Healers and Lightworkers

MODALITY: HEALERS AND LIGHTWORKERS' APPROACHES

Important!... 
If you use herbs in your practice, please visit our EU herb challenge webpage

Legislative Risks 

Healers and Lightworkers' approaches to natural healthcare are in the process of being affected by the following EU law.

Click on the links below to read about how this legislation may affect you:

Food Supplements Directive
    ANH summary
    ANH briefing paper FSD / General
    ANH briefing paper FSD / MPLs
    ANH position paper on MPLs (Oct 2007): "MPLs Not Fit for Purpose" 
    ANH article (Jan 2008) "Why should we be concerned about MPLs?"
    EC Draft Commission Regulation Annex I and II

During June 2009 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) completed its assessment of all the dossiers submitted during the derogation period of the transition measures under Article 4(6) of the EU Food Supplements Directive (2002/46/EC).  The updated version of the draft European Commission Regulation intended to amend the Food Supplements Directive to add the substances which received a favourable opinion from EFSA to those already listed on the Positive List in Annex II of the Directive.  The draft Regulation reflected all the substances for which EFSA gave positive opinions and has took the Positive List to 181 allowed forms of vitamins and minerals. 

This draft Regulation then went forward for consideration by a Scrutiny Committee and then to the European Parliament and Council.  When the Regulation was enacted amendments took place within the statutory instrument for each Member State in order for its implementation into law.  The end of the derogation period was officially 31st December 2009 and products containing forms of vitamins and minerals that were not listed on the amended Annex II became illegal under EU law and prohibited from sale.

Practitioners should be aware that there are some substantial gaps and that some forms of vitamins and minerals commonly used in food supplements were no longer allowed from the beginning of 2010.  For example many of the amino acid chelates and vanadium received negative opinions and are not on Annex II.  We would be grateful if you could take the time to check products that you currently use and let us know of any specific forms of vitamins and minerals that are not listed so that we might include this in our submission of stakeholder comments.

Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive
Important! If you use herbs in your practice, please visit our EU herb challenge webpage
    European Commission summary
    ANH summary
    EC specific provisions
    ANH briefing paper THMPD
    ANH response to EMEA re THMPD challenges
    EC Medicinal products for human use (herbal) - Major developments 

Human Medicinal Products Directive
    European Commission summary
    ANH summary

Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation
    European Commission summary
    ANH summary
    ANH briefing paper NHCR updated Dec 09
    EFSA webpage on NHCR with published opinions

Medical Devices Directive
    European Commission summary
    ANH summary

Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
    European Commission summary
    ANH summary:

Under this new directive, a complainant may claim that the healer or therapist acted fraudulently, and the burden of proof will be shifted so that the healer or therapist will have to show that they did not intend to mislead the consumer.
 

Scientific Risks

Healing has been under attack by orthodox doctors and scientists mainly because the mechanisms by which people experience benefits have not been elucidated fully. It is somewhat ironic how pharmacologically-active drugs are nevertheless accepted when their mechanism of action is often not fully understood! 

Heading up the attacks have been scientists like Professor Edzard Ernst and colleagues from Peninsular Medical School, University of Exeter, UK.

A 2003 review of human trials undertaken by Prof Ernst concludes that distant healing gives rise to an effect that is not greater than placebo! For further information on how this might happen, read our exposee of Ernst's methods. 

Fortunately, while the attacks continue, other scientists and making great progress in uncovering the mechanisms behind both hands on and distant healing. Among the leaders in this field is Professor William Tiller (Tiller Foundation / Stanford University).

A new study from University of Cincinnati was publicised on 2 July 2008 and provides further evidence of the effectiveness of healing touch,

Media Risks

Much has been made of the study on therapeutic touch that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) way back in 1998 and the media keep trotting it out ad infinitum when they're looking debunk subtle energy and label healers as charlatans.  It's particularly interesting to note that one of the authors is none other than Stephen Barrett MD of Quackwatch fame!

You might like to read a full critique of the paper by Carla Selby, who was vice president of Rocky Mountain Skeptics and headed up its therapeutic touch special interest group at the time.  In light of what is known about intention and subtle energy fields (see the Tiller Foundation for more detail), the results aren't really a surprise given the relationship between some of the subjects and the authors, and the authors' track record of skepticism, desperate to prove that subtle energy fields don't exist.

As we know, the mind can play powerful tricks if one allow's oneself to become enslaved in the illusions of the ego. 

Professional Bodies / Useful Organisations/ further information

This section under construction.

What you can do

To find out how you can work together with the ANH, to make this much needed paradigm shift a reality, please download a copy the new ANH flyer specifically for healers and lightworkers.