“People in Glass Houses Should Not Throw Stones”
Despite my unheeded warnings about the recent Health Complaints legislation, we have witnessed the passing of a remarkably discriminatory Victorian Health Complaints Act, which now sadly heralds an effective Australia wide abolition of the legal right to practice 17 natural therapy professions.
The new mandatory code of conduct includes a requirement to substantiate “any claims made either directly to clients or in advertising or promotional materials about the efficacy of treatment or services he or she provides”, unlike the far lower standards required of the mainstream medical community.
This strict new test, also applicable in most other Australian states, ensures any natural health profession, or individual practitioner, who is singled out, will have no hope of defending any state-based prohibition proceedings.
There is no hope because our Australian government’s medical science research arm, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), has already comprehensively ruled last year that there is NO evidence supporting the efficacy of 17 natural therapies.
What are these 17 ‘natural therapies’?
Consider this list of popular remedies, of which 15 of these therapies I have personally and effectively used with wonderful benefits, i.e. ‘drug free’ and the ‘first’ Victorian across the line in the recent ‘Masters Track Cycling Victorian State Champs’ for 60-64 years in the 2km individual pursuit. I say thank you to all those natural and integrative practitioners that have kept me going through some pretty dark spaces to be near physically and mentally at my peak – I dedicate this song to help all of you now – heroes to me.
When one of these 17 professions, or a practitioner of these therapies, is singled out for pursuit, ‘witch hunt’ prohibition hearings will be held before a state-based Complaints Commissioner, appointed by mainstream medical lobby groups, licking their cherry-picking chops that our naive politicians just abolished many effective and natural therapies, without most politicians even realising the impact of their actions.
The knock-out blow for all things natural is contained in the 2015 NHMRC Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance “to ensure private health insurance covers clinically proven treatments”.
I say that this was a corruptly motivated review and that it is an absolute ‘demolition derby’ of all of the above 17 natural professions by a biased NHMRC, which concluded at page 3:
“The purpose of the Review was to ensure that natural therapies are underpinned by a credible evidence base that demonstrates their clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness and safety and quality. The Rebate will be paid for insurance products that cover natural therapy services as described in the previous Government’s media release:
The Private Health Insurance Rebate will be paid for insurance products that cover natural therapy services only where the Chief Medical Officer finds there is clear evidence they are clinically effective.
“Such clear evidence has not been found.”
Then on page 4 it states:
“Overall, there was not reliable, high-quality evidence available to allow assessment of the clinical effectiveness of any of the natural therapies for any health conditions.”
To understand how biased and corrupt these conclusions are, you will need to consider how the NHMRC dealt with the other contentiousness health debate of the day concerning compulsory vaccination, the ‘no jab, no pay’ game. This is the Australian Immunisation Handbook, which in my contention is staggeringly incompetent in its pseudo-science approach to the efficacy of vaccines and is clear evidence of a raging criminal conspiracy and corruption. A separate post coming soon.
“I say it is time for political action to be taken to dismantle the NHMRC’s charade of being Australia’s peak custodian of health science knowledge and ethics and to also address the flagrant conflicts of interest endemic to our health policy determinations by all Australian health regulatory arms.”
If you think I am over stating the scenario, consider these facts. I assisted an unfairly attacked health practitioner, through the 66 day longest Victorian health case in 2013, before a blatantly biased VCAT hearing headed by Senior Member Robert Davis.
The VCAT Tribunal overlooked the entire evidence of all six medical doctors, who were experts in the same field as the registered health practitioner, when addressing the seven allegations relating to his professional conduct. This evidence related to treatment of a single patient who had only complained in the first instance because he did not want to pay the bill owing to the practitioner.
This biased, and I say probably corrupt, Tribunal deregistered the practitioner by cherry-picking evidence from various non-expert witnesses, including the actual practitioner who was the first attack subject leading to the formation of a body called the ‘Friends of Science in Medicine’, the ultimate source of biased, cherry-picking science.
Please note this amazing fact from this case, which is the reason why natural health practitioners who are singled out have no hope of defending a claim under the new Victorian Health Complaints Act ( or various other State acts): the deregistered practitioner had 906 peer reviewed journal articles on his website to substantiate his treatments.
“Not good enough science” AHPRA said. At least AHPRA, (the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency), was embarrassed enough by VCAT’s bias, to later withdraw this case from its website list of relevant cases that are listed to guide other registered practitioners.
Fortunately, the practitioner successfully defended a prohibition order sought by AHPRA so the brilliant health practitioner still practises, plus significantly, he was found to be of good character, a priceless asset worth fighting to the extremely bitter and disillusioning end.
I say that the NHMRC is a complacent unaccountable gravy train of corruption. We say the same about the Friends of Science in Medicine. Both of these bodies attack any one who dares to question what they say. Both of these bodies are implacably opposed to natural health remedies. I say NHMRC and the Friends of “cherry-picking” Science are the wrecking balls of human health.
The PUNCHLINE of this sad state of affairs therefore is this:
a practitioner brought before state-based complaints bodies will be UNABLE TO SUBSTANTIATE THEIR CLAIMS TO EFFICACY because the NHMRC’S 2015 EVIDENCE WILL BE PREFERRED
On top of this, in Victoria, no peer review applies, unlike the mainstream medical community regime of governance which has a minimum of eight peer group practitioners involved before prohibition can take place under AHPRA legislation. Thus, the Health Complaints Commissioner’s sole opinion will apply.
That is further reason why there is no hope of winning and why I say that the new law sadly heralds an effective abolition of the legal right to practice 17 natural therapy professions.
Graeme Little LL.B/B.Ec (Monash 1978), Health Politics School of Hard Knocks (1979-2016)
“School Of Hard Knocks”
[chorus]
We from the school, the school of hardknocks
Who’s ready to rock? (ready to rock)
Are you ready to rock? (ready to rock)
Round’n up suckaz, knock’em, knock’em out the boxGraduate at 13, the streets made me a scholar
Flood the microphone, one by one, hear’em holler
The sure shoots, rock box, rhym’n on blasted beats
Mics on my side, they call me Hip Hop Along Cassidy
Rap’n catasrophe, but only time will tell
Could we excel and rock bells like LL
Made me feel I was ill, music euphoria
Went to the doctor, D.O.C gave me the formula
Hey young world, the world is yours
Turned my whole wide world into metaphors
You kept me straight, when times got hard
So let me reminisce over you my God[chorus]
I came through the door, I said it before
We pioneers, redefining hardcore
You want more MC’s and DJ’s
Dues we pays 8 out of 7 days
In many ways, I’ve seen a lot go around
Pound for pound from S.D to Boogie Down
We’ve been around, bout as round as they come
From all yes y’alls, to dum ditty dum dum
See this is philosophy, on the industry
That there ain’t no other brothaz bout as bad as we
You see my squad stays on point
Rock this funky joint.
Can you dig it?[chorus]
Looking forward to speaking to any natural practitioners, and/or their professional associations in any Australian State, as to how we can gang tackle this military assault on their right to practice, and the right of their patients to choose which medical model to harness their health – Natural or Chemical.
Thanks to naturopaths Ann Vlass and Ben Greening, my first official event is next Tuesday 7 June in Melbourne see PDF flyer
Bookings can be made via the Flyer Link or through Eventbrite
Source: https://fightpharmacorruption.com/2016/05/30/new-victorian-law-abolishes-the-right-to-practice-17-popular-natural-health-therapies/
Graeme Little
Health Politics Advocate/Lawyer
glittle@frenchislandretreat.com.au
Postal address: Tankerton Post Office, French Island, Victoria, Australia, 3921
+61(0) 402 90 47 49