Page 13 - Spring 17

President’s letter
MARCH 2017
As I sit to write these words the sun is shining, my garden is full of primroses and daffodils and the wild garlic is making an appearance. The birds are busy nesting and the rooks are keeping up a constant, loud discussion on the progress of nest building. The sunshine may not last, but spring is definitely here.
It feels as if it has been a long time coming. This last winter we have suffered one of the most aggressive and determined campaigns against us from the sceptics that I can remember. And it is far from over. The sceptics are attacking homeopathy on many fronts, not just our veterinary world. The Charities Commission has announced a review of all charities that support complementary and alternative therapies and the long running attack on homeopathic hospitals continues, with Bristol closing some clinics and Glasgow losing inpatient beds.
This is before we even look at what
has been happening in our own
world. The RCVS have undertaken a
review of their stance on CAM; they
assure us that this is a review of
their policy statement, not an
intention to stop us practising. We
have not been invited to partake in
this review as yet, but Peter
Gregory, Veterinary Dean of the
Faculty (of homeopathy; Ed), has
written a statement about the place
of homeopathy in veterinary
medicine for their consideration. At
present no information is available on how this review is proceeding. The Good Thinking Society (GTS) have sent complaints to the RCVS about several or our members, including myself. All these complaints were dismissed, but were appealed by the GTS. The RCVS has no choice but to look again at the submissions; the official timescale is eight weeks, but my understanding is that the RCVS is snowed under with work and it is likely to take much longer. So we wait to see.
Various individuals, namely Danny Chambers and Alison Price, have openly voiced their opposition to what we do, in the public arena. Chambers in particular, has managed to become the veterinary voice of the BBC and several tabloid newspapers. In this surreal world that we presently live, he also appears to be standing for election onto RCVS Council. By the time you read this, we will know the whether he has been voted in or not. If Trump can become President of the USA, then nothing is impossible.
Geoff Johnson recently had to stand down
from lecturing to students at Bristol University at a conference that they were organising, after complaints were received from the Rational Veterinary Medicine group. They declined the offer to provide a speaker to voice the opposing view to homeopathy, or at least no one was available! In the end, such was the pressure, Geoff felt that it was unfair to put the students in an impossible position and withdrew.
It is hard not to become depressed and despairing in the face of such relentless attack. Those of us with a strong disposition are coping, but I am aware that others of us are beginning to struggle. There is an irony to this, when the RCVS is making a big issue of mental health problems within the profession and its aim to help and support its members. I am intending to write to the RCVS on behalf of our membership and voice my concerns on this
a day well spent. It became a day of discussion and mutual support, with some interesting cases thrown in for good measure.
The feeling of support and strength gained from meeting colleagues face to face was so positive that the decision has been made to organise quarterly meetings for the association. Since the FoH are not charging for the venue it makes sense to continue to meet at their headquarters, especially since access by train and tube is straightforward – and coffee and tea are available ad lib.
Obviously the conference is our main chance to meet, learn and support each other, but my vision is to have three other single day meetings in London, spread through the rest of the year. The aim is to bring cases, get together to talk and feel supported and learn in a positive
atmosphere. To that end I am planning a meeting in June – watch the website for details.
To continue the positive note, Mark Elliott, senior vice president, has written to all the candidates standing for office with the RCVS to ask their stance on homeopathy, and the FoH is intending to send a complaint in to the RCVS re Danny Chambers.
In addition, the committee plus one or two others have had regular meetings to look at how best to deal with the present climate of attack and several ideas are in the pipeline. Not least of
which is the plan to set up a BAHVS social media presence to present the positive side of what we do – and also tell the truth about events as they happen. There is also an intention to create a database of clients willing to write to media, MPs etc to promote the positive effects of homeopathy from their experience.
As we emerge from cold winter and start to enjoy early summer as you read this, remember that however dark the days may seem at times, we are far from defeated. Together we can stand strong. Do not despair. Come to one of the London meetings and recharge your passion, canvass your clients to volunteer to write – and keep those testimonials coming. I still believe that our client base is one of our greatest untapped strengths.
Homeopathy has always experienced opposition, and it has always survived. I look forward to sharing mutual support and defiance with as many of you as possible, either in London in June or Leeds in October. Just don't leave it too late to book!
by Jane Keogh
Together we can stand strong
front. I do not expect it will receive much response but I think that it is important to bring the subject to the notice of our governing body.
In the face of this negative culture it is all the more important that we provide our own support for members, and perhaps shine some light in all this darkness. The spring meeting is one such opportunity. Initially it was cancelled from lack of support. This is always an issue with our association. Due to the variability of work and rotas, and other arrangements, and, it has to be said, plain apathy, booking these events is always slow, which is a nightmare for those trying to organise anything. On this basis the decision was made to cancel the original meeting to avoid having to pay a deposit that the Association would have to underwrite. However, after discussion with Greg White, chief executive of the Faculty of homeopathy, I managed to obtain a room at the Faculty headquarters in London, free of charge, on the same day as the original meeting. Nine people made the day, at very short notice, and despite the lack of official lecturing we all felt that it was
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