News, Policy & Economics

Fraudulent Research Floods Nutrition Field, Corroding Credibility

By Erik Goldman, Editor

Good medical practice is based on trust. Patients trust that practitioners are knowledgeable, and that they use their knowledge intheir patients’ best interests. In turn, practitioners trust that researchers run their studies honestly, and that editors and peer-reviewers of the medical journals carefully scrutinize the papers they receive, sift out the garbage, and only publish […]

Corporate Collusion & Wealth Concentration: How Healthcare Perpetuates Poverty

By Erik Goldman

Recently, The Guardian published a disturbing report about how North Carolina’s Atrium Health—the nation’s third largest non-profit healthcare system—was putting liens on the homes of people unable to pay their medical debts. There have been thousands of these cases, most involving people who have medical insurance, but whose benefit plans were inadequate to cover massive […]

How One Non-Profit is Freeing Millions from Medical Debt

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Over the last decade, a non-profit organization called RIP Medical Debt has quietly emancipated millions of Americans from the crippling burden of healthcare bills that they simply cannot afford to pay. How? By using funds contributed by donors large and small to buy debts for pennies on the dollar—at the same prices that collections agencies […]

Telemedicine on the Rise in Holistic Healthcare

By Erik Goldman

Telemedicine is now commonplace in holistic medical practices, and practitioners who offer teleconsultations are very satisfied with the experience. That’s one of the main findings from Holistic Primary Care’s 2023 practitioner survey, conducted over the summer in collaboration with Nutrition Business Journal. The 70-question survey covered a broad range of topics—from the impact of the […]

Naturopathic Schools Scrap Merger Plan

By Erik Goldman

After months of deliberation and community feedback, Bastyr University and National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) have decided against moving forward with a proposed merger. In a joint statement issued on November 7, Drs. Melanie Henriksen & Devin Byrd, the presidents of NUNM and Bastyr, respectively, stated that, “we believe at this time it is […]

In Memoriam: Michael A. Stroka (November 5, 1969 – June 14, 2023)

By Erik Goldman

Holistic Primary Care honors the fruitful life, and laments the untimely death, of Michael A. Stroka, co-founder and CEO of the American Nutrition Association (ANA). A tireless advocate for the principle of Food-as-Medicine, Stroka accomplished much in his 53 years. With combined JD and MBA degrees from the University of Virginia, Michael began his career […]

In Surprise Move, Leading Naturopathic Schools Plan to Merge

By Erik Goldman

Two of the country’s leading naturopathic medical schools are planning to merge and become a single institution, a move that surprised many in the field. In June, the presidents of National University of Naturopathic Medicine (NUNM) and Bastyr University jointly announced a non-binding letter of intent to come together under one banner some time in […]

A Renewed Push to Include Supplements in Fed Programs

By Erik Goldman

Should people with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) be permitted to use their tax-deferred dollars to buy dietary supplements and herbal medicines? It’s a question that will once again confront members of Congress in the months to come. Under current federal tax rules, supplements are excluded from HSAs and also from Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), unless […]

Injunction Slows CA’s Physician “Gag” Law

By Erik Goldman

Advocates for medical freedom of speech won a significant, if limited, victory in late January when Senior US District Judge William Shubb issued a preliminary injunction that hinders the implementation of AB 2098—a new California law aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19 “misinformation” and “disinformation.” The law, which passed the California legislature last summer […]