- OR -

Advanced Search

 Healing Systems

•	Animal/Pet Therapies
•	Ayurveda
•	Bach Flower Remedies
•	Energy Healing
•	Energy Psychology
•	Herbal Medicine
•	Homeopathy
•	Chiropractic
•	Massage Therapy
•	Naturopathy
•	Traditional Chinese Medicine

 Your Tools:

	Print this page
	Email this page
	Search all articles
	Submit your own article
	Sign up as a practitioner

Related Article

Healing Therapy:	Homeopathy
Member name:	dmedea
Date submitted:	7/16/2009

Letter to the Minister of Health, May 2009

Health Canada
Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture
Postal Locator: 0906C
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9

May 4, 2009

Attention of: The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health

I ordered some homeopathic remedies from Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy in the United Kingdom which the Health Canada Inspectorate detained at Border Services in July 2008. I have been trying to find out why ever since.

I am a classical homeopathic practitioner, a graduate of the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy in Minneapolis, certified with the Council for Homeopathic Certification, our profession’s regulatory body.

I prefer to use high-quality remedies in my practice; therefore, I have to import them. Ever since the drafting of the Natural Health Products Regulations, I have been encountering more and more interference at Border Services on behalf of Heath Canada. Yet homeopaths from around the world travel with remedy kits in their luggage — except to Canada.

I have a number of complaints about the Natural Health Products Regulations. First of all, not one homeopath was consulted during their drafting. I found this out under the Information Act after the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) claimed that it had eight homeopaths on staff during this process. To me, if their names do not appear in the directories of the Canadian Society of Homeopaths (CSH), the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH), the North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH), or the Council of Homeopathic Certification (CHC), then they’re not homeopaths. In other words, not one of these “eight homeopaths” is or ever was a homeopath. I call that one big, fat lie.

Consequently, the NHP Regulations concerning homeopathic remedies are onerous. My impression is that no one at Health Canada, NHPD, or Border Services has an understanding of what homeopathy is or how the remedies are prepared. I understand that government wants to ensure the public safety around natural products. So do I — which is why I import them. After all, who would understand quality control better than a certified homeopath?

Incidentally, why is the public able to walk into any health food store and buy homeopathic remedies over-the-counter, yet I, as a certified homeopathic practitioner, cannot obtain the remedies that I need for my practice? Unfortunately, the public is buying poor quality remedies and does not have a good understanding of what they are consuming. Why don’t the NHP Regulations affect this practice?
When the NHP Regulations came into force, Canadian homeopaths were assured that we could continue to import remedies for our practices. That is no longer the case, and I do not know what has changed, and I can’t get anyone at the NHPD to discuss these issues with me. Email replies provide formulaic responses rather than specific answers, present links to sections of the Regulations, and do not supply individual contact information. This is the most frustrating aspect of this whole situation — trying to access one person who will assume responsibility to speak to the NHP Regulations. Obviously, the NHPD is hiding behind its bureaucracy, which to me is devious.

One of the NHPD’s formulaic responses stated that the remedy bottles were labelled with directions for use, which therefore implied, I guess, that they would be used for retail purposes. Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy is a well-known and respected homeopathic pharmacy that ships remedies all over the world, but only Health Canada objects to its labelling, although Helios has gone out of its way to comply with the NHP Regulations. Each remedy bottle states the name of the remedy, the potency, and the DIN from the United States Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia (USHP), which lists detailed instructions for the preparation of each homeopathic remedy.

By the way, after numerous attempts, I still am waiting for information about that seizure from Health Canada under the Information Act — six months out. That’s simply deplorable. In fact, I sent yet another request for the same information on May 1, 2009.
I believe that the paperwork has been conveniently lost as there was no reason to seize this order in the first place. In fact, someone at the NHPD did authorize the release of the shipment, which was never done. Alypsis Inc., the Ontario distributor, has the name of that person.

Unfortunately, this small business is out-of-pocket on at least three orders from the UK and has had to close its doors to homeopaths importing remedies. I prefer to buy my remedies prepared and ready to use, and I used Alypsis Inc.’s service for the added convenience of direct shipping and charging to my client when indicated, so that I did not have to assume the costs. I think that the NHPD believes that Alypsis Inc. was selling products and therefore required a site licence; however, it only functions as the go-between, supplying homeopaths from across the country with high-quality remedies to use in their own practices.

