WCHS Annual Conference - April 28 & 29, 2012
The 9th annual WCHS Conference was held on the weekend of April 28 - 29, at the Arbutus Club in Vancouver. The conference theme, "Homeopathy for the Best Start in Life", reflected this year's Homeopathy Awareness Month in Canada theme, which was "Homeopathy from Conception to Birth & Beyond".
Carole Summer - Keynote Speaker
Keynote speaker for both days was Carole Summer, CCH, RCSHom a former registered midwife and now classical homeopath from Kaslo, BC. Her Saturday presentation, entitled "Making Dreams Come True; How Homeopathy can address the challenges of conception in the 21st century", explored issues of infertility and conception in the homeopathic context. With cultural attitudes that make normal pregnancy and natural childbirth a rare event, Carole discussed how homeopaths can guide women and their families to healthy outcomes.
Other featured speakers at the Saturday conference were:
El Cecchetto, former WCHS director and current Canadian representative with the Council for Homeopathic Certification (CHC), discussed recent developments that can affect both current and prospective certified homeopaths.
Representatives from Side by Side Homeopathy provided an update of new activities and challenges involving this important local volunteer project.
Manon Bolliger introduced the basics of Bowen technique and explained how it complements homeopathic treatment during pregnancy and attracts new patients to your client base.
Ram Saini returned to review Jan Scholten's insights into the Periodic Table, specifically the Carbon series that include early development issues of separation and identity.
Annual General Meeting
The afternoon concluded with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) during which the Board reported on activities during the past year and the financial situation ending December 31, 2011. All Board members agreed to stand again for office and, there being no other nominations from the floor, the new Board of Directors was re-elected.
Sunday Presentation
The following day, Carole Summer returned for a full-day presentation on the homeopathic process of preparing women for motherhood and their children for a healthy life, entitled "The Labyrinth of Birth with Homeopathy in the Childbearing Year". By combining her extensive experience as both midwife and classical homeopath, Carole provided an inspiring and in-depth perspective to treating women and their reproductive issues.
Encouraging an informal Question and Answer format, Carole reviewed the midwifery and obstetrical models of care and homeopathic treatment during pregnancy, labour, and delivery. She also used past cases to illustrate the homeopath's role in guiding pregnant patients through their fears and expectations and enabling them to trust their bodies and the homeopathic process.
In the same way that the medical world uses pregnancy and childbirth to inculcate patients into their medicinal paradigm, Carole demonstrated how we can bring families into our homeopathic practice by treating women during this vital childbearing year. She strongly believes that through the homeopathic process of preparing women for motherhood and their children for a healthy life, homeopaths can establish bonds of trust and confidence that will bring whole families into their homeopathic practice.