professional organizations homeopathy will have the critical mass to integrate the system of homeopathy into the medical system and the general public's lives. We wish to promote enthusiasm for the work of bringing the professional homeopath into financial and personal success. We need everyone's help.

NASH Annual Meeting 4/8/06 minutes

Liz welcomed our members and explained Manfred's absence due to the loss of his son. We had a moment of silence for Manfred and his family.

Announcements from the Audience

Francis Treuherz announced the recent appointment by The Society of Homeopaths, England of Lou Klein as FSHom. Congratulations Lou.

Gabrielle Traub made an announcement about WHAW April 24-28; encouraging everyone to get involved.

Amy Lansky announced that the NCH has agreed to proactively support the concept of health freedom. This was met with much enthusiasm.

Ann Croce announced that the NCH directory will now list only practitioners' recognized homeopathic certifications on the first line, followed on the second line with other relevant credentials.

Melanie Grimes asked for articles for AH12.

Introductions of the Board

Basil Ziv thanked the audience for their past contributions and their attendance at the luncheon. Basil has been a member of NASH for 13 years, lives in Toronto where he has a general practice, teaches and also runs a program that works with neurologically disabled children. Basil is our Canadian representative.

Carleen Johnson fast tracked into NASH, getting her CHC on December 24th , 2004 and immediately joining NASH. She was nominated and elected as secretary in January, 2005. Carleen has a practice in Belfast and Waterville, Maine.

Laura Sholtz has worked on the NASH board since 2003, been the registrar for two years and a NASH member since l997. Laura is currently our liason to the CHC board. She has a practice in Exeter, Maine, teaches homeopathy classes in the greater Bangor area and is a tutor for the British Institute of Homeopathy.

Julie Mann has been the treasurer for two years, and lives and practices in Venice, California. In addition to working with both people and animals, she teaches homeopathy at two schools in Los Angeles.

Kate Birch has been a member since 1996. Originally from England, Kate grew up in Canada, was educated in homeopathy in California, and is currently living in Minnesota. She became a board member because of the importance of having the RSHom designation. She is currently NASH's vice president and the representative to the Homeopathic Action Alliance (HAA).

Manfred Mueller was introduced by Kate and member Julie Insley. Manfred, originally from Germany, practiced in North Carolina for 20 years and has taught homeopathy to medical students and residents at the University of North Carolina. He was investigated by the North Carolina Medical Board, and no charges were filed. He was a key advocate of health freedom legislation in North Carolina, working closely with the National Health Freedom Coalition. Manfred currently lives and practices in California and North Carolina.

President's Address

Presented by Kate Birch, Vice president

This is the first annual meeting in 3 years, the last was held in Florida. We have worked in the last year to heal past hurts. We sincerely thank every member for their attendance and continued support of NASH. We thank every past board member for their vision and dedication to the profession. Thanks to those members who volunteered for our ethics committee, Melanie for her unprecedented loyalty and dedication to the creation of the journal, to those who have and continue to help us with the website, to NCH for facilitating this joint conference, thank you to everyone for coming to the meeting and helping to break down barriers to the practice of homeopathy.

The Mission of NASH:

The North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH) is dedicated to promote, represent and serve as the voice of all professional homeopaths in North America. NASH aims to develop and uphold the highest level of excellence in homeopathic practice while enhancing the role of the homeopathic profession as an integral part of health care delivery.

Strength of the Board:

During the past 1+ year the board has met every other week and has unanimously voted on the issues that have been brought forth to NASH.

Voice of the Professional Homeopath:

We continue to dialog with all of the other homeopathic organizations. Letters have been written to legislative bodies, the Canadian government, CDC, etc., all in support of the unlicensed homeopath. We have worked with other organizations in order to network and gain credibility for our members. Diane Miller, who met with us during one of our board meetings, has been helpful in showing us how to support health freedom rights to protect consumer rights and to best promote the profession of homeopathy.

