Page 6 - Summer 13

Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy (AVH) Conference – Florida April 2013 A report by Wendy McGrandles, UK
I was fortunate enough this year to attend the AVH conference in April.
Entitled Homeopathy: An Enduring Paradigm, both the subject matter and the venue in a sunny Clearwater Beach, Florida lent itself to an enlightening array of homeopathic discussion and learning in both small and large animal topics.
Fridays’ presentations revisited thoughts on the Materia Medica and Dynamics of Disease along with a much needed refresher on Related Remedies an essential thought process for all prescribing. A sparkling presentation from Kim Elia on ‘Old and Forgotten Remedies’ concluded the day. Kim is a fabulously knowledgeable speaker and his presenta- tion was one of the most memorable of the weekend.
Saturday began with Shelley Epstein and a hugely informative ses- sion on ‘Case Reports, Case Series and Clinical Trials in Veterinary Homeopathy.’ Shelley, as always, galloped through an almost infinite amount of scientific information on Nanoparticles, Hormesis and of course its relevance to homeopathic scientific debate.
There are few speakers who can follow Shelley with even more mental stimulation, however Sue Armstrong rose to the challenge with a 4 hour presentation entitled ‘The More We See, The More We Understand What Needs To Be Treated’. This series of lectures explored the development of conventional medicine throughout history, when compared to the development and acceptance of homeopathy and how this is linked to the visual sense dominance of the human being and the way the brain functions in decision-making. A stunning piece of work!
Without doubt the calibre of both speakers’ talks contributed to fur- ther discussions over much needed refreshments later on.
Sunday began with an honest and candid look at case studies with deeper pathology from Robin Cannizzaro, which highlighted the diffi- culty at times of case taking and remedy selection with remote cases. The most interesting case was a 3-year-old colt, which developed
grand mal seizures a short while after rabies vaccination and an inva- sive dental procedure. Robin demonstrated that the guardian’s input is invaluable in these remote cases.
In addition, the use of video of this colt greatly improved the remedy selection and without which the end result may not have been as favourable. With the large distances involved in the USA and often the only way to treat being by remote communication, technology can play a large part in aiding the homeopath’s skills.
The 3 cases re-enforced in us the need to look at each case in totality, in detail, listening carefully to the pattern of mistunement and possible causation thereof, enabling us to heal at a level that may not be possible in allopathic prescribing. ‘We grow in depth with every case, with every mistake and with every success. Desire to remove the crowded cloud of confusion that might first walk through your door, to keep it simple, open your senses, see the mistunement before you and choose with confidence the prescription you see most clearly’ – a use- ful sentiment for us all.
An upbeat presentation on the challenges faced in the USA today regarding practising in a sceptical environment, brought the final ses- sion to a close. AVH has faced similar challenges to BAHVS over the last few years with falling membership, decreased participation and faced with dwindling financial support, they have mirrored our own situ- ation on this side of ‘the pond’. They too have just engaged a PR com- pany to help gain a higher profile in a similar way to BAHVS only a year ago. It was interesting to share the common difficulties but also to be optimistic that with a committed membership and a passion for Homeopathy, it truly is and will ever be an ‘Enduring Paradigm’.
So, a wonderful venue, stimulating discussion, excellent presenta- tions and a homeopathic family that extends across all continents, this trip was one to be remembered.
A Day in a Life at Holistivet
Nick Thompson ‘clocks in’
Arthur, our one year old, wakes us at about six a.m. these mornings. He and I trog to the kitchen to make tea for him to catch up with his building blocks and cardboard boxes and for me to look at my email. It's also an opportunity, in the quiet of the day, to look at my Facebook feed.
I'm not really one for telling the world of my every move but find it interesting to keep up with health sites, vaccination sites and Dana Ullman, one of my living homeopathic heroes. One can get a heads up on what's happening pretty quickly. I tweet a lot of the information and feel this is a great way for me to contribute to the ‘wave of positive news’ about homeopa- thy and common sense medicine that we start- ed in the BAHVS five or so years ago.
Once Arthur and I have caught up with the important things, we have breakfast, take tea to Mummy and I get to the office for about nine. First appointments, in person, or telephone, are not till 10 usually, so I have an hour to do impor- tant calls and finish off the emails of the morn-
ing and any left over from the day before. I never have an empty inbox; I just prioritise things that need doing NOW and things that can wait. I could clear the decks daily but I’d not get home till nine each night.
I see an average of 2-3 people a day in person and spend about 3-4 hours on the phone talk- ing to clients for follow-ups, vets for updates and general management (let’s not talk about waiting for 40 minutes on hold for BT, shall we?). Most of my cases are 'interesting' med- ical cases needing homeopathy, herbs and nutritional advice. I do acupuncture but less now for two reasons: I have the fantastic Smart Clinic just up the road (in Swansea), who are leading-edge rehab vets, who do excellent acupuncture work and because I find it very time consuming and a bit samey. This probably reflects more on my poor level of acupuncture than the discipline itself!
Lunch is usually at two-ish, if not later. I like to do a long morning and shorter afternoon. I’ll often grab a snooze in the afternoon, too, much to Elly’s amusement. They say that if you sleep
for less than about 40 minutes, you don't enter deep REM sleep and thus can snap out of your nap and be working in seconds. It works for me.
Afternoons will consist usually of finishing the ‘to do’ list for the day – calls, letters, emails, insurance forms. There’s usually most of the calls in the morning but often we get a flurry at about 5pm or so when (normal?) people get back from work. If its quiet, I take great delight in listening to Radio Bach on iTunes, as I finish off the paperwork; must be getting old.
Home in time to bath Arto 2-3 times a week, which is fantastic – keeps the feet on the ground. We usually have dinner after he’s gone to bed. I make a point of trying not to work in the evenings to protect my quality of life. Working 16 hours a day is easy. I’ve done it for years. Stopping things and not working is the difficult thing. I hope that I’m more efficient these days to make up for my shorter days but I suspect that I just do a little less and I’m comfortable with this.
A good day. A good life. I couldn’t ask for more.
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