Page 13 - Summer 17

President’s letter
JUNE 2017
Hopefully you all have memories of fabulous Summer days as we slide gently into Autumn and the cooler temperatures and shorter days of this time of year. So far we have indeed had flaming June – and Glastonbury without mud! But with Wimbledon looming that may all change...
The nightmare that was the anti-homeopathy campaign earlier in the year has calmed a little, though it continues to rumble on. Maybe we have just become less sensitised to it all.
The RCVS council met in June to discuss their position statement on CAM. This was supposedly triggered by changes to views about alternative therapies within the human health sector. However, the decision to review was no doubt strongly affected by those members of our profession, who would like to see veterinary surgeons banned from practicing homeopathy and other therapies. The statement produced puts heavy emphasis on evidence-based medicine (EBM). The sentence that says the RCVS see no reason to ban homeopathy has been removed. The stress on EBM would potentially have a massive effect on many conventional treatments – annual vaccination and neutering to mention only two. It would appear that this potential black hole has been noticed, and at the time of writing, the new statement has not been ratified. The Council will meet again in September to consider an update.
A few members have been meeting face to face, and latterly conducting phone meetings to discuss and attempt to deal with this and other current issues. Particular thanks must go to Mark Elliott, Mark Carpenter, Tim Couzens, Nick Thompson and Chris Day for letter writing and moving our campaign forward.
Peter Gregory (who has also been involved in the above meetings) has been doing a massive job as Dean of the Faculty in writing to the RCVS and maintaining a strong Faculty presence.
At no point so far has the RCVS requested advice or asked for a homeopathic veterinary representative to help provide a balanced picture. This, despite assurances that they would do so.
Further disappointment recently comes from a letter in the Veterinary Record signed by the usual eight or nine sceptics, using words such as “witchcraft”, “magic” and “therapy” in inverted commas. Personally I find it particularly depressing that a scientific journal is prepared to publish such a defamatory letter against colleagues. It is bad enough in the Vet Times, but that at least is a free publication, funded by advertising. The Veterinary Record is an important scientific veterinary journal, respected internationally, published by the BVA, who supposedly represent and provide support for its membership. The journal has a new editor, who apparently wants to "spice things up a bit", but this, I feel, is not the way to go about it. Several of us signed a letter composed by Mark Elliott, saying as much, and Peter Gregory has submitted a letter as Dean, giving reference to recent research papers. It remains to be seen, if these get published, but deeply disappointing that they need writing at all.
Geoff Johnson continues to work on his trial, using homeopathy in the treatment of osteosarcoma in dogs. The recent and continued slating of homeopathy is presumably limiting the number of referrals made to him from the conventional sphere. So please, anyone, who sees a case, seriously think about referring it, or, if the client is reluctant to travel, work with Geoff on the case. This trial could make a huge impact on the argument against homeopathy, and we need to do all we can to support it.
It is sometimes hard to see the positive side of things at present, but remember that old adage – it is always darkest before the dawn. And maybe it is just our role at this time to hold homeopathy for those who are to come.
Having said that, there are many positive things happening. The June get together at the Faculty headquarters did not happen, mainly due to a mix up with emails and my only being able to give everyone very short notice about the date. However, there is no problem with booking dates for September and December, so please keep an eye on the website for details. These meetings are an informal oppor- tunity to get support from friends and colleagues and throw in some case learning as well.
Please also check out our Conference details in October. Sue Armstrong is organising a conference aimed at bringing together our home-grown talent in a supportive and healing environment. If you have not booked a place yet there is still time, but do so asap! Our Conferences are a real opportunity to recharge all our batteries on every level, and they will not continue without your support.
Further afield, 4H organised a very successful premiere of the film “Just One Drop” (JOD) at the Curzon cinema in London, in
April. Quite a triumph,
when you consider
that the cinema backed
out of screening
“Vaxxed” (a controversial film
about the MMR vaccination) earlier in the year after loud protest by the sceptics. JOD has gone on to be screened at several venues throughout the UK and abroad. I am looking at obtaining a screening at one of our quarterly meetings, so will keep you informed on that one.
Another positive piece of news is that the complaint against the Australian NHMRC report on homeopathy, (widely quoted by the sceptics), has gone to the Ombudsman for assessment and there is a good chance that the report will be overturned. It should be noted that a huge amount of work has gone into getting the process this far, not least by Rachel Roberts of The Homeopathic Research Institute and also a member of 4H. I am really not sure that she has had any sleep these last few months! Rachel has worked alongside colleagues in Australia and a very on the ball lawyer. They all deserve our thanks.
So our task to keep alight the beacon of homeopathy continues. However long and dark this present night seems, I am convinced that we will hold out.
Please take advantage of our quarterly meetings or the Conference to keep your own flame alive. We are a vibrant and supportive community and together we can withstand all that is thrown at us.
by Jane Keogh
COURAGE, VOICE and VISION – BAHVS Conference
13th – 15th October 2017 aT Weetwood Hall Conference Centre, Otley Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS16 5PS, UK
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