The Path to Homeopathy on the Hill

Today’s Report:

The Path to Homeopathy on the Hill

Homeopathy on the Hill, our annual advocacy event that brings homeopathy supporters together with their members of Congress, is almost upon us. But the path to get here is a long one. Today, we thought we’d peel back the curtain and give you a little behind-the-scenes look at what we do, each year, to prepare for this important week. 

We start with the recruitment of new members for our Homeopathy Action Team (HAT) the autumn before the big event. Only HAT members are allowed to participate in Homeopathy on the Hill. We do this because becoming effective advocates for homeopathy who interact with members of Congress and their staff requires training and practice.

The new HAT members go through our version of boot camp. (It’s actually a very nice version that allows you to learn on your own schedule.) One thing HAT members learn is Congressional etiquette: how to get an appointment, how to address members of Congress and their staffs, and how to dress for meetings (even online ones). Our HAT volunteers also learn how to talk about the issue of homeopathy, for example, what to say, what NOT to say, and the importance of staying on the prepared talking points while building rapport. We believe and teach our volunteers that each encounter with members of Congress is a healing moment. After all, we are healers whether we are professional practitioners or parents who keep our families healthy through homeopathy.

Of course, the logic behind this approach is that HAT members are actual constituents of members of Congress, living in their districts or the state represented by their senators. Elected officials are always attentive when constituents come to call, especially well-prepared ones. For each constituent who contacts them, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate believe there are hundreds if not thousands more like them in their districts or states.

As the year begins, Americans for Homeopathy Choice Action (AFHC-A) leans heavily on its legal and communications team to work up a message supporting our aims. That includes specific language for our “ask,” that is, what we are specifically asking Congress to do. It includes background materials 1) explaining what AFHC Action is and who is behind the organization, 2) providing basic information about homeopathy, 3) briefing Congress on our interactions with the FDA and with Congress in the past, and 4) a look ahead at our goals for protecting access to homeopathic medicines.

Then, HAT members are given the materials the legal and communications team has prepared and briefed on how they should proceed. They make appointments, typically with staff members, and within a week or two, they deliver their message. Since the meetings are meant to be a dialogue, they also gather important feedback and convey it to AFHC Action leadership to help them understand how the message is resonating and how it can be refined.

During this year’s event, we are focusing on bringing homeopathic eye drops back to the U.S. market. We want Congress to understand just how much the FDA’s arbitrary withdrawals of homeopathic products are affecting our members and the broader homeopathy community.

We look forward to reporting what we learn from Congress after Homeopathy on the Hill is over. We thank you for your support which has enabled another year of our biggest annual event.

Wait, what? Our homeopathic eye drops are gone?

Maybe you missed the announcement last winter, but homeopathic eye drops are gone. 

FDA has targeted another category of homeopathic medicines, withdrawing all known homeopathic eye drops from the U.S. market. On December 12 the agency issued a consumer advisory in which it told consumers NOT to use homeopathic eye drops because “these products should not be marketed.” It became clear that day that the agency does not intend for any of the products withdrawn to be returned.

We’ve warned for years that it would come to this—even though the FDA has not demonstrated any harm to consumers or pointed to any adverse reaction reports regarding homeopathic eye drops or the injectable homeopathics that the FDA previously eliminated from American shelves.

Tell Congress we want homeopathic eye drops back

As our Homeopathy on the Hill event draws near, you can help! If you have not done so already, we urge you to send a message to your federal legislators in the U.S. House and Senate. To send a pre-written message directed to your legislators, click on the button below: