At the regularly scheduled Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States (HPCUS) Board Meeting of August 5, 2008, John A. (Jack) Borneman, III, RPh, announced that after 23 years of service to the homeopathic community as President of HPCUS, he will transition to the newly created role of HPCUS Chairman of the Board.  The Directors subsequently unanimously elected J.P. (Jay) Borneman, PhD, to the position of the third President of HPCUS since its incorporation in 1980.

In his position as Chairman, Jack Borneman will provide counsel to the HPCUS Board and organization members. He will also continue to oversee sales of the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States.

During his years as HPCUS President, Jack worked diligently to ensure that homeopathy remained current and well represented to its constituents. His dedication and passion for the industry were demonstrated in each of his many accomplishments. The HPCUS Board congratulates Jack on his new role with HPCUS and looks forward to his continued success. The Board also thanks both Jack and his wife, Nancy, for their many years of outstanding service to the homeopathic community.

Day-to-day management of HPCUS matters will now pass to Jay Borneman with the assistance of Executive Director Andy P. Bormeth, RPh, and HPUS Editor Clark P. Baker. Jay, Jack’s son, has been a HPCUS member since 1980 and Chairman of the Council on Pharmacy since 1986. Additionally, Jay, an emeritus Director of NCH, serves on the Advisory Boards of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Policy and Public Health at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Jay is the Chairman and CEO of Standard Homeopathic Company.

Source: Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States

by Jean Hoagland, Member of the NCH Board of Directors

Members of the NCH Board of Directors believe “NCH Gives You More For Less!” NCH brings you: media exposure for homeopathy; an informative, user-friendly website; an annual Practitioner Directory & Resource Guide (also online); the always enlightening Homeopathy Today magazine (archived online); the information-packed NCH e-Newsletter; numerous On the Road training seminars; advocacy in the halls of Washington and beyond—all for the least amount of money, only $55 per member. Get on our team and you will benefit.

Mark your calendars

And now the NCH staff and board are busily preparing for another exciting event! Mark your calendars for March 27–29, 2009, and plan to be in Bellevue, Washington, just 20 minutes across the water from downtown Seattle, for the 4th annual Joint American Homeopathic Conference entitled, “Homeopathy Meets the Challenge of Raising Healthy Children.”

The conference, a joint venture first suggested by the Homeopathic Action Alliance (HAA) and its member organizations, provides a major step forward for homeopathy. This melding of hearts and minds of members of many different homeopathic professional groups shows that we are all in this together! A big thank you to these representative organizations for helping to select the speakers and plan the schedules: The American Institute of Homeopathy (AIH), the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (HANP), the North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH), and the Homeopathic Nurses Association (HNA), who will all have booths for you to visit at the conference.

All this in one weekend?!

Although I have been to many conferences, I am especially excited about this one. Sure, you can go hear a speaker here and a speaker there at seminars around the country—but save yourself time and come hear some of the most experienced practitioners and excellent speakers all in one weekend. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. And the camaraderie is unequaled!

Out and proud

Homeopathy has done much to come out of its shell in recent years. We are long past the time when we had to answer the question “ho-me-o what?” and are even getting past having to explain that it is not herbal medicine. Homeopaths no longer hunker down in their own little corners, feeling or being misunderstood. Do you ever hear the words “safe,” “effective,” and “less expensive” in the pervasive drug advertising on TV and in magazines? Not likely. But we know those words to be valid in homeopathic practice.

Homeopathy need no longer be on the defensive when vying for a position in health care. While we respect those who may disagree with us on these issues, we now see and hear both lay and professional NCH members standing tall and confidently stating: “We have a proven record of using natural sources, prepared in a scientific manner, which have benefited more people for less money. Let us show you how.” We proudly declare we are homeopathic practitioners and consumers.

Rub shoulders and clink glasses!

At the 2009 Annual Conference you will meet people who not only feel this way but also live it daily. You can see, meet, and hear some of North America’s finest homeopathic practitioners speak to issues you, your family, and your friends confront every day. For example, renowned writers, teachers, and homeopaths Miranda Castro, FSHom, CCH, and Amy Rothenberg, ND, DHANP, will give you insight, training, and tips learned from many years of practice in their day-long seminars on: Homeopathy for Mothers & Babies and Homeopathy for Your School-Aged Child (see the July/August Homeopathy Today and this issue for some of their articles). New and experienced mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, and families of all ages, sizes, and types can benefit.

