Minnesota Natural Health Legal Reform links to one of the largest diet supplement multi-level marketing (MLM) companies

The Minnesota Health freedom groups had not yet posted their position opposing the ND Registration Bill on their own websites by the middle of March 2008.
The only online 'ALARM' opposing this bill I found at that time
was on the site for the Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation.
Its URL was
http://www.sunshinehealthfreedomfoundation.com/page/page/5629935.htm

The Sunshine Health Freedom foundation is supported by the Nature Sunshine Products.
In this instance, there was no effort to create an illusion of distance from the corporate sponsor.
The top alert was penned by Denise B. Bird, a corporate officer of the Nature Sunshine Products, Inc., and is addressed to 'Minnesota Resident/NSP manager'.
Below is the entire page:

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Home
***IMPORTANT ALERTS****
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**Minnesota Alert**
MINNESOTA HEALTH FREEDOM ALERT

MARCH 14, 2005(sic)

Minnesota SF 1520

Dear Minnesota resident/NSP Manager:

We recently received important information from the
Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation. Please review
this information and pass it along to your successline
Members.

As mentioned in the letter (link) below, we urge you
to oppose Minnesota SF 1520. Please email or fax this
letter to members of the Judiciary Committee and the
State and Local Government Operations Committee.
Information about SF 1520 / Prepared letter to fax or
email
Contact information for Judiciary and Operations
Committees

Thank you for your continued participation and support
in the fight for legislative freedom!

Best Regards,

Denise B. Bird
Director - Paralegal Services
Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc.





Additional Alert 3-18-08



NEW MNHLRP Action Alert -- Oppose SF 1520 -- Call and
Email Now!

Dear Health Freedom Friends,
Sorry this is out so late. We only just found out
and still do not have all the details. The Senate
hearing time has changed. We ask that you politely --
with your best Minnesota Nice -- ask each Senator to
oppose the bill. We also encourage you to attend the
hearing to show your opposition to SF1520. The
hearing will be either tonight or tomorrow afternoon.
Please do what you can do to ensure that health
freedom is secure.
You may copy and paste the following message into
your email. Thanks
Minnesota Natural Health Legal Reform Project

Respected Senator,
I OPPOSE Senate File 1520. This bill has not
undergone a thorough examination nor had the
thoughtful analysis that it needs. And there is no
opportunity for public testimony. I ask that you
protect my freedom of access to all natural health
modalities and practitioners and secure the status of
Minn. Stat. 146A. Please oppost SF 1520 and vote NO.
Sincerely,

MNHLRP
www.mnhlrp.org
mnhlrp@charter.net
Powered by CityMax.com

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In the above page 'Information about SF 1520 / Prepared letter to fax or
email' links to 'oppose sf 1520' form letter prepared by the MNHLRP's lobbyist,
Karen Studders, J.D.
An interesting detail is
that this form letter is served by one of NSP corporate web servers. The URL is below and is still active today; text of the letter follows.

http://www.naturessunshine.com/contentserver/GetMiscFile.axd?id=hf_mn_march08.htm

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PLEASE OPPOSE SF 1520
This Bill will DESTROY Minnesota’s Health Freedom
Statute 146A

The Honorable Senator ______________________________
________________2008

Minnesota Senate
______________________________

___________________________Fax

Dear Senator _______________________________:

I respectfully urge you to OPPOSE SF 1520, a
dangerously restrictive Naturopathic Doctor
Registration bill with broad implications for consumer
choice.
Under existing law, MN Statute 146A, Minnesota
currently allows consumers to access the traditional
healing methods of their choice, and currently ensures
all traditional unlicensed healers practicing
complementary and alternative health care under MN
Statute 146A are not charged with practicing medicine
without a license. We want to ensure that traditional
naturopaths and unlicensed complementary and
alternative health care providers practicing
naturopathy under MN Statute 146A will be able to
continue to practice in Minnesota.
MN Statute 146A already allows complementary and
alternative health care practitioners to practice
naturopathy, and allows consumers to receive
naturopathy and its associated modalities.
There is no consumer need for an additional law
requiring registration of a small, select group of
naturopathic practitioners that already have the right
to practice under existing law.
SF 1520 endangers consumer choices and health
freedoms.
SF 1520 potentially makes it illegal for hundreds of
valuable unlicensed persons to practice their healing
arts unless they are registered with the state and
graduates of a four-year naturopathic school.
As an informed consumer, I want the freedom to make my
own choices about my health care, including the right
to choose from unlicensed health care practitioners
and naturopaths in Minnesota, practicing under MN
Statute 146A. I do not support unnecessary
registration or licensure for unlicensed natural
health practitioners or complementary and alternative
health care practitioners who are not involved in
high-risk practices or posing an imminent risk of harm
to the public.
Please protect my rights and ensure that Minnesota
citizens will continue to have health freedom to
access all traditional naturopaths and other natural,
complementary and alternative health care
practitioners practicing naturopathy under MN Statute
146A.
MINNESOTA HEALTH SEEKERS DESERVE TO HAVE THEIR OPTIONS
PROTECTED!!!

_________________________________________________________________________________
Signature
Print Name


____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address City
State
Zip

Prepared by Karen Studders, J.D., for Minnesota
Natural Health Legal Reform Project, www.mnhlrp.org OR
651-322-4542

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Now, what is NSP, the organization hosting this "Please
Oppose SF 1520" letter?
It is one of the largest multi-level marketing diet supplement companies in the world.

From their website:

http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/company/history/history.aspx,

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...soon realized they wanted to touch more lives with
their products, and they found the perfect vehicle for
making this happen—direct marketing. This business
model allowed them to educate consumers about the
products and provided their sales force an opportunity
to share in the success of the company. Today Nature’s
Sunshine Products (NSP) can be found in 33 countries,
represented by nearly 600,000 distributors,

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600,000 distributors equal a considerable "grassroots" base.