Updates have been sent to our members every two months as a way to share our activities with the membership and we continue to need input from you about the work we are doing.

The NASH website has a directory with links to personal websites. A section listing teaching homeopaths is under construction.

Excellence:

Membership in NASH ensures excellence in the profession by requiring a minimum of a CHC; membership contributes support and fosters quality education through our outreach programs to schools and student homeopaths

A scope of the practice of homeopathy has been developed along with the modifiers and billing codes with the ABC billing code system. You can visit www.alternativelink.com to view this information.

Integration:

The issue of integrating homeopathy into the conventional health care system continues on our agenda; members could help us by offering ideas in this area. Supporting Todd Rowe's hospital in Arizona and other homeopathic clinics throughout the country will move this concept forward. Also, the Minnesota Homeopathic Association met with the state level emergency planners concerning health care delivery during the possible bird flu epidemic. A task force has been established to continue this work of bringing homeopathy into the legislative level. Threats of other environmental conditions, such as earthquakes and hurricanes offer an avenue for local groups of homeopaths to lobby their legislature to ensure that homeopathy will be included in their response planning. Work like this requires participation at a grass roots level if we expect to see any changes come of it. The more that each of us can do, through groups like NASH, the more homeopathy will come to the forefront.

NASH continues its involvement in the HAA which has prioritized seven areas for future work and identified each particular organization's role at each level. See below for more details.

Thank you

Financial Report

Julie reviewed all the past finances and saw that the losses from the 2003 Florida conference created a financial crisis for NASH. The Defense Fund was used to cover the 2003 losses. In 2004 it was necessary to cut expenses and do a complete review of the financial status. In 2005, the belt was tightened even more; some of the paid consultants were asked to volunteer their services. We have continued to repay the defense fund, making it a first priority. There is normally $50,000 in income. We need to increase that income by attracting new members - registered, associates and students. We could use volunteers to help with this. We continue to complete old business and redirect our energy into new projects with your help.

General Meeting

Next year's conference:

One of the projects that we will continue to work on is the next joint conference scheduled for April 13th- 17th, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. The post conference will be with Henny Heuden-Mast. We ask members to consider presenting and to let us know what you want from the conference. Presenters must apply to Dana Ullman; all entries will be submitted to the conference committee for final selection. We are asking that our annual meeting be longer than the hour and a half today and to perhaps be held on that Friday, so that we can work together on a particular project. If there is interest in using a whole day we would need to hear members' support for that. (NCH is slated to work on Wed and Thurs.)

By-Laws:

We are trying to work with the existing by-laws and are having difficulty clarifying the meaning of some aspects while others are outdated. For example, we know that the reinstatement fee has become an obstacle for some past members to rejoin. We would like to propose an amnesty period so that past members could return more easily.

We also are aware that the RSHom (NA) title is continuing to be used by lapsed members. We would like to ensure that this designation is used only by homeopaths who are in good standing with NASH. We are looking into registering the RSHom (NA) as a trademark and are looking at the pro's and con's of doing that.

Questions from the Members

What makes the RSHom (NA) different from a CCH and how can we ensure that we don't lose potential registered NASH members who don't want to go through the CHC process?

Answer: over time the issue will get worked out, we need to continue working with the other homeopathic organizations to open up the restrictions of the process. In order to honor our commitment to the certification process we require the CHC designation. We are asking the CHC to look into developing a universal reciprocity with similar certifying bodies in other countries.

If CCH requires an annual fee, why join NASH?

Could there be a conditional certificate of practitioners who are just starting to practice?

If someone has practiced for as long as 20 years would they need a CCH - couldn't NASH give them a RSHom (NA) without having to go through the CHC process?

Other concerns from the Audience

Associate members, students and friends of NASH - these groups need to be recognized in some way. Published in the directory or journal?

In England there is a limited time that members can let their RSHom lapse at which point they need to reassessed.

