ALERT to MONTANA CLIENTS: Right now the Montana state legislature is presently considering a bill that would strip prescription authority from Naturopaths. Trillium Clinic in Bozeman recently shared the following:
“LC3275 threatens Naturopathic physician prescriptive authority statute. LC 3275 would remove all authority for NDs to prescribe drugs scheduled 1 through 5. Currently we are able to prescribe Schedules 2- 5, so this language includes preempting future rights to expand to Schedule 1…
“That means losing the ability to prescribe testosterone, as well as the rest of those schedules. This loss could be devastating to patients across the state of Montana and further! Our best bet is to kill this in committee, in the next 24 hours.
“We are reaching out to clients, patients and anyone interested to call your senators, congressmen and get in involved. Make sure that your voice is heard in the Montana Legislature at this time.”
Please contact your state Senator today. The bill is in a Senate Committee right now, and we have the power to stop it right there. If you’re not sure what district you’re in, use the state’s Legislator Lookup tool. Click on the option to “Search by Address”, type in your address, then click on your Senator’s name. So easy!
Calls and emails are great, and they’re the easiest. But here’s an activism tip: Postcards get way more attention! They don’t require the complex processing of long emails or letters in envelopes. Postcards go straight to the rep’s desk. You can use my Natural Health Voters Postcard Template anytime! Even if the bill gets killed today, a postcard that arrives early next week is a powerful signal that we’re a big part of the voting base.
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As many of you know, I ghostwrite, coach, and edit in the natural health world in addition to the coaching I provide for fiction and memoir writers. I’m a member of the natural health world and natural products industry in part because I am alive only because of certain intelligent natural therapies I’ve used over the years.
In my own life and the lives of loved ones, I’ve repeatedly seen conventional doctors become baffled and give up when confronted with complex health challenges. Time and again, the patient finally heads to a Naturopath and discovers a branch of medicine that actually restores their health instead of patching up their symptoms with a growing list of drugs. (What a concept!)
Unlike conventional docs who are stuck in their tunnel-vision specialties, the Naturopath always has a better understanding of how all body systems work together. The Naturopath winds up utilizing far more nuanced blood tests to clearly diagnose the patient. Naturopaths historically have prescribed both natural medicines and also conventional drugs when necessary. But they’re much more selective in their use of pharmaceuticals.
So when I see potential legislation that could strip my Naturopath of her ability to provide conventional medicines when needed, I feel the need to get vocal. I hope you do too!
This is an issue that genuinely transcends party lines. Unfortunately, even at state levels, many Republican and Democrat politicians have no interest in protecting your rights to natural health. Both parties are well-funded by big pharmaceutical and giant agro-chemical companies. Both feel pressure from those sectors to over-regulate natural health modalities and cut away at your access to health care that truly works.
It’s time to get loud about this issue, no matter who represents you!