Page 9 - Spring 15

President’s letter
by Jane Keogh
have a greater power than the sum of each individual group. There is a creative vision appearing that is pushing forward change and a shift in perception to the benefit of us all. I hope you all have a glorious Summer and that I will catch up with as many of you as possible at the Conference in Dublin in September – don't miss out on fantastic Irish hospitality and great homeopathy.
I make no apologies for asking Malene to include the article on page 8 of this Mag. The issue of animal experimentation is something that we need to consider our stance on as an Association. The BAHVS committee did discuss this topic last year, after Geoff Johnson raised the issue following the publication of some experimental work using homeopathy on rats that involved creating deliberate inflammatory lesions. At that time it was considered impossible to create a statement that covered all opinions of our members and the issue was shelved. I do not think, this stance is acceptable now. The IAVH have a policy statement on the subject (see www.iavh.org) and I believe that we should too. I am well aware that this is an emotive topic and have no wish to start a moral war here, but I think, this article is well written and well argued and would ask members to read it and form their own opinions. Perhaps members would like to comment on the BAHVS forum and the committee will try to formulate a suitable statement. Thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue.
So, Summer is here and the cold Winter months are a distant memory. This is a time of expansion on every level, a time for putting into effect the visions and ideas conceived in those dark but fertile Winter months.
It seems to me that as a community, both our own veterinary membership, and the wider homeopathic community in general, a strong and positive vision is beginning to build.
The world of homeopathy sometimes appears to have a wave formation, with the peaks and troughs that represents. There is no doubt that for some time in the past few years, it has felt as if we are sitting in one of those troughs. Yet the feeling now is that we are beginning to climb out of the trough towards one of those peaks, and I believe, we should be able to ride this wave for some time to come. There is a shift in perspective it seems, and if we are not totally accepted yet, there is no doubt that our conventional colleagues (of all genres) are at least pausing to listen rather than to condemn outright. Change is in the air, and as we stand together with our shared perspective, we are holding the attention of a wider healthcare community. As veterinary surgeons, we have a unique contribution to make in that shift in perspective. Chris Day mentioned the topic of antibiotic resistance in his Vice-President's letter in the previous Mag, and in this area our knowledge and input will prove vital. Our research databank is also, at present, a unique tool in the demand for Evidence Based Medicine.
On a wider scale it is important to remember that we are part of a greater whole. Our entire homeopathic community is joining together in a unique way, as I discovered in early March, when I attended the 4Homeopathy (4H) One Day Event. Up until this point, our Association has had minimal input into this collaboration, though I would like to see that change. The 4H group consists of representatives of the major homeopathic groups, including The Faculty of Homeopathy, Society of Homeopaths, Alliance of Registered Homeopaths, the Homeopathic Medical Association, plus manufacturers and colleges. These groups have come together to present a united front to Government, the media and other bodies. The concept is that all these disparate groups are "singing from the same hymn sheet", by creating a strategy and vision for the future that addresses the challenges that face us all as homeopaths in the present
climate of scepticism. This united approach is unique amongst homeopathic groups internationally, and in addition homeopathy is the only discipline within CAM to take this stand. The work done by 4H so far is impressive. Their Celebrities for Homeopathy campaign has succeeded in getting a positive report on homeopathy into mainstream media publications, including the Daily Mail, the Sun, OK! and Hello! magazines, Mail on Sunday, and the Sunday Mirror, all publications that have previously turned down positive homeopathic reporting. They may not represent the pinnacle of intellectual reporting, but their combined readership is immense.
The 4H committee have also succeeded in bringing Members of Parliament to task for unsubstantiated slurs on homeopathy, including the Chief Medical Officer, and have trained 8 homeopaths to deal professionally with media interviews, including our own Geoff Johnson. The event in March, held to highlight and explain to all members of involved groups, the work being done by 4H for their benefit, demonstrated an enormous groundswell of enthusiasm and creativity. New concepts explored on the day included the creation of a homeopathic phone app, which will hopefully appeal to a new (and younger) demography of potential users, and the plan to lobby for a lecture in homeopathy to be included in conventional medical, dental, pharmaceutical, nursing and midwifery courses, so that at least the subject has been aired. This is a process already in place in some of our Veterinarycolleges.
It seems to me that we should be strongly involved with this initiative. It is easy to limit ourselves to our own small world, but this is part of a bigger picture that I believe, we should play a part in. On a very simple level, I would encourage each one of you reading this to gather testimonials from your clients relating their positive experience of homeopathy, to go on our BAHVS website. If we each collect only 1 or 2 that will create a sizeable body of positive comments – and personal experience cannot be argued with, the joy of a testimonial. Please send any contributions to Stuart Marsdon, marstons103@gmail.com.
For my part I hope to continue to represent our association within this collaborative and will report back on developments. Remember that the primary thing we need for solutions thinking is the belief that there is a solution. This initiative is demonstrating that together we