It would seem that if students could be encouraged to join that they would become aligned with the objectives of NASH and would be more likely to stay involved and become certified. From the board's view, there is concern about how to get the student liaison project started. Volunteers from the membership are needed.

Meeting adjourned.

Please send us your questions, comments and suggestions.

Homeopathic Action Alliance Report

Each year before the annual conference the HAA meets for four hours to discuss matters concerning the larger homeopathic community and how each of our organizations can work together.

This year NASH invited Diane Miller to speak at the HAA to develop further the concepts of health freedom for the practice of homeopathy.

Diane did a splendid job of expressing her love of homeopathy and her desire to help pass legislation nationwide and internationally that is the least suppressive to the practice of homeopathy. Her wisdom and understanding of the problem facing homeopaths and the practice of homeopathy was comforting to everyone, including those present at the meeting who still hold the belief that homeopaths should be medically trained and licensed. The key is in the fact that health freedom laws, while they provide an avenue to practice in compliance with a consumer bill of rights and code of ethics, do not provide an unchecked avenue for unscrupulous practitioners to practice without restraint: There is still the ability to prosecute practitioners on a case by case basis if they are practicing beyond their capacity or unethically.

After Diane's presentation, the HAA members discussed the question: how can we work together for the common goal of homeopathy?

Agreement of Boards

1. Homeopathy as a distinct profession for our own parameters; allowing the practice by all practitioners and licensure for those groups that wish/need specific licensure.
2. Define homeopathic practice which includes: scope of practice, standards of practice and practice methodology.
3. Define educational standards: Council on Homeopathic Education (CHE) must continue to reflect the needs and status of the community. North American Network of Homeopathic Educators (NANHE) works with the educators to set standards in keeping with certification requirements and the breadth of homeopathy.
4. Certification of practitioners: CHC and AIH with the request that there be some reciprocity established with other organizations, grandfathered across states and countries.
5. Membership organizations: HANP, NASH, AVH, AAHP, AIH, HWB, NCH and ABHT must monitor legislation drafted by local reps at the state level to ensure that the legislation represents the best interest of the practice of homeopathy.
6. Continuing educational venues: NCH
7. Service organizations: NCH and HWB

The group outlined the following goals:

1. Expand Homeopathy
   • PR
   • Homeopathy as viable profession
2. Legitimacy
   • Standards
   • Following
   • Health care freedom
   • Research - unified
3. Protection of practitioners
4. Economic Visibility

Through the HAA each organization can see clearly what the other is doing, allowing the organizations to synergize the work and avoid duplicating efforts. The task of our initial work has been to break down past grievances and misunderstandings so that rather than competing with each other, we can join together for the benefit of homeopathy.

NASH's position in this overview is as a professional membership organization. It is at the level of the membership organizations from which the legal and political work will be done. With the consult of Diane Miller at this year's HAA meeting, she delineated a way so that all factions of the homeopathic profession, medical doctors, naturopaths and professional homeopaths can work together to draft legislation that will not restrict the practice of homeopathy to one profession or another, which will reduce turf wars over who can and cannot practice homeopathy.

Proposed By-Law Changes

In the coming months, we will be submitting for a vote several changes to the by-laws, such as:

1. creating an amnesty period to waive the reinstatement dues for lapsed registered members;
2. change of due date for annual membership dues;
3. creation of membership levels to include groups, organizations and schools.

Message from Liz

We had a terrific time at the inaugural Joint Conference in San Jose. Our first annual meeting in several years was very positive and the lunch spread was delicious. NASH's Saturday night entertainment was a huge success. Several NASH members were seen cutting the rug all night!

We hope to see a lot more of our members at the 2007 conference in Denver. Mark your calendars now for April 13-17th, 2007.

From left to right is Kate, Laura, Basil, Liz, Julie, Carleen.

We missed Manfred at the conference. Thanks for the picture.

