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Statement of the BAHVS in response to the RCVS Statement of 3rd November 2017 (continued from p 3)
and is not subject to the same falla- cies that can contaminate the most prestigious journals when researcher and publisher bias and fraud are led by the money men?
Clients actively seek out CAM thera- pies for their animals as conventional medicines regularly fail or produce unacceptable side effects. Homeopathy has previously been recognised in the RCVS register as having a specialist qualification (it still does), and is independently examined and regulated, which is perhaps why it attracts the most ire of the CAM options. Homeopathy is in fact provided for in UK and EU Legislation. It is required to be avail- able, cannot be banned without a change in the Law, and it behoves the profession to embrace it, even if in the minority.
A witch-hunt has been conducted on an unprecedented scale in the pro- fession. This has been aided by the support on social media of some Past Presidents of the RCVS and BVA, RCVS Council members and by the profession’s media chiefs. It is time for it to stop. It discredits those making and supporting the attacks on colleagues, discredits the profes- sion and, by disseminating false con- clusions to the media, adds to the growing and damaging public dis- trust of science and of our profession.
The RCVS sits at the very core of our profession. It has to be the ethical face of the profession and has to set an example to the profession. In this case it falls far short of the high stan- dard it should project.
In making such a statement as it now has, the RCVS has lost all credibility in the Evidence Based Medicine debate, and has eschewed the moral integrity required to regulate the profession. Its statement should be withdrawn immediately.
5th November 2017.
Drug Diagnostic
by Henry Stephenson
The one area of allopathic medicine that most of us would applaud as being well in front of all other areas is that of diagnostics. We have such amazing imaging and blood testing stuff readily available to tell us a lot of information so that we then can put a name to most ailments.
Alternative practitioners are so aware of toxins being in this or that and try to make sure our clients live a clean lifestyle. However, there is another secret little area that we need to be very watchful of and that is in the area of DRUG DIAGNOSIS.
Recently we had a dog who seemed to have generalised body pain and was slow moving yet could jump into the car and walk about ok. It was a long story but we gave Pulsatilla 200 in one dose on a Friday afternoon. Then after the weekend he has become slightly worse (probably from an aggravation), so we referred to a specialist, who could find NOTHING WRONG and so gave a TRIAL PREDNISOLONE to help with his diagnosis. This animal then improved quickly and we are left with a question of what happened? And what improved this? It WILL come back then will require more of either the Pulsatilla or the pred- nisolone.
My issue here is: we sent an animal off to get a diagnosis and we could only get a drug diagnosis, when we have such wondrous diagnostics in the world.
I know this happens a lot even in conventional human medicine, where for a headache with neck spasm they will often use Vallium as a diagnostic tool to see, if there is a response before doing a full scan or sending the person for physio or acupuncture.
I had another dog, who had an arthritic elbow and I was doing acupuncture and herbs and homeopa- thy and the dog was very, very healthy yet would not use the leg. I sent him off to a specialist, who immediately gave him prednisolone, although I said we didn’t want that. He said this is PART OF THE DIAGNOSIS.
Naturally enough he began to use the leg immediately but was this CURE? Did the specialist strengthen the dog or its elbow? NO. He can now diagnose cortisone responsive elbow pain, I guess.
There is a lot of this type of diagnos- tic stuff being done and we need to be on the lookout, as it will almost always weaken our patients just to put a name onsomething.
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