How to end the medical monopoly.

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http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn12.htm

 

 

 

 

LET'S BREAK THE MODERN MEDICAL MONOPOLY NOW!

 

 

 

 

Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND and

Elissa Meininger

September 29, 2005

NewsWithViews.com

 

" People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and

diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in

some contrivance to raise prices. " --Adam Smith 1776

 

When I wrote my book, Death by Modern Medicine, detailing the myriad of ways

modern medicine has failed in its promise to deliver services to make us well, I

was compelled, as a naturopath, to include a copy of the Herbalist Charter of

King Henry VIII in my book’s appendix. While the language of the Charter is

archaic, I would like to outline its meaning, as it still figures in the legal

standing of natural healers in all the dominions that were held by Great Britain

in 1512 when the Charter was established.

 

Summary of The Herbalist Charter of King Henry VIII:

 

It is well known that the Surgeons who are organized under their own trade

guild and recognized by law, have done nothing but tend to their own lavish

financial enrichment, have done nothing to ease the distressed patient, but have

spent an enormous amount of time suing and harassing honest persons who have the

knowledge of nature and how to use this knowledge, however obtained, and

generously minister to the sick.

 

It is also well known that Surgeons will not provide services to the sick

unless they receive great sums of money and even then, often cause harm to their

patients.

For this reason, from this time and forevermore it shall be lawful for every

person who lives in any part of the Realm of England or any of its dominions,

and who has knowledge and experience of the healing nature of herbs, roots and

waters, or the operation of same, to be free to treat the sick without “suit,

vexation, trouble, penalty or loss of their goods.”

 

Interestingly, in Colonial America, this Charter fit perfectly with the general

contempt for all “learned professions” the colonists had at the time. This

contempt was expressed quite clearly by William Byrd when he said that founders

of New Jersey “inveigled many over” by advertising that it was a place “free

from those three great scourges of Mankind, Priests, Lawyers and Physicians”. In

Colonial America the practice of medicine was open to everyone and natural

healing arts were particularly appreciated as well as enhanced by the wisdom and

knowledge of the Indian doctors who very generously shared their knowledge of

local medicinals with the colonists.

 

As a result of this distain for “learned doctors”, at the time of the American

Revolution, few of them had formal degrees. As evidence these “unlearned”

doctors knew what they were doing, the Pennsylvania Hospital, founded with the

assistance of Benjamin Franklin, could report half the mortality rate that

general hospitals back in Europe reported.

 

Historian Daniel J. Boostrin, in his classic book, “The Americans: The Colonial

Experience” devotes a full 50 pages to the state of the healing arts and the

pro-natural healing arts attitudes the colonials had as well as their respect

for the intelligence of the common man to understand how learn how to become a

doctor of one sort or another. [1]

 

America’s Founding Fathers didn’t just establish a competitive medical

marketplace because they didn’t like the “fanciful theories” as naturalist

Thomas Jefferson described the ideas of the “learned” doctors of Europe. They

founded a competitive marketplace because it made good sense and political

economist Adam Smith had provided ample evidence that the best way to advance

the science of medicine was to allow truly talented people with bright ideas to

flourish without the restrictive medical monopolies he saw in England. While

most people who have studied economics know that Adam Smith’s book, The Wealth

of Nations, is the outline of our American economic system, they may not be

aware that in a letter Smith wrote to Dr. William Cullen, in 1774, two years

before The Wealth of Nations was published, discussed, in detail, the failure of

the British medical monopoly system and why such a monopoly should be avoided in

Scotland and anywhere else. [2]

 

Smith was convinced that all trade monopolies were a conspiracy against the

public in many ways, including raising prices, which was, underneath it all, the

ultimate goal of all monopolies. He also pointed out, especially in his letter

to Dr. Cullen, that the political leadership of a trade usually had its own

self-serving agenda that had nothing to do with developing high quality future

practitioners.

