(Updated 24th June 2024)
They're defunding Natural Health Education Courses!
As natural health practitioners leave their professions, either through retirement, or by being hounded out by oppressive regulations that restrict their ability to practise their art, and even threaten them with fines and imprisonment, if they stray too far, just who is going to replace them? The answer is obvious: the hypodermic needle!
A threat to our collective health that isn't receiving much attention is the gradual decrease in funding for tertiary natural health programmes, such as for herbalism and naturopathy. This raises the question of where our future natural health professionals will come from once current ones retire. Without qualified practitioners, people will have limited options for health guidance aside from their doctor, who typically only receives a minimal amount of nutrition education during their medical training — A handful of hours dedicated almost entirely to examining the effects of certain natural substances, including grapefruit and garlic, on drug interactions, and not much else. Doctors who haven't taken additional courses in nutrition therapies after graduating are among the least qualified health professionals to prescribe such treatments.
Also, they're hoovering up natural therapies!
There's a war being waged against natural health practitioners, including the few doctors still in practise who include natural health therapies in their treatments. Also, the medical-industrial complex is steadily hoovering up ownership of all natural products — plants, herbs, and more — everything in nature — so there's no option left for people to keep well, other than extremely expensive and toxic patented pharmaceuticals derived from manipulating plant remedies, including mRNA drugs and, of course, surgery.
To assist clearing of the way for the total global dominance of healthcare is to get rid of pesky natural health practitioners such as myself. It's happening and well underway. The intention of the Therapeutic Products Act, now being repealed, was to expedite this takeover of natural health, and included terrifying penalties for any health professional who failed to comply. For some, if not most natural health professionals, they'd prefer to quit rather than risk financial ruin and possible imprisonment.
A student wrote to me about this education funding crisis now facing the health system. Here's what she wrote (permission granted):
I'm a student of naturopathy and nutrition with Aspire2 Health & Wellbeing, formerly known as the Naturopathic College of New Zealand (NCNZ).
During June 2023 we received the following update from NCNZ...
“We are in the difficult position of having to advise you that as of the end of 2024 we will no longer be able to offer our Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Health Sciences – Naturopathy & Nutrition programme.
This has come about due to significant funding decreases from the Government; and whilst we have worked very hard to administer a cure for these, we are in a position where all possibilities have been exhausted for us.
Please know that we haven’t taken this decision lightly”.
I belong to the final cohort of students completing the level 7 Advanced Diploma during the teach-out period. This is the end of an era for the first naturopathic college in New Zealand.
In July 2023, we received news that Wellpark College of Natural Therapies (Wellpark) was placed into voluntary insolvency and stopped delivery of all programmes. Sixty New Zealand-based students were affected.
Other colleges that trained practitioners for a career in the natural health industry have also closed:
Canterbury College of Natural Medicine, Christchurch, closed in 2011
Waikato Centre for Herbal Studies, closed in 2012
Waikato Centre for Herbal Medicine, closed in 2010
International College of Herbal Medicine, closed in 2016
South Pacific College of Natural Medicine (SPCNM) in Auckland offers the Bachelor of Natural Medicine. SPCNM is now the only private training establishment for natural medicine in New Zealand.
The public health system in New Zealand is broken. New Zealand needs suitably qualified medical herbalists and naturopaths that can contribute to enabling New Zealanders to enjoy health and wellbeing.
I have concerns for the future of the natural health industry and for the health of New Zealanders.
A call to action!
I urge you to either write or, even better, meet with your Member of Parliament to discuss the urgent issue of natural health education. Write, as well, to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education.
Find your MP:
NZDSOS has a very handy, searchable list of MPs to make our efforts to communicate with our MPs so much easier (scroll to the bottom of the article to find the list):
Make these points:
Natural therapies apply the timeless concepts of using food as medicine and allowing the body to heal itself.
These treatments are incredibly cost-effective and help people maintain good health throughout their lifetime, alleviating strain on the healthcare system.
Precious health services are, thus, freed for those in greatest need.
Furthermore, promoting good health in this way enhances the overall productivity of the country.
Please take a few minutes to read this article: