Page 9 - Autumn 14

Presidents letter
by Jane Keogh
Three years seems to have passed in the blink of an eye and once again the Presidency of our Association has moved on. I would like to thank all those who supported my election three years ago and assure you that I will do my utmost to justify your confidence in me over the next three years.
However, more than that, I would like to take a moment to say a huge thank you to Mark Elliott for his leadership of our Association during his term as President. His overseeing of the compilation of a truly staggering volume of veterinary homeopathic research, with able assistance from Lindsay Cope and support from Ilse Pedler, is a major feat in itself. In addition, with invaluable support from Wendy McGrandles (Treasurer) and Stuart Marston (Secretary), the Association has been steered from virtual bankruptcy to a reasonable state of solvency and threats to our continued livelihoods as homeopathic vets have been competently dealt with during Mark's tenure. Thank you Mark for an amazing job!
lawsuits filed by sceptic groups. NHS groups continue to consult on, whether homeopathy should continue to be funded, generally with the aim of not funding it any longer. Various official bodies initiate consultations on a regular basis to review the effectiveness of homeopathy – usually negatively. Not to mention the continued low-grade sniping by the anti-brigade in tweets, national media publications and the like.
Before you crawl away to a dark depressed corner, consider the "glass half full" perspective. Attempts to force the American Veterinary Medical Association to issue a policy statement rejecting homeopathy were resoundingly defeated in a vote earlier this year; the Data collection Project mentioned earlier contains more than 1000 publications, over 80% of which are peer reviewed (No evidence?); despite all attempts by those who would have it otherwise, homeopathy is still available on the NHS. Closer to home the South Western Vet Show reversed its decision to stop
Let us raise our half full glasses to the future of this great Association, for the next three years and well beyond. I look forward to the journey! Meanwhile a very Happy Christmas and a bright New Year to you all. T

I am also delighted to have Chris Day as the new Junior Vice President. His role as President in three years time is long overdue. Flanked by two such strong characters I feel blessed indeed as I set out on my own Presidential journey. With Stuart and Wendy in pivotal roles, and a good solid Committee, I feel that we are in an excellent position to build on the foundation that Mark has built.
I have written before about cycles and how things seem to repeat. So it is no surprise to find that as I step into the Presidential shoes, the world of homeopathy continues to have its ups and downs. Hopefully though, we are looking at an upward spiral (same pattern, further advanced) rather than a repeated circle. It seems to me that at any given point of time in our world we can view life in a positive or negative light, mostly dependent upon our personal approach to life in general. Are you a "glass half empty" or a "glass half full" person?
If the former, there is plenty to fuel your perspective – the German homeopathic remedy manufacturer Heel Group pulled out of the North American market in August of this year, after being confronted with expensive
Geoff Johnson giving a talk on homeopathy (due to complaints from a very small number of vets who threatened to boycott the show if the talk went ahead) after exposition on the front page of the Veterinary Times.
Our own healing modality talks of polarities – it would seem that the positive and the negative views are simply a normal part of a greater whole. Quantum physics has long recognised observed events as dependent upon the assumptions and perspectives of the viewer; in other words you will see what you expect to see. Perhaps we can use that understanding of how energy flows to encourage adoption of the "glass half full" approach. It is true that we are a small (though committed) group of aging practitioners and that new blood seems to be thin on the ground. Perhaps we should accept that fact as merely part of a bigger whole and continue to practice our art with passion and the strong belief that we are right. The evidence is all around us, if we only choose to look and see it. If we can be the positive observer, then I believe that we can create a strong base to move beyond this present moment, with its polarity of good and not so good, into a vibrant future, no doubt with its own polarities.