Sen. Tom Harkin Honored for Safeguarding Americans' Right to Choose Complementary Health Care

MILWAUKIE, Ore., March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) was honored recently by the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP) with an award of appreciation for introducing and supporting legislation that safeguards Americans' right to choose complementary health care. Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Harkin is a longtime supporter of patient access to homeopathic medicines.

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Mark Land, president of AAHP, said, "We value the Senator's passion for improving people's health and holding down health care costs through healthier living. The AAHP and its members deeply appreciate the Senator's support of homeopathic medicines as a health care choice."

Homeopathic medicines provide relatively low-cost, non-prescription options for self-treatable conditions in the marketplace. They have an extraordinary record of safety for any class of drugs, which encourages a proactive health approach at the first sign of symptom. More than 200 years of successful medical use throughout the world has provided a strong basis of proof for the safety and usefulness of homeopathic medicines, resulting in this therapy being a growing choice among patients and health care professionals alike.

In a March 4^th letter congratulating the members of AAHP on their 90^th anniversary, Senator Harkin recognized the importance of AAHP's mission "to promote responsible industry practices for regulatory compliance, strengthen ingredient product quality, and ensure truthful and compliant product labeling and consumer safety through education outreach."

"Throughout my career in Congress, I have been pleased to work closely with AAHP representatives to ensure that my constituents and all Americans continue to enjoy access to a wide range of personalized homeopathic medicines," wrote Senator Harkin.

Senator Harkin received the plaque from AAHP, the first of its kind presented by the not-for-profit organization, during his visit to the Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center in Calif. on March 8.

Founded in 1923, the AAHP is a not-for-profit corporation of the State Commonwealth of Virginia, representing the interests of homeopathic manufacturers, distributors, and individual pharmacists in cooperative efforts with regulatory agencies and other organizations nationally. The AAHP functions as a trade association within the homeopathic pharmaceutical industry to represent the opinions and interests of homeopathic product manufacturers and distributors, the FDA, other regulatory agencies and other trade associations. In addition, the association promotes high standards in manufacturing and distributing, communicates regulatory changes to member companies through a regular newsletter, and promotes professional communications, education, and research within the homeopathic community.

RELATED LINKS: http://www.homeopathicpharmacy.org

SOURCE American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists