Page 3 - Winter 15

Committee – BAHVS
President – Jane Keogh j.keogh5@btinternet.com
Senior Vice-President – Mark Elliott homeopathicvet@btinternet.com
Junior Vice-President – Chris Day cday-avmc@hotmail.co.uk
Hon. Secretary – Stuart Marston sec@bahvs.com
Treasurer – Wendy McGrandles wendy@glenbrae-vet.co.uk
Magazine Editor – Malene Jørgensen malene@laforcevitale.eu
Communications Officer – Nick Thompson nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
IAVH Representitive – Nick Thompson nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
Faculty Veterinary Representitive – John Saxton john.saxton@talk21.com
Mag distribution – Cheryl Sears cheryl.sears31@btinternet.com
Committee – IAVH
President – Edward de Beukelaer pg.ahimsa@virgin.net
Treasurer – Don Hamilton donhamiltondvm@gmail.com
General Secretary – Helene Widmann helene.widmann@chello.at
Coordinator subcommittee for education – Stefan Kohlrausch stefan.kohlrausch@arcor.de
Head of IAVH Office – Markus Mayer office@iavh.org
Newsletter subcommittee – Malene Jørgensen malene@laforcevitale.eu
IAVH Communications Officer – Nick Thompson nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
LIGA contact – Marc Bär info@homeopatte.ch
A prod with a stick! – Using Animals for Research into the Effects of Potentised Preparations on Living Organisms by Stuart Marston, UK
This topic is causing quite a concern among homeopaths. The issue is whether or not to use animals to prove that homeopathic potencies have an effect on living organisms – over that of a placebo. There is a well- argued point that it is unnecessary to do this, as it is only repeating and attempting to confirm, what is known already by proving’s in humans. Subjecting animals to research mostly involves inflicting some injury or condition deliberately and this will mostly result in some kind of pain or discomfort or illness in those animals. This, of course, will be abhorrent to many people and certainly to homeopaths as a group. Therefore we have statements from the various societies that, on the one side, will not countenance animal research, will not refer to it, will not publish any of it, and on the other side will not fund any but reason that there needs to be some research into the efficacy and efficiency of homeopathy, in order for it to become a more widely accepted form of treatment. All would be against funding veterinary research that involved experimentally induced disease or injury.
So we have a dichotomy and with it rather polarised views that have the potential to cause real harm to the homeopathic community. This being the case, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on this to attempt to, let’s say, stimulate a discussion! An extensive article from Deny Britton appeared in the journal of The Society of Homeopaths winter edition. She is absolutely against experimentation and argues that “animal experiments can never do justice to homeopathy’s non-violent doctrine; its multidimensional mind-body-spirit nature; its treatment of the individual or its process orientated approach”. That would be hard to disagree with, I would say. However, perhaps there may be a bigger picture to consider. Of late, the external forces and pressure on homeopathy has grown – we have all seen that. Homeopathic hospitals have closed, trusts are no longer allowed to refer for homeopathic treatment, thousands of patients have been disenfranchised, online petitions have been started by the antis, the National Health Service has been threatened with legal proceedings for allowing homeopathy, etc. The list goes on.
Now consider, what the continual cry of the antis is at every opportunity – press, radio, TV, twitter, Vet.org, RCVS, even in CPD lectures (I have had personal experience of this): THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WORKS! What evidence we have – through massive numbers of proving’s, through hundreds of years of
treatments, through 100’s of published papers IS NOT ENOUGH to convince the reductionist establishment that it works. You all know this to be true.
So we have homeopathic medical practice being squeezed at every turn, the availability of homeopathic treatments being continually reduced in the UK, and the public having to pay, if they want to be referred. Practicing homeopathy is becoming more difficult and certainly getting new veterinary students in the UK is nigh on impossible. We have continual threats to the permission of doctors, vets and others to use homeopathic medicines – because we cannot satisfy those with the power that we have the evidence that it works.
What to do? Carry on as we are, hoping that eventually the establishment will see the light, that there will be huge public demand – eventually, that the antis will get tired and go away, that the folly of ‘saving’ the £4M homeopathy costs against the £100 billion National Health budget is no argument, and time will prove us right? OR do we attempt to get some acceptable (for them) evidence, before homeopathy is either squashed or so heavily regulated for professionals that it is relegated to a folklore status? That’ll never happen, I hear you say. Well, how many hospitals have closed in the last 10 years? How many are left? How many Health Trusts still refer patients? How long before all this pressure is finally is too much, and the good ship homeopathy sinks below the waves?
We all know homeopathy is the salvation of the health of people and animals – the conventional model has, and is, failing the population (and their animals). Prescription medications are the third biggest cause of death in the West, after cancer and heart disease (and there is plenty of evidence to show that those two are to a large degree, also caused by medications). So we have to ask ourselves, what
experience, through millions
The British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS) was formed in 1981, to advance the understanding, knowledge and practice of homeopathy. It aims to stimulate professional awareness of homeopathy and to encourage and to provide
of successful
for the training of veterinary surgeons in the practice of homeopathy.
It is an open forum for differing approaches to the subject of veterinary homeopathy and it’s application, allowing for constructive interchanges of ideas.
continued on p10
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