Vote NO on Naturopathy Bills in FL

Our Florida legislature is near to passing bills giving greater legitimacy to the pseudoscience of the non-medical practice of Naturopathy. Please act now to tell your legislators that you don't want them promoting any more quack "medicine", especially when lives are at stake.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Vote NO on HB 695 or SB 2556

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to tell that I am opposed to the bills (SB 2556 and HB 695) before the Florida State Legislature, which seek to certify naturopaths and allow them to practice medicine as primary health care providers in Florida State.

By any honest analysis, this proposed legislation is bad medicine for Floridians. Unlike licensed physicians and nurses, naturopaths receive little education and training in the practice of evidence-based medicine. Much of what they study in naturopathic schools is pseudoscience involving a hodgepodge of unproven and long-discredited treatments and bogus diagnostic procedures.

Naturopaths reject the most effective means for preventing and treating infectious diseases such as once killed children and adults by the millions, before the discovery of vaccines and antibiotics.

In their place, naturopaths offer for sale a plethora of unproven or discredited "alternatives" -- such as homeopathy, hydrotherapy, colonic irrigation (enemas), and dubious herbal remedies, which may not even contain the ingredients as listed on the label. Few if any of these remedies are regulated for purity, efficacy, or safety by the FDA. Studies have shown that some of these "health" products contain potentially harmful amounts of lead, mercury, or other toxic substances.

Naturopaths use applied kinesiology, hair analysis, iridology, and other quack tests to "diagnose" disease, which they then treat with equally unproven and worthless remedies.

I hope you will review the overwhelming body of scientific evidence that shows naturopathy is pseudsoscience and those who practice its mumbo-jumbo pose a serious danger to their unwitting patients.

Thank you for considering my opinion.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 13, 2005

Background Information

Here is the main text of each bill along with the URLs of the entire bills:

Senate Bill 2556 http://tinyurl.com/3z7zh

GENERAL BILL by Webster

Naturopathic Medicine: creates Board of Naturopathic Medicine; provides guidelines for probable cause panels & disciplinary decisions; provides additional powers & duties of board; specifies authority for setting fee for reissuance of license under certain circumstances; provides requirements for licensure as naturopathic physician; provides that certain rights & privileges of active licensees are retained, etc. Amends FS.

Effective Date: 07/01/2005

Last Action: 03/23/05 S Introduced, referred to Health Care; Criminal Justice; Health and Human Services Appropriations -SJ 00282 on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 12:00 AM

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House Bill 695 http://tinyurl.com/3z7zh

GENERAL BILL by Bowen

Naturopathic Medicine: Changes title of ch. 462, F.S., from "Naturopathy" to "Naturopathic Medicine"; creates Board of Naturopathic Medicine; provides guidelines for probable cause panels and disciplinary decisions; provides powers and duties of board under said chapter, including rulemaking authority; provides requirements for licensure as naturopathic physician.

Effective Date: July 1, 2005.

Last Action: Added to Health Care Regulation Committee agenda on Monday, April 11, 2005 4:26 PM