- NHF members reside in these countries:
Erica Murray
Erica Murray
Erica Murray was born in 1949 in Ireland where she still lives. Graduating in social science in Dublin, she completed a post-graduate professional qualification in social work in Wales. She subsequently worked for a number of years as a social worker with families and children at risk. During this time she joined the Executive of the Irish Family Planning Association, which was campaigning for the legalisation of contraception. Born with eczema, Erica began a search for alternatives to steroid therapy, which she underwent regularly in the 1970s. This search led her and her husband, Jimmy, in 1979, to open a health food store in Dublin called The Hopsack, which they still run to this day, together with their son, Finn. Through diet and the use of herbs, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, and acupuncture, Erica has learned to manage her eczema through natural means over the past 25 years.
Erica is a founding member of the Irish Association of Health Stores which was set up in 1986, and now embraces more than 80% of all Irish health stores. In 2000, Erica was part of an action group set up to try to prevent the banning of St. John's Wort in Ireland. Although unsuccessful, this subsequently led her to work with the Alliance for Natural Health, working as their Campaign Manager for Ireland from 2003 to 2005. Erica also networks with those heading up campaigns allied to health freedom, including anti-GM and anti-fluoride, with Ireland being the only country in the world that has national mandatory fluoridation of its water system.
Currently Erica is undertaking a four-year diploma in herbalism and iridology at the Irish School of Natural Healing. Married with two grown children, she and her husband also run an organic farm.
Although a retailer, Erica is first and foremost a passionate consumer and health-freedom fighter. She is committed to providing information and education to facilitate informed choices, particularly in the field of health care. She is also a staunch advocate of the consumer's right to choose.