I suppose that I could try importing remedies myself. Word from Helios Pharmacy is that Health Canada has said that Helios can send orders to practitioners for use within their practice; however, delivery is not guaranteed, so if the order doesn’t make it — for whatever reason — the loss is at the practitioner’s expense. However, I certainly cannot afford to place an order that I’m not certain will get through Border Services and the Health Canada Inspectorate.


My most significant complaint about the Natural Health Products Regulations is that they are interfering with my livelihood, rights and freedoms, and health care choice, in that I cannot continue to practice if I cannot import the homeopathic remedies that I need for my practice. Whether Health Canada recognizes homeopathy or not, most homeopaths have busy practices and our patients feel better. That’s all that counts, to my mind. Most of them are not on pharmaceutical medications made with toxic substances full of side effects.

As a consequence, I wish to inform you that I have consulted a lawyer about a class action lawsuit against Health Canada and the Natural Health Products Directorate as I believe that my Charter Rights have been violated. I am soliciting names from around the country, most attestations, all indignant. We have yet to go public, which will inflame Canadians once they become informed of Health Canada’s draconian measures concerning homeopathic remedies. Remember that last spring, public outrage saw
Bill C-51 die on the order paper.

Are you aware that the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly Human Services Committee is discussing the formal dispensing of homeopathic remedies, vitamins, and supplements to patients in care facilities? Obviously, this speaks to a provincial-to-federal information disconnect.

Are you aware that President Obama stated, on April 29, 2009, in a town-hall meeting, that he supports any alternative health approach that works? Obviously, this speaks to an open-minded administration.

Yet Health Canada is intent on regulating homeopathy right out of Canada, even though it has been used effectively around the world for over 250 years — notably by the Royal Family — and will continue to be used by those who believe in its ability to heal. I am asking HRH The Prince of Wales for his support during this homeopathy awareness campaign.

During this time of a potential flu pandemic, Health Canada would be well served to look at the mortality rates in conventional hospitals compared to homeopathic hospitals during the 1918 Spanish flu. You would discover a statistic of 30 per cent to 1 per cent, respectively. Yet Health Canada would rather waste time and money instilling fear to produce a vaccine — which I’ll never take nor will my clients — rather than offering the choice of a safe, non-toxic, gentle, and effective natural alternative.

Homeopathy and vitamins and organic foods are all about prevention. I seldom access the medical system and certainly don’t spend anywhere close to my yearly health care dollar allotment of $4,100, nor do my clients. In fact, I would like to see Health Canada reimburse my own homeopathic follow-up visits. Right now, we cover those costs out of our own pockets, which isn’t very fair. Why don’t you consider individual health care bank accounts so people could spend their health care dollars where they choose? Perhaps that would help cut down on unnecessary emergency room visits once people realize that cost.
I thought that ‘they’ couldn’t take your education away from you, but that is exactly what will happen to me if I cannot import homeopathic remedies to use in my practice. Surely, NHPD and Border Services could maintain a list of homeopaths qualified to import remedies so that we could continue to practice, something that now is in jeopardy for me — and other Canadian homeopaths — because of these onerous NHP Regulations.

I would appreciate a response to this letter, something that your predecessor and the deputy minister of Health, along with all the people copied below, couldn’t bother to do last summer. However, I do not need another formulaic non-response. I am asking that my request for information be attended to and that the NHP Regulations be changed to allow qualified homeopathic practitioners to import remedies without interference. Otherwise, I will see your officials in court.

Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

Dianna Medea MA CCH
Classical Homeopathic Practitioner
Regina, SK
dmedea@sasktel.net


c.c. Morris Rosenberg, Deputy Minister of Health
Joy Smith, MP, Chair, Standing Committee on Health
Joyce Murray, MP, Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Health
Judy, Wasylycia-Leis, MP, Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Health
Gilles Duceppe, MP
Michael Ignatieff, MP
Jack Layton, MP
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party
Ralph Goodale, MP, Wascana

Related Article submitted by: Dianna Medea MA CCH (dmedea)

Saskatchewan Centre of Classical Homeopathy	Homeopathy	(306) 525-3745
2323 Smith Street			Map
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2P7
CA
View My Full Profile