 

There is ample proof that Adam Smith was correct that monopoly in the practice

of medicine would hinder the development of the best products and services to

heal the sick. Up until the 20th Century, there were no medical monopolies in

America. Doctors of all philosophical beliefs and training were free to offer

their services to the public and the most creative among them, often untrained

lay people, founded such great American healing arts as chiropractic,

osteopathy, naturopathy to name a few of the more prominent ones. Health food

stores, health spas and all manner of natural health ideas abounded, encouraging

wholesome diets, exercise and fresh air often promoted as self-help programs

and, again, mostly promoted by self-taught lay people. Such ideas were always

soundly condemned by the members of the American Medical Association, the trade

guild representing the financial interests of MDs who practice what we now call

modern medicine.

 

Samuel Clemens, who once testified on behalf of the practice of osteopathy so

they could legally practice in New York state, also publicly claimed, that

without competition from homeopathy, the imported German medical philosophy

which gained rapid and wide popularity upon its arrival, allopaths would not

have been forced to look at their more barbaric customs of bloodletting and

poisoning people with Calomel (mercury), two of the more grisly, and widely used

allopathic medical practices of long standing.

 

And that is the point of this article. When you have few restrictions, you end

up with lots of ideas, have lots of talented practitioners offering all manner

of services and customers are able to pick the products and services most

appropriate to their individual needs. Bad products and poor service can’t

survive in a competitive marketplace.

 

At the turn of the twentieth Century, international drug companies, along with

the allopathic medical profession, the only medical group that promoted

synthetic and patentable drugs, laid out a sophisticated campaign to control the

medical profession and wipe their competition off the face of the Earth. With

some exceptions, largely due to citizen outrage that forced legislatures to pass

health freedom laws of one sort or another, we now live in a largely

monopolistic medical system that manages to kill at least 784,000 per year.

 

While there have been plenty of dirty names thrown around to describe natural

healing arts, and fear-mongering headlines scream that using dietary

supplements, herbs, homeopathic products and the like is dangerous, the bottom

line is that the modern medical system is failing. Killing 784,000 people

doesn’t even cover those who suffer chronic, sometimes lifelong illnesses that

destroy all chances to lead a full, productive life from the litany of failed

toxic drugs, surgeries gone wrong, mistakes in hospitals, misdiagnoses and all

manner of problems that have arisen from a system awash in cash and political

connections to keep it afloat.

 

Meanwhile, there is NO documented evidence anywhere on this planet that

suggests, much less provides proof, that natural healing arts cause harm, much

less stack bodies in the street from its use.

 

If you think it is time to create a competitive, multi-model medical system so

we can restore real medical and health choices, moderate prices and regain

control of our own decisions about medicine and health, please join us at our

international health freedom meeting in Minnesota.

 

October 28-30, 2005

National Conference for Health Freedom Advocates

And World Health Freedom Assembly

Minneapolis, Minnesota

www.nationalhealthfreedom.org

 

ACT FOR HEALTH FREEDOM NOW: Go to www.friendsoffreedominternational.org and

purchase " Death by Modern Medicine " and view and purchase the new movie on Codex

and Free Trade called " We Become Silent " by Kevin Miller. Proceeds from the sale

of these products are crucial to help fund our health freedom action. For state

action go to www.nationalhealthfreedom.org.

 

REFERENCES

 

1, The Herbalist Charter of King Henry VIII

2, The Americans: The Colonial Experience by Daniel Boorstin

3, Letter to William Cullen from Adam Smith

 

© 2005 Carolyn Dean -

 

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Dr. Carolyn Dean is a medical doctor, naturopathic doctor, herbalist,

acupuncturist, nutritionist, as well as a powerful health activist fighting for

health freedom as president of Friends of Freedom International. Dr. Dean is the

author of over a dozen health books, the latest of which is " Death By Modern

Medicine " .

 

Elissa Meininger, is Vice President of Friends of Freedom International and

co-founder of the Health Freedom Action Network, a grassroots citizens'

political action group. She is also a health freedom political analyst and can

be heard on the natural health radio show SuperHealth, broadcast weekly on

station WKY (SuperTalk AM 930) in Oklahoma City.

 

Website: www.deathbymodernmedicine.com

Website: www.carolyndean.com

 

E-Mail: holeopharm

 

 

 

 

 

 

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