DR MAX JOINS HERBAL CLINIC
We are delighted to welcome Dr Max, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and acupuncturist to the Herbal Clinic. Dr Max has 26 years experience and completes the team of practitioners offering a good range of complementary therapies here. In due course, the web site will be updated with full details about him and how to arrange an appoitnment.
26/08/08
NEW TEXT UPDATE SERVICE
If you would like to receive text updates regarding available appointments, and other news, please visit: www.twitter.com and set up an account. Register your mobile as per the instructions. (This is not complicated and there is no charge for texts received. ) Once you have set up your account, add "HerbalClinic" updates to your account.
CPP Press Release
The College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy has issued an important press release regarding the regulation of Herbalsits:
" Regulation of Herbalists - a significant step forward
The Report of the Department of Health's Steering Group on the Regulation of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Traditional Medicine is laid before Parliament today. The Steering Group was made up of practitioners and lay members appointed by the Department Health, was chaired by Professor Michael Pittilo, Vice-Chancellor, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. The Report shows considerable agreement between practitioners of different herbal cultures on the major issues of education and training, registration and fitness to practise.
· Peter Conway, President of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy, a lead body representing Western Herbal Medicine, said "This is a big step forward towards the Statutory Regulation of these Professions. I have been involved in these discussions for more than eight years. Those involved have represented the world's major cultures in herbal medicine, including Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic traditions. The primary objective of Statutory Regulation is to safeguard public health by ensuring that practitioners are properly trained, understand about potential interactions with modern drugs and know when to refer patients to mainstream healthcare."
· The Report endorses the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology recommendation in 2001 on the urgent need for the regulation of herbalists and acupuncturists in the UK. It recommends that Herbal practitioners and Acupuncturists should be regulated under the Health Professions Council (HPC), which already regulates a wide range of healthcare professions, such as Dietitians, Physiotherapists, Chiropodists/podiatrists, and Radiographers.
· The urgency for moving forward on Regulation of Herbalists has been created by the requirement of the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive for regulation of the over-the-counter market of herbal preparations, which comes into full force in 2011. At that time, only herbal products with a Traditional Herbal Registration or other Marketing Authority will be allowed for sale. Registration of Herbalists will mean that consumers will still have access, via practitioners, to many herbs which would otherwise become unavailable. "
For more information on statutory regulation, please click here. The CPP as a body, is a member of the EHTPA, and members of the CPP are therefore covered by the EHTPA.
Of particular interest may be the following extract:
"The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's Report on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (HMSO 2000)..... proposed that CAM therapies should be classified within 3 groups. Therapies assigned to Group 1 included the most organised CAM professions where NHS provision is increasing and where research into their effectiveness had either already commenced or was likely to be beneficial.....Herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, was defined as, "a system of medicine which uses various remedies derived from plants and plant extracts to treat disorders and maintain good health". It was assigned to Group 1 along with acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy and osteopathy."
21/06/08
Information sheets and leaflets
Anji has been writing an information sheet on the menopause and how herbs might help. The leaflet is available at the clinic or the leaflet display holder at the entrance. There are other leaflets planned, and eventually,there will be a page on this site linking to each of them.
07/06/08
Practitioners settling
In what is hoped to be the final re-shuffle we can confirm that the following practitioners see patients at The Herbal Clinic:
Anji Spicer Dip.Phy.,MCPP (Medical Herbalist) ~
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & some weekends
Sarah Atkinson (Complementary Therapist) ~
Thursday evenings & some Saturdays
Mark Costar ~ Occasional dates by appointment
03/06/08
One Year On
It's been one year since opening the Hexham clinic and it's been a successful one.
The diary has been filling up with new patients, people are enjoying being able to drop in unannounced on Wednesday afternoons, and existing patients have declared themselves delighted with their treatment. Referrals from local doctors have been received for patients keen to explore Herbal Medicine and it's very rewarding to prove how well mainstream and Herbal medicines can work togther. Gym members and other sports people have become huge fans of the muscle cream they've had for their sports injuries and training and I'm making this on a regular basis to keep up with up demand. The new gift vouchers have proved popular, particularly with the ladies, and being able to pay online through Paypal has been a great advantage. I've also been keeping up my professional development with both herbal and medical seminars and meetings and enjoying sharing knowledge with other health care practitioners.
Mark Costar continues to work at the clinic on Tuesdays, though his other commitments have now grown so that he is only working two days a month. I am also delighted to announce that Sarah Atkinson, a fully qualified complimentary therapist, is joining the clinic on March 1st. She will offer evening and weekend appointments for a range of therapies, including: aromatherapy, reflexology, acupressure and stress management.
Over the next year, we hope, between us, to offer a fully intigrated complimentary health service, tailor made to suit our patients' needs.
I have an A Level ICT student writing a computer stock control programme so that I can be sure of meeting demand, and I'm hoping to add an FAQ page to the website. I also plan to promote Herbal Medicine by giving short talks to interested groups, so please e-mail me if your group is interested.
Thank you to everyone who has made this first year a success, and I hope that in the next year, the clinic will continue to flourish.
If you have any questions, or suggestions, regarding the website or the clinic, then please do e-mail me.
10/02/08
100% Natural skin care
I've just come across a local company starting to sell 100% natural skincare and toiletry products, and as many of my patients prefer to use these, I have added a link to the links page. I particularly like the look of the gels, found in the skincare section. Simply Au Naturel looks like it may have the solution for sensitive skins and those who like natural products.
Site down on 27/11/07
Apologies for the site not working for one day. All is now sorted and it shouldn't happen again. The wonderful support team at divisionx.com (my hosts) have once again been fantastic and sorted out my problems almost instantly.
