Welcome to the Natural Health Union

From Steve Gorman, President 

I want to thank each of our members for selecting the International Union for the Natural Health, Complementary & Alternative Medicine Professions (IUNH) to represent you.

IUNH is a socially responsible, non-profit organization.  Our mission includes improving America's workplace through the collective bargaining process by providing workers access to better health care.  This is being accomplished, in part, by the integration of complementary and alternative medical benefits into the health plan negotiated for our members and by educating employees and employers about natural ways to improve health - both physical and mental.

My personal belief in alternative medicine evolved from the many years I have worked in the natural foods/products industry.  There, I have had the opportunity to be introduced to a wide range of natural and holistic therapies.  I was also able to personally experience the effectiveness of less invasive more natural therapies for my own family. 

In 1983 I recognized the need for health insurance plans that would include options for those of us who might want to have acupuncture treatments rather than undergo back surgery or want to take homeopathic or herbal remedies instead of or in addition to prescription drugs.  I am not saying that surgery or prescriptions are not often needed - just that there are often other options that may be less costly, less invasive, less dangerous, and more effective.

According to a recent article published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, there are 12,000 deaths per year in the U.S. from unnecessary surgery, 7,000 people die each year from medication errors in hospitals, 20,000 deaths result from other errors in hospitals, 80,000 deaths from infections in hospitals, and 106,000 deaths from non-error, negative effects of drugs - in total, 250,000 people die every year from these causes.

The health insurance industry has been slow to respond to the public demand for alternative medical benefits.  Some classes of practitioners have been successful in gaining recognition (chiropractors, acupuncturists, naturopathic doctors), but even those physicians have to constantly fight the prejudice and money interests that influence the insurance industry.

Recently some health insurance plans have recognized that they have to address alternative medicine but, rather than providing easy and direct reimbursement for these alternative and natural therapies, they have contracted with outside networks who determine which practitioners you have to see and what fees you will have to pay.

My vision has always been to see complementary and alternative medicine fully integrated into health plans with conventional medical care (hospital, doctor, prescription medicines, etc.).  The health plan negotiated for IUNH members does just that!

IUNH offers the opportunity to assist practitioners in gaining greater recognition of their expertise and of the values of alternative and complementary therapies.   

The bottom line is that IUNH is here to serve our members.  Members have been most thankful for our assistance in obtaining health benefits that would cover alternative medicine as well as having good medical and surgical coverage.

We want your input. What would improve your workplace?

Be sure to read my interview with United States Congressman Peter DeFazio - a longtime friend of organic foods and alternative medicine (see link above).  He needs your help to support the Access to Medical Treatment Act.

Please contact your local, state, and federal legislators and demand the right to access alternative medical care from properly credentialed practitioners!