What is Health Freedom?
Diane Miller, JD, founder of the National Health Freedom Coalition and National Health Freedom Action non-profit organizations, shares her perspective based on twenty years of living Health Freedom.
“For me, developing the mission of our organization was essential ….I wanted to preserve the right of all Americans to be able to decide what happens with their bodies and what happens with their children’s bodies when they were making healthcare decisions.” – Diane Miller, JD
Forty years ago, when the organic consumer movement was just beginning, Diane discovered that to have vegetables without pesticides, she had to grow them herself. She says that having only one option available impacts choice, and if people want a path to survive on this planet, the path must be open to make that choice.
Diane’s path began as a medical technologist. She worked in hospitals, and considered herself to be conventional when it came to healthcare. When her children were born, her views began to change. Years later, Diane returned to law school to become part of the conversation surrounding the politics of health and healing.
Diane successfully helped to defend a Minnesota farmer from charges of “practice of medicine without a license.” After State v. Saunders, Miller designed health freedom legislation for the State of Minnesota and was the lead lobbyist and legislative consultant to the Minnesota Natural Health-Legal Reform Project responsible for passing the consumer driven legislation entitled the Minnesota Complementary and Alternative Health Care Freedom of Access Act. The new law exempts unlicensed health care practitioners from charges of “practice of medicine without a license.”
In 2000, Diane co-founded the National Health Freedom Coalition, a national information resource for health freedom decision-making, to support individuals and states that are interested in access to complementary and alternative health care. Ten states now have “Safe Harbor” laws that protect individual choice. In 2019, four additional states are introducing laws that protect unlicensed, holistic practitioners, such as Herbalists, Traditional Naturopaths, Homeopaths, and Energy Workers. These include Maine, Massachusetts, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Twenty years after founding NHFC and NHFA, Diane continues as Legal and Public Policy Director of both organizations. She educates to provide information to grassroots groups who want to develop legislation in their states to protect access to holistic healing modalities and practitioners. Contact NHFC and NHFA for more information.
Listen to the 30-minute interview where Diane talks with me about the latest changes in Naturopathic medicine, as well as the current landscape of homeopathy in the U.S., and how it has changed since the early-1900s when homeopathic medical schools were the mainstream medical model:
Visit The National Health Freedom Coalition website for more information and to connect with Diane’s team.
Rosanne Lindsay is President of the National Health Freedom Coalition, a Traditional Naturopath, writer, blogger, Earth keeper, and author of the books The Nature of Healing, Heal the Body, Heal the Planet and Free Your Voice, Heal Your Thyroid, Reverse Thyroid Disease Naturally. Find her on Facebook at Rosanne Lindsay and at her website at Natureofhealing. Consult with her (Skype or Zoom consults available) at natureofhealing.org. Subscribe to her blog at http://www.natureofhealing.org/blog/ and her podcast Thursdays at 5 pm on Blogtalkradio.
