Help for Consumers Caught in the Crossfire of the Raging Health Care Debate
Consumers caught in the quagmire of issues in the health care debate can find help from a member-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Americans’ rights to choose their practitioner and the practitioner’s right to practice integrative and natural medicine. Washington, DC-In a headline that read ‘Lobbyists Spend Millions to Influence Health Care,’ a Washington Post article reported that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) spent $6.2 million in lobbying with the American Medical Association spending another $4 million in lobbying efforts to influence the outcome of the current health care plan. That does not include the millions and millions spent by health companies and associations as the article expands upon. That leaves many consumers wondering – who is lobbying for the average consumer? Knowledgeable consumers turn to the Alliance for Natural Health US (ANH-US), formerly known as the American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) for helpful and forthright information on health care issues including how the new government plan may impact consumers in different areas.
Lisa Lundy — public speaker, health and wellness expert and author of The Super Allergy Girl Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, Nut-Free Allergy & Celiac Cookbook is a strong supporter of ANH-US “Consumers who want to get the real deal on health care issues can rely on ANH-US for representing consumer concerns. They have a wonderful newsletter that highlights not only the important health care issues, but also the small actions consumers can take that will make a difference,” Lundy stated.
Since 1992, the Alliance for Natural Health US (ANH-US) has advocated for practitioners and consumers. Over the years, the organization’s name has changed a few times, but its mission has never wavered — to protect the practitioner’s right to practice and the consumer’s right to choose.
ANH-US, www.anh-usa.org, has grown to be an international voice dedicated to promoting sustainable healthcare and freedom of choice through good science and good law. The organization focuses on shifting the medical paradigm from an exclusive focus on surgery, drugs and other conventional techniques to an “integrative” approach incorporating food, dietary supplements and lifestyle changes — a model that improves health and quality of life while reducing the costs of healthcare to a sustainable level.
Under federal regulations, producers of dietary supplements are prohibited from making any “health claims” for their products unless pre-approved by FDA. Even scientifically proven health benefits are restricted. ANH-US, which believes consumers have the right to receive information and make informed decisions for themselves without government censorship, is actively working to allow manufacturers of dietary supplements to communicate the scientifically proven benefits of their products directly to the consumer.
ANH-US is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C. to protect the rights of the consumer to choose and the practitioner to practice by lobbying Congress and state legislatures; educating the public, press and decision-makers on integrative medicine; initiating legal activities; and joining and forming significant coalitions.
“It was the freedom to choose both a physician and a treatment that saved the life of my youngest child” Lundy said. Lundy’s daughter had a life-threatening medical condition – the inability to absorb essential vitamins and nutrients from her food – and a dysfunctional immune system that left her young child living like a modern day bubble child. Thanks to a good medical team, a variety of medical treatments and other interventions and over $100,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses, Lundy’s daughter, Anne who will turn 8 years old soon, is almost completely well. Lundy, who has no formal relationship or ties to ANH-US, has been recommending them for several years. It is the place she turns to for finding out what is happening in health care from a consumer and freedom perspective.
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NOTES TO THE EDITOR:
About the Alliance for Natural Health US (ANH-US): www.anhus.org
ANH-US is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that protects Americans’ rights to access integrative medicine and dietary supplements. Formerly known as the American Association for Health Freedom, ANH-US protects the right of the consumer to choose and the practitioner to practice by lobbying Congress and state legislatures; educating the public, press, and decision-makers on integrative medicine; initiating legal