ANSWERED QUESTIONS ?

[Guest guest]

Answered questions?

Having attended last weeks MHRA meeting 25/1/2006

These comments are made

1.. This is not a new act for the herbalists, only a revamp of existing laws.

2.. Four organisations are interested in keeping an eye on the herbalists.

MHRA, Big Pharmaceuticals and the pharmaceutical society to regulate your

ability to use herbal medicines also the Department of Health to regulate your

right to advise and treat.

3.. In the MHRA discussion papers [available online] these bodies are seeking

to stop herbalists advising and treating certain conditions and to stop

herbalists taking patients off synthetic drugs.

4.. Does the EHPA have a vested interest in promoting Chinese medicine?

5.. Animal products have been banned for years, the EHPA want to get these

reinstated. What have animal products go to do with herbalism?

6.. Why is it that this registration for herbalists also mentions Acupuncture,

to save money?

7.. What has acupuncture to do with herbal medicine?

8.. Are you all clear about what is going to happen when regulation takes

place?

9.. Did you know that the MHRA is a regulating body for all medicinal

substances and it is funded by the drug companies and money from licencing of

medicinal products? MHRA is not government funded.

10.. Who is the MHRA accountable to as they draw up THEIR rules?

11.. The handout from the MHRA said 'we are here to listen'. However when CMT

stood up to speak, within a few minutes he was asked to sit down and this is

what he said:

[a] In Chinese medicine there have been numerous incidences of the wrong plant

being used, some poisonings and deaths occuring hence the MHRA need to regulate.

The MHRA/Department of health is looking for problems so that they can

regulate AND RESTRICT us all.

[c] It is the suppliers that a herbalist purchases from, we have to trust our

sources.

[d] A copy of Herbal Medicine Keys to Physiomedicalism including Pharmacopoeia

was emailed to the Department of Health over two years ago in support of Kava.

They did not reply or enter into negotiation on the matter. Are the MHRA open

and accountable?

[e] There are European laws coming into operation to which the UK must adhere.

What - who created new laws to restrict herbal medicine without anybody

noticing? The UK can and does opt out of EU law when it sees fit.

[f] Any claim for a medicinal product makes it medicinal. A recent high court

case in which the judge said - you must explain what the product is for, it is

dangerous to produce a product without such a clear explanation.

[g] The advisory committees [HMAC] are top heavy with few herbalists among them,

one has a toxicologist [looking for reasons to get rid of herbal medicines]. The

panel was most uncomfortable to hear these comments.

12.. Herbal medicine affects many practitioners and some of these interest

groups were at the meeting, some have limited knowledge of herbal medicines.

These groups prescribe herbal medicines - Naturopaths, Homeopaths, some have

limited knowledge of herbal medicines EG Reflexologists, Doctors and

Pharmacists. They all want to be able to use the herbs as they always have done.

13.. Is there discrimination against herbalists? It was stated at the MHRA

meeting on 25/1/2006 'there are no issues for medical doctors or pharmacists in

prescribing herbal medicines.

14.. The department of health were invited to attend this meeting -

NO REPRESENTATIVE ATTENDED.

A great day for herbalism ?

Posted by Menzies - Trull. ND.

Email c.menzies-trull@...