The National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) has once again been leading the fight to protect homeopathy from attacks.

The FDA this week sent a Warning Letter to the makers of the over-the-counter drug Zicam over concerns the drug may effect the sense of smell in those who use it.  Zicam contains a 1X  solution of zinc gluconate along with many other ingredients.

An AP news story covering the FDA warning contained a number of points about homeopathy that were flat wrong.  NCH - working closely with the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP) swung into immediate action to correct those misstatements and protect homeopathy by issuing press releases, speaking with reporters, coordinating the responses of practitioners and by posting special alerts on the NCH websites.

The facts are very simple.  Homeopathy has an exemplary safety record and has maintained that record for over 200 years.  Every government agency that tracks drug safety has verified that fact.  Consumers and healthcare professionals alike should be assured that the FDA’s action in regards to certain Zicam products, does not apply to this class of drugs as a whole.  Rather, the FDA’s advisory relates only to the nasal application of a specific zinc product.

by, Edward Conway Member of the NCH Board of Directors

This point in history is marked by challenging times; a floundering economy, expensive health care, a rising cost of living and a world divided by war and extremist points of view, just to name a few.  Our lives seem to be filled with more stress and distractions than ever before.  Not to worry - we have homeopathy and the National Center for Homeopathy.   If you will indulge me for just a few more paragraphs, I will explain.

At the root of every great society, are the community organizations and the individuals that make up those communities.  These are the building blocks that form the foundation of our society, keep us from falling into chaos, help us overcome adversity and face the challenges of the future.  The National Center for Homeopathy is such an organization, the only national organization representing the interests of homeopathy.

Despite these trying times, our community is strong and vibrant.  I am consistently inspired by the individual members I meet at our annual conference, both young and experienced.  With varying levels of interest and education in homeopathy, each individual seems to have a unique and profound story about how they came to homeopathy.  I recall learning from one mom who came to tears describing the health ordeal of her own child.  After years of unsuccessful treatment allopathically, she found a homeopath, who transformed her son’s health and life.  One could only be humbled by her tears of joy and the details of what happened.  Within our rich community, there are hundreds, if not thousands of cases similar to this one.  These are the experiences that help define our membership; that bring us together, help us learn from one another and insure the future of homeopathic medicine.

While our community is strong, new technologies provide us an opportunity to accelerate and enhance the way we communicate.  They also offer the chance to broaden and strengthen our numbers, which can only be a good thing for homeopathy and for the many new individuals who will experience this powerful system of medicine.  To facilitate this, we have begun to build a new web application that will serve as a platform to help members stay connected and relate to one another more consistently and more personally.  Our goal is to build a member driven social network online, where members can interact with other members and groups, participate in blogs and forums as well as in the generation of content and future applications.  How often and how much you participate will be entirely up to you and the applications will have the appropriate privacy and user safeguards to accommodate individual levels of comfort.

Although we all have numerous options for engaging in social networking online, we believe our membership and shared experience is a solid foundation for creating a social network unlike any other, one that capitalizes on the unique strengths each of us brings to the organization and one that is united by the common interest in homeopathy.  Those who engage in this community effort should find it enlightening, fun at times and on occasion may even get to see it take on a life of its own.

Even though we can’t require members to participate, I do want to express that as members of the community we all have a responsibility to one another.  This technology can mobilize us and make us stronger.  We can make a difference and we can make a positive impact on the health of others and the health care system in general - should we decide to.  This is an exciting time for the National Center for Homeopathy, our community and for homeopathy.  I look forward to helping you launch this new community in the coming months.  In the meantime, feel free to email me your comments and suggestions for making this a better tool for you.  conway@nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org