Tom Harkin for Evidence-Free Healthcare

Senator Harkin Champions Natural Health Care at Northwestern Health Sciences University

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, visited Northwestern Health Sciences University on Jan. 18 2008, to encourage students, staff, and faculty to continue their dedication to natural health care, and promise his support on a national level.

Harkin has been a longtime supporter of natural health care, making several references to his personal experiences – and success – with chiropractic and acupuncture care.

In addition, Harkin said one of his friends in Congress was diagnosed with cancer in the late 1980s, and although the outlook was bleak, he survived and attributes his victory to the help of natural health care.

Harkin said he was prompted to look at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget and discovered not one penny was going into alternative health care. Harkin went on to tackle this issue, and passed legislation to allocate $2 million to natural health care annually through the NIH.

“I’m pursuing a broader legislative agenda, focusing on disease prevention and wellness,” Harkin said. “There are very few incentives to keep you well.”

Nearly 50 to 60 percent of chronic disease paid for by Medicare is preventable, Harkin said, mentioning that billions are spent on pills and surgeries, treating symptoms instead of the causes of illness.

“One definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior over and over, yet expecting different results,” Harkin said. “By that definition our health care system in America is truly insane. It’s uneconomic, unwise and unstable. (Natural health care) is good for the physical health of America and the fiscal health of our government.”

Mark Zeigler, DC, president of Northwestern, introduced Harkin with a warm welcome and appreciation of his work in Washington D.C.

“Senator Harkin is working on a bill to guarantee the coverage of preventative services,” Dr. Zeigler said, agreeing with Harkin’s assessment that America has a sick care system instead of a health care system. “You rarely find that kind of commitment on the Senate floor,” Dr. Zeigler said of Harkin’s efforts.

Harkin said while his role is to try and reduce as many barriers for natural health care practitioners as possible, it is the responsibility of practitioners and patients to communicate with their congressmen about the need for natural health care programs.

Northwestern Health Sciences University offers a wide array of choices in natural health care education including chiropractic, Oriental medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, human biology, and integrative health and wellness. The University has more than 900 full-time students on a 25-acre campus in Bloomington, Minn.