Page 7 - Summer 13

BAHVS Congress 2013 – Homeopathy works A report by S. F. Chapman, USA MS, DVM, MRCVS, VetMFHom
The fourteenth annual conference of the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons was held from 21 through 23 June at the Arundel Wetland Center in West Sussex, managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
This Congress differed from past conferences in several interesting ways. It was the first held at a wildlife sanctuary, which provided a lovely diver- sion during breaks from the talks. It was the first non-residential confer- ence, which was a bit less convenient, but not a problem because of the number of accommodations within reach. Most significantly, this was the first Congress with an Open Day provided free of charge to our conven- tional colleagues, to encourage them to explore the modality of homeop- athy with us, and see how it works. Twenty-five vets, including some who are openly skeptical of the benefits of homeopathy, accepted the invita- tion advertised in ‘Veterinary Times’ and various UK forums. Twelve of our colleagues attended, including Ms Jacqui Molyneux, president of the RCVS, as well as representatives from the BSAVA and the VMD. We were disappointed that none of the skeptics attended, as we were hoping to extend fellowship to them as well, and demonstrate the benefits of home- opathy as a valuable medical modality.
As usual, Congress convened with the AGM on Friday morning. Stuart Marston will, no doubt, ably report the minutes in full. We did all send our best wishes and support to Trevor Adams in his illness. We also dis- cussed the upcoming Congresses; Brendan Clarke will be leading a committee including Wendy Dixon (unless she returns to the land of the kiwi) and John Saxton to organise Congress, likely near Leeds, in 2014. Congress 2014 will be a two day conference held in the fall, with an addi- tional single day for a spring meeting. Congress will revert to the three day format in the fall of 2015 when Tom Farrington will be assembling a committee to host in Ireland.
Our educational program kicked off with a brief presentation by Suzi McIntyre on Cellular Health and Photon Communication. She discussed the importance of light in stimulating cellular energy pathways, and the vital role of hydration and cell membrane integrity in health. Raw diet and supplements play an integral role in maintaining well being. [See her arti- cle on p19 of this mag]
Dr. Jonathan Hardy spoke for the rest of the afternoon about animal
remedies. Dr. Hardy compared remedies from the dog and cat families through finding in provings, common and dissimilar themes, and cases from his practice. It was particularly interesting to see videotapes of his cases, illustrating how he evaluates not just what the person says, but how they say it, and their overall demeanor.
On Saturday parallel sessions were run for most of the day. The Open Day “Homeopathy Works” session for the veterinary profession and vet home- opaths was held in the large lecture hall with a selection of topics and speakers. The members of the BAHVS, led by the warm wishes of our president, Mark Elliott, were very pleased to welcome twelve convention- al colleagues who joined us to learn more about homeopathy and how it can be used to help the animals in our care.
Geoff Johnson concurrently discussed, in a small meeting room, some exciting but lesser known remedies made from radioactive elements and rare earths. Geoff brings such passion for homeopathy and intriguing insights into the remedies to his presentations. The actinides and lan- thanides are fascinating remedies, and one can see how they may be more and more valuable in this nuclear age.
John Saxton, past president of the Faculty of Homeopathy, set the tone for our Open Day by explaining what homeopathy is, and how we, as vet- erinary surgeons, use it as a treatment tool. Homeopathy can be used for any condition, acute or chronic, but homeopathic vets always investigate cases thoroughly, and use the treatment in the best interests of the patient. Homeopathy is particularly valuable in treating chronic conditions that do not respond well to conventional treatment, or where conventional treatment has undesirable side effects or prohibitive expense. Homeopathy requires that the vet understand the case thoroughly, includ- ing information that may not appear important in a conventional history, yet which may be vital to determine what remedy can stimulate a healing response in a patient. Much more basic information about homeopathy is available on the Faculty of Homeopathy website.
Shelley Epstein presented an incredibly thorough exposition of the evi- dence base for homeopathy. Shelley first evaluated the many basic sci- ence studies illustrating that nanoparticles, such as are found in ultra-diluted and serially succussed solutions, have properties discrete from their diluent. Other studies have demonstrated the effects of reme-
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