Tag: legislative alchemy

Legislative Alchemy 2019: Naturopaths gain licensure in two states, try for authority to grant vaccination medical exemptions
Thanks to the magic of Legislative Alchemy, Idaho and New Mexico licensed naturopaths as primary care doctors in 2019. Naturopaths are also seeking the authority to grant medical exemptions to vaccination and prescribe drugs in several states.

Ayurvedic practitioners push for licensing in Colorado
Ayurvedic practitioners' attempt to become licensed health care professionals in Colorado failed an initial review but that is unlikely to stop them from pursuing their goal. Ayurveda is pseudoscience and its practices can be dangerous. Unfortunately, that is no barrier to state licensing.

HB 4710: Licensing and expanding the scope of practice of acupuncturists in Michigan
Last week, HB 4710, a bill to license acupuncturists, was considered by the Michigan House of Representatives Health Policy Committee. If passed into law, HB 4710 would do far more than license the quackery that is acupuncture. It would also expand the scope of practice of acupuncturists to include homeopathy, "health coaching", and dietary advice, and is yet another example of what...

Legislative Alchemy 2018: Acupuncturists seek practice expansion and competition elimination
Acupuncturists want to expand their scope of practice far beyond sticking needles in people. Too many states are allowing them to treat pretty much anything with unproven and potentially dangerous remedies.

Legislative Alchemy 2018: Chiropractors rebranding as primary care physicians continues
Chiropractors are not properly educated and trained to be primary care physicians. Yet, their campaign to rebrand themselves as PCPs via legislation continues.

Legislative Alchemy 2018: naturopathic licensing and practice expansion shutout?
Naturopathic doctors pushed for licensing and practice expansion in 16 states in 2018. Looks like they are in for a complete shutout.

Legislative Alchemy: Michigan naturopathic licensing bill passes Senate
A bill granting naturopathic doctors one of the broadest scopes of practice in the country passed in the Michigan Senate. If enacted, the egregious quackery already being practiced by Michigan naturopaths will bear the imprimatur of state approval and rectifying harm to consumers will become much harder.

Direct Primary Care Agreements and Chiropractors: A bad deal for patients
Chiropractors are not "primary care physicians" and shouldn't be allowed to pretend otherwise by entering into "direct primary care" agreements with their patients.

More Political Science: Proposed laws protect “Lyme literate” doctors from discipline
"Lyme literate" doctors are scamming patients out of thousands of dollars with needless long-term antibiotics based on a fake diagnosis of "chronic Lyme." So why are state legislators trying to protect these doctors from discipline and make insurers pay for unnecessary treatments?

“Integrative medicine” advocates: Co-opting the opioid crisis to promote funding for acupuncture by Medicaid
The opioid epidemic is a serious public health crisis in the U.S., and new tools and treatments to deal with chronic pain are urgently needed. Unfortunately, where public health officials see a crisis, advocates of "integrating" quackery with science-based medicine see an opportunity. In this case, promoters of pseudomedicine are taking advantage of the opioid crisis to persuade state Medicaid systems to...