Page 5 - Winter 14

JuniorVice-President’sletter byChrisDay
THE SENSATIONAL SARCODE
A sarcode is useful and perfect and has a job to do. It has a function working in perfect harmony with others like a symphony. It wants normality, routine and balance; utility and efficiency.
• Function/use.
• Guilt
• Perfect/exactly right
• So you can do your JOB
• You were put on this earth to perform
• Fragile framework
• Primeval
• Trapped, contained, small space, locked in, retained
• Comfort zone, safe, boundaries
• Connection, communication, bridge
• RELEASED
• Flow, flowing, smooth, clear, river, running, moving • Blocked, friction, impeded, stasis, not moving
• Stagnant (sepia)
• Circles, cycles HG
• Connect, Sensitive, React
• Addict, fix
• Healthy, normal
• Perfect control, controller, controlled, limits
• Natural, Ordered, Routine, System
• BALANCE HG
Geoff Johnson
December 2014
While the reality is still sinking in, that I have been voted Junior Vice-President, which is usually an automatic path to President, I have been asked to perform my first ‘duty’, to write a piece for the magazine. I have not had time to come up to speed with the modus operandi of the current committee, so I cannot opine upon issues that are under discussion there. I can, however, record some of my thoughts at this new turn of events in my life.
Firstly, I wish again to express my sense of honour and gratitude that I have been elected and to express the hope that I don’t disgrace myself over the next three years and thus be permitted to take on the role of President. I find that stage quite daunting. I am at a point in my life where many responsibilities are being devolved and handed on. This development flows against that trend. I have all sorts of ideas of how a President could operate and I can only hope I shall live up to some of my own expectations when the time comes and rise to the occasion. The latter holders of the office have shown great leadership and energy in recent years and our Senior Vice-President Mark Elliott has made a sterling contribution to the present and future of the organisation. I wish Jane Keogh good fortune and guidance in her term of office. I am sure she will be an excellent and inspiring successor to him. They will be a hard act to follow. At least Stuart Marston, who has done so much since taking office, can act as continuity and keep things on track.
We started the BAHVS in 1982, to act as a focus for a growing number of vets who were looking at homeopathy as a way to expand their therapeutic repertoire and to enhance their service to clients and animals. What a long way it has travelled since then and what changes in challenges it has had to face. In the 80s and 90s, homeopathy experienced a surge in popularity, not least because of media attention
at the time. It became ‘sensible’ for practices to fund training for one or more vets, because there was such a steady demand for this type of treatment. This meant that recruitment was easy and numbers swelled. When we had over 100 BVA members in our ranks, we applied for BVA non-territorial sub-division status within the BVA but that failed. The story is a bit too long to relate here but I can expand if anyone wishes.
Homeopathy, however, still went on and clients still sought it. This was not a fad but a result of palpable results. At some point, around the turn of the millennium a well-orchestrated anti-homeopathy movement arose. This was a powerful and vociferous lobby, that did do damage. Recruitment is now a serious and pressing issue. None of us is getting any younger. Despite their strong and persistent campaign, the momentum has dropped and we are now in a time that I sense as being an opportunity to move forward again. There is a large percentage of fair-minded vets out there in the UK, who do not wish to see homeopathy unreasonably treated. However, we must show that we are confident, and that we have something positive to offer, not only in the patient/client service department but also in the area of ‘job satisfaction’. It seems as though the UK profession sees itself as underpaid and undervalued and its public image is not what it used to be. Disillusionment is not uncommon and, sadly, veterinary suicide rates are said to be among the worst. We must first and foremost set an example of professionalism and excellence. We must permit the profession to see what it is that drives us - our ability to tackle disease in a way that cannot be done with pharmaceuticals. The EBVM developments may actually be to our advantage, rather than an obstacle. We should not fear this trend within the profession; we should embrace it, welcome it, contribute to it and help to guide it, as it is still, after all, in its infancy, with no-one really knowing exactly how
it will develop. I shall be talking to some vets in February and obviously the EBVM
question will be on everyone’s lips. I think we are equipped to handle that, thanks in great part to Mark’s initiative in documenting research achievements and the Faculty team’s recent Veterinary Record paper, headed by Robert Mathie.
We have at least one major trump card to play in the near future, if we can only bring it to bear. The subject of antibiotic resistant microorganisms is a hot topic among vets, medics and officialdom, in the UK and across Europe. There is even talk of the ‘end of antibiotics’ and medical Armageddon. I suspect that all this is overdramatic but the media likes a good headline. Officialdom is certainly rattled. The perceived front line of the battle against the progress of AMR would appear to be the intensive livestock industry, which is a massive consumer of antibiotics. Record sales have now been recorded for farm usage of key antibiotics, despite the collective fears. Our weakness is that in the UK we have collectively let farm homeopathy slip out of our field of vision. Because of lack of service, farmers have turned to training themselves and treating their own animals. In many ways, this is very healthy and proper. In terms of our situation, however, it is sad in that we do not really have a nucleus of experienced farm animal practitioners with impressive clinical results, to bring to bear. I’m not sure how we should tackle this but there is more current experience in mainland Europe, on which we can draw with the help of the IAVH. I shall be exploring some of this territory in January, in a trip to mainland Europe for intensive discussions. More of that next time.
I am now running out of space but would like to wish everyone a joyous and comfortable festive season and great prospects for 2015.
Chris
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