News, Policy & Economics

From Music Gear to Medical PPE: How D’Addario Stepped Up to COVID-19

By Erik Goldman

The D’Addario musical accessories company has been through many ups and downs since its founder Carmine D’Addario (aka Charles) emigrated to Astoria, New York, in 1905, and began making sheep gut guitar strings in a shop behind his house.  But in 4 generations, the company had never ceased operations completely. Then COVID-19 hit the US. […]

Functional Med Practices Show Resilience Through the COVID Storm

By Erik Goldman

Data from a survey of over 3,500 functional, integrative, and metabolic medicine practitioners suggests that most are navigating the stormy post-COVID waters with considerable resilience. Compared with other physician surveys posted over the course of the last 9 months, the functional and holistic clinicians in this cohort report fewer practice closures and less income loss. […]

New Biden COVID Task Force A Mixed Bag for Holistic Medicine

By Erik Goldman

The Biden-Harris administration’s new COVID-19 Advisory Board promises to bring a strong public health perspective to the nation’s pandemic response and a welcome shift away from the haphazard, willfully anti-scientific policies of the Trump administration. But it could be a thorn in the paw for the dietary supplement industry and for some practitioners of natural […]

It Was 20 Years Ago, Today…. Reflecting on HPC’s First Two Decades

By Erik Goldman

On October 15, 2000, the first edition of Holistic Primary Care rolled off the presses at Democrat Printing & Lithography in Little Rock, Arkansas, and into 60,000 doctors’ offices across the country. And just like that, an idea had back in 1986 had suddenly become a tangible reality, giving voice to a movement aimed at […]

When COVID Came to Whitefish

By Kristen Schepker

Covid-19 began as a largely urban issue, but has since spread to far less densely populated regions. Now, the virus is upending daily life in rural areas that once appeared almost immune to its toll.

Your COVID Communications Could be Illegal: How to Avoid FDA & FTC Trouble When Marketing Your Practice

By Erik Goldman

Since COVID erupted, the FTC and FDA have issued hundreds of warning letters to practitioners requiring them to delete online posts about immune system support or potential COVID treatments Many practitioners who got warnings were completely unaware they’d done anything wrong Some practitioners have had their merchant services accounts suspended; others have received threats of […]

CDC “C’s the Light,” Reluctantly

By Erik Goldman

The Centers for Disease Control has finally, but reluctantly, acknowledged that “certain vitamins & minerals may have effects on how the immune system works to fight off infections and inflammation.”

Words of Warning: Fed Reprimands Clinicians on COVID Communications

By Erik Goldman

Any public health crisis creates a ripe situation for marketers promising quick cures and phony protections. With COVID-19, the huckstering began almost immediately. So did federal regulatory actions.  By the second week of March, the FDA had issued cease-and-desist warning letters to seven companies for selling COVID-19 remedies, including teas, essential oils, tinctures, and colloidal […]