HANS Health Action Network Society

The "Action" in Health Action

Highlights from 23 years of service!

About 30 years ago, knowledge of natural medicine was restricted to a small community. A handful of individuals, seeing the lack of public knowledge about natural medicine, decided to form an educational society to host events and educate the public. Although many working titles were used for this activity, the charitable work settled with the name HANS Health Action Network Society. For many years, dedicated staff and volunteers at HANS have served a growing interest in natural medicine, hosting events, spearheading enquiries, and submitting briefs to government.

Here are only some of the highlights of our achievements and activities over the past 23 years.

Action, Campaigns and Education

—	Ongoing support for alternative, complementary medicine and the physicians who use integrative therapies, to ensure that the public has access to these therapies
—	Ongoing campaign to promote sustainable agricultural practices, i.e. organic agriculture, non-genetically modified food
1987	Standing Committee on Food Irradiation held hearings in Vancouver. As a result of proaction by HANS and others, the federal government halted promotion of food irradiation at that time
1989	Facilitated Terry Jack's "Environmental Watch" organization to assist in cleaning up pulp mill pollution
1992	Launched Endangered Health Products Campaign to protect health products threatened by legislation
1993	HANS' delegation traveled to Victoria to give a presentation to the BC Government Caucus on the hazards of fluoride in community water supplies
1994	Letter writing campaign to all MLA's and media on cuts in medical coverage for supplementary services
1998	Coordinated a public rally with an alliance of health groups calling for a public investigation into the dismissal of independent scientists employed at the Health Protection Branch – concerns about industry manipulation & negative impacts on health of Canadians.
2000	HANS participated in a committee resulting in the introduction of the "Medical Practitioners Act Amendment", which if passed, would have enabled medical practitioners to practice complementary medicine without penalty or harassment from the College of Physicians and Surgeons
2002	A HANS delegation met with the newly established Office of Natural Health Products to discuss the rights and needs of the consumer as regulations are defined.
2004	HANS made four presentations throughout the year, to the provincial government, on the benefits of a preventive and integrative approach to health care. Also had a very successful open house for MLAs to introduce the society.
2005	HANS representatives went to Ottawa to represent consumers and made a presentation on Bill C420, a bill designed to take vitamins out of the drug category, and put it into the food category.
2007	HANS submits its position to the BC Conversation on Health and dedicates our Spring 2007 issue of Health Action Magazine to this issue. (a copy sent to all MLAs)

Getting the Word Out – Media Relations

Media Releases on HANS activities are regularly issued, Some topics covered include:
—	Risks of food irradiation, health and environmental effects of fluoride pollution, hazards of pesticide-use (yard & gardens, farm workers, women), risks of Gypsy Moth aerial spraying with Btk, endangered natural health products, alternative cancer therapies, chloramine vs ozone for water purification, side effects of vaccinations, risks of cell phone-use and microwave towers, hazards of glass crushers used in liquor stores
—	Articles about Health Action Network, events or issues we research have been featured in print or aired on radio and television: Alive Magazine, BC Business, BC Report, CBC Radio and TV,CBC Morning Side, CFRO, CJVB, CKNW, CKWX, CKST, Chatelaine, Common Ground Magazine, Georgia Straight, Good Health News, Health Naturally, Hospital News, Issues, Macleans, Montreal Gazette, National Post, Province, Quest for Health, Shared Vision, The Sun, Time Magazine, Times Colonist, VTV, Your Health, etc.

Organizing Events and Speakers

1980	HANS sponsors its first health conference – over two dozen speakers and 35 exhibits.
1989	Under the guidance of Sharon Rempel, sponsored the first annual Seedy Saturday, to bring awareness to the need to protect heritage and non-hybrid seeds. In 1994 the event received the "Heritage Award" from the City of Vancouver. It was eventually handed over to VanDusen Gardens
1992	Sponsored Natural Medicine for Women, featuring Caroline DeMarco, MD, Chanchal Cabrera, Herbalist, Heather Herington, ND
1993	Sponsored Natural Medicine for Cancer conference featuring Don Branigan, MD, Roxanne Davies and HANS member testimonials
1994	Sponsored Natural Medicine for Children featuring Lendon Smith, MD and others
1995	Launched HANS' monthly "Speaker Series" to bring current, credible, and useful information to members on a wide range of health topics
1996	Sponsored Health Action '96, "Medical Mavericks", featuring Hayward Rogers, MD; James Houston, MD; Jozef Krop, MD; Don Branigan, MD; Zigurts Strauts, MD; and Patricia Wales, ND
1997	Sponsored three public forums on Natural Health Products, with numerous guest speakers
1999	Sponsored the visit of Carl Simonton, MD, world renown cancer specialist who spoke on the topic of "Emotions and Cancer"
1999	Hosted Viera Scheibner, PhD, author of Vaccination, 100 Years of Orthodox Research, addressed the subject of childhood vaccinations and the science supporting her concerns
2000	Health Action Network hosted a well-deserved gala tribute to HANS founding member and long-time radio host of the "Healthy Living Show", Croft Woodruff
2001	Sponsored John Thomas, author of Young Again, How to Reverse the Aging Process
2002	Sponsored acclaimed cellular biologist, Bruce Lipton, PhD, who spoke on the renaissance in cell science, revealing how our thoughts and beliefs control our cells
2003	Sponsored best-selling author and popular medical Doctor, Dr Gabor Mate on "How Our Emotions Contribute to Cancer & Chronic Illness; breakthrough thoughts for patients and families.
2004	Hosted public lecture with Peter Bennett, ND, author of best selling Beat Fatigue – Feed Your Body
2005	Hosted public lecture with Harold Foster, PhD on "A Major Nutritional Discovery for strengthening the immune system and controlling HIV/AIDS."
2006	Hosted public lecture with Professor Dan Burke, prominent UK Cancer researcher – Latest Developments in Salvestrol Cancer Therapy.
2006	Hosted Jeffrey Smith, author of international best-seller entitled Seeds of Deception – "The Truth about Genetically-Modified Foods".
2006	Hosted George Carlo, PhD, a public health scientist, epidemiologist, lawyer, and Chairman of the Science and Public Policy Institute Washington, D.C. "Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age"
2007	Hosted Don Nixdorf, DC & Rafe Mair, former popular talk-show host and provincial Minister of Health, on "HANS Conversation on Health"

Activity on Health Issues

—	Maintain a campaign of support for holistic practitioners
—	Participate in awareness campaigns on the health and environmental risks of chemical spraying, endangered natural health products, mercury amalgam dental fillings, municipal water purification, Bovine Growth Hormone in milk, environmental pollution and global warming.
—	Attended annual meetings of the International Conference on Fluoride Research
—	Launched the HANS Cancer Information Research Project
—	HANS' Fluoride Committee supported BC communities in voting fluoride out of their water supplies: Campbell River, Courtenay/Comox, Gold River, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kimberley, Kitimat, Port Hardy, Smithers and Squamish
—	Held four public forums starting in 1997 on the regulation of natural health products, federally and internationally (Codex). Featured speakers included Zoltan Rona, MD; Michele Brill-Edwards, MD; Suzanne Harris, JD, Anthony Rees
—	Published Immunization...Medical Miracle or Masterful Mirage? by Dr Raymond Obomsawin, on his research, showing his findings and the lack of safety and effectiveness of vaccination programs
—	Each year the number of enquiries coming into the HANS' office has increased resulting in up to 25,000 enquiries a year on health and environmental issues
—	Dedicated volunteers have collectively logged up to 15,000 hours annually on behalf of HANS.