Alan Howell Essential Oils

Shechina

21, Chatsworth Crescent

HOUNSLOW

Middlesex

England

TW3 2PE

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0208 569 8440

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0208 569 8440

0845 458 5757

0845 458 5757

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Shechina

Essential Oils

By Alan Howell

Dear customers, patients and colleagues,
I am writing on behalf of all at Helios to ask for your help.

A review of the Medicines Act 1968 is currently taking place. Section 10 of this Act concerns licensing exemptions for pharmacists, and covers our freedom to supply a large number of different homoeopathic remedies. This section has not been updated despite a public consultation last January, to which the entire homoeopathic community submitted their concerns and suggestions.

The vast majority of the 3500 remedies available from homoeopathic pharmacies are unlicensed. The 60 or so remedies which are licensed are those retailed in health stores and community pharmacies and include Helios' licensed remedies. Section 10 (4a) states that a pharmacy can supply an unlicensed remedy to you directly but you have to be physically present in the pharmacy. For the last 44 years and beyond, the specialist pharmacies have provided homoeopathic medicines, to all corners of the country, by phone, post, fax and more recently e-mail and internet. This is a safe and convenient service which has continued without complaint or risk to customers for decades and it is important that access to remedies continues. The practical suggestion put forward was that homoeopathic remedies above 6x be exempt from this face to face transaction.

Time is short but there is an opportunity now to highlight this issue and effect a change by writing to your MP. Below is a letter created by the homoeopathic organisations which is being circulated. It gives details of how you can help. We would be grateful if you could take the time to let your MP know the impact that the enforcement of this law would have on your choice of healthcare and lifestyle if access to your remedies were severely restricted. Don't forget to include your home address and postcode on all correspondence.
Thank you very much.

This campaign also has a global petition at Avaaz:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Your_Access_to_Homoeopathy_is_Under_Threat/ ?eNXFaab

Finally if you are a Facebook user, liking the 'Homeopathy worked for me' page will help to show the depth of homoeopathic support.
http://www.facebook.com/HoWFMe

With all good wishes.

John Morgan MRPharmS, RSHom
Managing Director
21st May 2012
Please feel free to forward this e-mail.

Your access to homeopathic medicines is under threat

Why?
The Medicines Act is being simplified, which is a good thing because much duplication is being removed. However, as a result there are some key elements which could adversely affect your access to homeopathic medicines if the proposals go into force.
What will happen to my access to homeopathic medicines?
If the current proposals by the MHRA are endorsed by government the following would occur:

• You would no longer be able to get homeopathic medicines by phone or online To get any unlicensed homeopathic medicine a face-to-face consultation would be required at a registered pharmacy. Unlicensed medicines number in the thousands and make up the majority of homeopathic prescriptions, while there are only 50 licenced homeopathic medicines. This will also mean you cannot legally buy unlicensed homeopathic medicines online or over the phone as you currently do.
  
  
• Homeopaths would not be able to dispense or prescribe medicines to you Homeopathic practitioners would not be able to dispense unlicensed homeopathic medicines to their patients. This arises because homeopaths are not recognised by this law as being supplementary prescribers and it will be illegal for homeopathic pharmacies to supply them with the essential (unlicensed) medicines required for their patients.
  
  
• You would have to get your homeopathic medicines personally at a handful of licenced homeopathic pharmacies in Britain Hundreds of thousands of people who currently have prescriptions filled for unlicensed homeopathic medicines will be unable to obtain their urgent medicines. The estimated 6 million users of homeopathy in Britain cannot be expected to be supplied medicines face-to-face by less than five licenced premises.
  
  

What you can do to stop this from happening!
Write to your MP and tell him or her - especially if your MP sits on the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments or is involved with Health or Pharmacy.
We are not asking to move mountains. All that needs to be done is a small change to Section 10 of the proposed new Medicines Act to allow greater freedom to dispense remedies to practitioners and could also overcome the face-to-face issue which is unworkable.
On the next page you will find a few helpful bullets and links to assist you in contacting your MP on this issue.
It is anticipated that the new Medicines Act will be put before the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for approval in late May/early June for implementation in July, so your swift action is critical!
Write to your MP: Medicines Act consolidation 2012
You can identify the name of your MP by using this website: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/
You can find out who sits on what committees by going to this website:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/statutory-instruments/membership/
A few helpful points that could be used in your letter.
It is not necessary or recommended to include all the text suggested here. It is critical that you personalise your letter with your own views and experiences. Overall, try to keep the letter short (a page or less), and emphasise any points that are relevant to the particular MP.

• I'm deeply concerned a draft proposal set out by the MHRA as part of its consolidation and review of the Medicines Act 1968 could have a significant impact on my ability as a patient to access homeopathic medicines in the UK.
  
  
• In its current form section 10 of the proposal would only allow unlicensed homeopathic medicines to be bought directly from a pharmacist face-to-face, in effect outlawing the purchase of these medicines over the telephone or via online ordering. This would mean I would be deprived of the medicines that I have found to be so beneficial to my health.
  
  
• There are only five homeopathic pharmacies in the UK, so most homeopathic medicines are ordered from these specialist pharmacies either by phone or via the Internet. Therefore the enforcement of section 10 in its current form will have serious consequences for the six million people in the UK who choose to use this form of complementary medicine.
  
  
• If not revised the proposal would also have serious consequences for more than 2,000 homeopathic practitioners, many of whom would find it impossible to treat patients like myself because they can no longer obtain the appropriate homeopathic medicine.
  
  
• I understand that a central plank of government health policy is to increase patient choice. Section 10 will eliminate choice for people like me who want to be treated with homeopathy.
  
  
• I would like to call on your support in getting the Health Minister to revise slightly the proposed language of the revised Medicines Act to ensure that I have continued access to a full range of homeopathic medicines and my right to choose homeopathic treatment is maintained.