To allow Iowa consumers to choose their own method of healing, whether it be to augment or supplement, or to choose other options in place of alopathic medicine without criminal penalty, is no longer among the list of bills being considered by the 2004 Legislature.

But that doesn’t mean supporters of the legislation are giving up.
Allopathy is a method of treating disease by the use of agents that produce effects different from those of the disease treated.
A Boone woman, Launie J. Sorem, is one of hundreds fighting for the “Consumer Health Freedom Act.” She is an Iowa Health Freedom Coalition Steering Committee member and she has been a holistic consultant and practitioner for 13 years. She is also the director for the Foundation for Holistic Wellness and she is in the process of jointly developing a statewide community for Heartland Holistic Resource Network.
Sorem also coordinates and facilitates healing circles, workshops, playshops, retreats, symposiums, conferences in a myriad of areas which have included work with scientist with exploration of “geometric form” called the Pattern at symposiums on the topic “Physics and Spirituality,” the origin of matter.
She also has a deep admiration and respect for Native American spirituality.
The Consumer Health Freedom Act did not make it out of House Committee, missing by one vote.
“Apparently the committee members still need to become form familiar with the natural healing arts, and how and why people choose to use them and provide them,” Sorem said. “They need to appreciate that Iowans really want a more natural way to their healthcare, and they are willing to seek out providers who do not have extensive training in disease care, but rather have chosen to focus their attention on wellness, wholeness and the interconnectedness of every individual with the planet earth, the universe and the Creator.”
The legislation would assure Iowans freedom of access to any health care services they may desire and exempt unlicensed complementary and alternative health care providers from the health professions practice act, according to Sorem.
The proposal would require that the public is informed by unlicensed complementary and alternative health care providers that they are not licensed by the state of Iowa, and that the state of Iowa does not certify their education and training. It also sets for certain limitations on the scope of practice of unlicensed complementary and alternative health care providers.
Complementary and alternative health care practices are, as defined by the proposal, a group of healthcare and healing system other than those included in conventional health care. These systems include theories, modalities, products and practices used to treat illness and promote health and well-being.
The five major points prevalent in the proposal are that unlicensed professionals complying with regulations would be able to diagnose and treat according to their expertise and training; that practitioners would not be able to perform surgery or any procedure that harmfully invades the skin; that they could not prescribe or administer X-ray radiation, drugs or controlled substances; that they would have to disclose in writing that they are not a licensed health-care provider; and that they would have to disclose their credentials and qualifications.
Complementary and alternative health care would include, among others, ayurveda, homeopathy, Native American healing traditions, naturopathy, traditional Chinese healing system, meditation, hypnosis, guided imagery, dance therapy, music therapy, art therapy, prayer, mental healing, herbal therapies, dietary therapy, individual biological therapies such as bee pollen, massage, body work, somatic movement therapies, reflexology, hydrotherapy, energy therapies, Kreiki, Touch for Health, breath work, biofield therapeutics and bioelectromagnetic or magnet therapy.
Sorem said people coming from outside Iowa could continue to find Iowa barren compared to the East Coast and West Coast. Friends, she said, move to other states to find communities that not only support, but encourage a holistic approach to healthcare.
“There are many natural healing arts providers throughout the state of Iowa who offer their services in fear of the threat of prosecution for practicing medicine without a license,” she said. “The natural healing arts providers I have known over the past 12 years all have the same simple code of ethics: Help others help themselves, and do no harm.”

03/22/2004 Chuck Hackenmiller Boone, zwire.com