Call for articles AH 12

Article submissions for the American Homeopath 12 are being collected by Melanie Grimes. Deadline for submissions is May 30th, 2006. Please contact Melanie directly as soon as possible if you have articles or submissions:

Melanie J. Grimes, Editor
Email:  USAHomeopath@aol.com
1217 W. Howe
Seattle WA 98119
Ph/fax: (206) 284-5340

Membership Drive

The best way for NASH to generate the income needed for our overflowing list of ideas and projects is to increase membership. Over the last year our membership has increased with 20 new members this year already. Thank you for your continued dedication to NASH. Through membership with a professional organization, the community of homeopaths grows, gains social and political clout and creates the opportunity to carry our message loud and clear to the general public. "You tell two friends and they tell two friends."

Welcome New Members

We are delighted to welcome to NASH the following new members:

Pat Deacon, RSHom (NA), British Columbia

Marina Braun, RSHom (NA), New York

Loretta Butehorn, RSHom(NA), Massachussetts

S. Mavani, Associate, Texas

Sharon Ryals Tamm, Associate California

Kim Williamson, Associate Texas

Pilar Bauta, Student, New York

Karen Berson, Student, Georgia

Sara Dishke, Student, Alberta

Deborah Howe, Student, California

Juliann James, Student, New Jersey

Susie Killian, Student, California

Shawn Mehu, Student, New York

Shawna Phillips. Student, Colorado

Alison Til-Harris, Student, California

Audio Library

Thanks to NASH member Ron Whitmont for donating to our audio library. The new additions include:

Massimo Mangialovori, Spider Remedies, 1997

Jan Scholten, Homeopathy and The Elements Seminar, 1997

Dr. Edward C. Whitmont, An Introduction to Dream Interpretation - VHS

NOW AVAILABLE: CD recordings of the 2006 Joint American Homeopathic Conference have just arrived and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have tapes/cds/videos/dvds you would like to donate to the NASH audio library, please contact the membership office at nashinfo@homeopathy.org
. For a complete listing of available titles, please visit the website. Click here: NASH - North American Society of Homeopaths.

Advanced Practitioner Training Course (APT) - Supporting Homeopaths

The Advanced Practitioner Training Course provides Homeopaths and 4th year students with the tools to feel confident in prescribing and to build an enjoyable and lucrative career in Homeopathy. The course starts in September 2006 and finishes in May 2007. There are 3 parts to the course - a series of three weekends (each of 3 days), a five-day week of Clinical Internship, and six one-hour individual phone consults.

The course is offered by Pat Deacon RSHom (NA) and Jude Dawson RSHom (NA) The beautiful Okanagan valley provides the setting. We have limited places on the course to provide the personal attention and a safe space for discussion that we feel will most benefit the participants. For more information contact Pat Deacon 250 492 0336 Email:  patdeacon@shaw.ca, Jude Dawson 250 804 0104 Email:  awesomed@shuswap.net or visit www.patdeacon.com.

Service Opportunity

The Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia, Ken McKinley

As Advocacy Chair on the Board of the Halifax Chapter of the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia, I have raised the profile of homeopathy as an option for the brain-injured. I know from personal experience that homeopathy can do wonders. Brain-injured persons, as other disabled people, have limited financial resources. Medicare does not cover alternative therapist fees, leaving persons with such injuries between a rock and a hard place.

The Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia needs homeopathic volunteers from out-of-province willing to do telephone consultations with brain-injured persons in this province. The patient would be responsible for any long distance charges. In addition, the patient would be asked to pay a token fee (whatever they feel they can afford) to the Homeopath as a gesture of good faith.

Contact information for any NASH members willing to volunteer their services:

Peter Covert, President, Halifax Chapter of BIANS
(902) 832-4559
Email: petercovert@ns.sympatico.ca

Ken McKinley, Advocacy, Halifax Chapter of BIANS
(902) 832-4497
Email: kenmckinley@eastlink.ca

Liz Bonfig