Additionally you can meet and hear these experienced and sought-after homeopaths as they speak on a variety of topics: Luc DeShepper, MD, John Melnychuck, CCH, Will Taylor, MD, Karen Allen, CCH, Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, ND, DHANP, LCSW, Robert Ullman, ND, DHANP, Ifeoma Ikenze, MD, DIHom, and Dana Ullman, MPH. (See page 2 for details.) You will meet dozens of folks just like you who come to see, hear, and learn. Get acquainted and reacquainted. Learn from each other. Remember to visit, at your leisure, the Poster Session, which has grown in popularity—an exciting opportunity for those doing special projects in the community to share and demonstrate their work in a relaxed one-on-one atmosphere. Then, when your head is chock full of information and you feel unable to hold more, you can sit down and share your joy with a new or old friend. Or grab a plate from the Saturday lunchtime buffet and plunk yourself down at one of the round-table discussions led by renowned homeopaths on a variety of stimulating topics.

Do touch the merchandise

Remember that there are many commercial vendors to show you the products you’ve read about and wished you could see. And there will be non-commercial booths from the professional organizations already mentioned plus the Council on Homeopathic Certification (CHC), the Council for Homeopathic Education (CHE), the American Board of Homeotherapeutics (ABHt), Homeopaths Without Borders (HWB), NCH, and others. It will boggle your mind to realize how much homeopathy’s influence has grown.

Remember: It is all in one place! Save time and gas, and get a huge chunk of homeopathy at the 2009 annual Joint American Homeopathic Conference!

That’s not all. Because of the continuing interest in the right to use and practice homeopathy, many in the homeopathic community feel homeopathy has reached the tipping point; plans have gone from simmering to boiling to initiate a national discussion on the need for homeopathy to find its rightful and legal place in available health care. Conclusions may not be reached, but the issues need airing. On Friday night Nancy Gahles, President of the NCH, will chair an annual meeting of NCH members and speak on the “State of Homeopathy.” She will be followed by Todd Rowe, MD, DHt, CCH, a Past-President of NCH along with Heidi Schor, CCH, offering ideas for a variety of “Homeopathic Models of Practice for the Profession.” It is time to look seriously at this issue. Let us hear your voices.

Travel light…

A warning: Allow space in your luggage for books and other material, or plan on paying to ship it all home! Unless, that is, you are so very self-disciplined that you don’t buy books and products you really “can’t do without.” Oh, the temptations!

See you in Bellevue, Washington!
For more info visit www.NationalCenterForHomeopathy.org.

The NCH is governed by an eleven-member volunteer Board of Directors which, since its inception, traditionally has maintained a balance of consumers and health care professionals. The directorship terms are staggered to assure continuity of the Board.

At this time, we are calling for recommendations for nominations from the general membership for the position of Board member. A person recommended for nomination must have been a member of the NCH for a minimum of one year prior to election to the Board, according to the bylaws. The term of directorship is three years. The Board is a “working” board. In addition to governance, members contribute their time and skills toward various projects and committees. Members are not compensated for their services, but are reimbursed only for their travel and lodging expenses to attend Board meetings. Currently, the Board holds two meetings a year and communicates via e-mail, phone, and mail throughout the year.

NCH members wishing to recommend other members for nomination to the Board should mail a letter to the NCH office. The letter should include a statement as to why the person is being recommended, what his/her qualifications are, and the address of the person recommended. The deadline for recommendations for nomination is 4:00 p.m. EST, November 7, 2008. The NCH Nominating Committee will contact those recommended for nomination and request more information such as a short biography and reasons for wanting to serve on the NCH Board.

The final slate of candidates will be prepared by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. Ballots will be mailed to the membership in late January or early February 2009.

Recommendations for nomination should be sent to:
The Nominating Committee, National Center for Homeopathy,
801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 306, Alexandria, VA 22314.

The current Board members whose terms will expire are:
Nancy Boyer, RN, MNP; Nancy Gahles, DC, CCH, RSHom(NA); Jean Hoagland.