Healthy Eating – A Chinese Medicine Perspective
By Daverick Leggett

This article is about how I am becoming more of a simpleton as I get older. It essentially states the obvious, or perhaps what is obvious to me. But because something is obvious we should not stop saying it. Below are some reflections on what is important when we look at the question of what constitutes healthy eating. The lens through which this question is viewed is that of Chinese medicine which has informed my work for the last three decades.

Don’t Worry
These days this is the single most important piece of advice I give to my clients. I mean it. In Chinese medicine we understand that emotions and states of mind impact our Qi. Worry, the emotion associated with the Spleen, knots the Qi. This manifests as tension in the digestive system and inhibits our ability to digest clearly. When Chinese medicine says “Anxiety damages the Blood” it is describing this process. So worry, especially about food, is damaging. In fact I would go further and say that today worrying about food, overwhelmed as we are by too much often contradictory information and stimulation, has become a pathology.

Related to this is the state of the body when receiving the food. In the words of the bard “Unquiet meals make ill digestion” (Shakespeare, Comedy of Errors).
Relaxation and enjoyment are key and are part of the ‘yin’ aspect of digestion. A relaxed body will digest food more easily and enjoying our food is how we open to nourishment. Digestion begins even before we put the food into our mouths. The sight and smell of the food on our plate begins the production of digestive enzymes. Therefore, taking time to appreciate food before we put it in our mouths is part of healthy eating. If I achieve nothing else with a client beyond convincing them to slow down, stop worrying and enjoy their food I am happy with the session.

Less is More
A cook once held out her cupped hands to me and said “Look, this is the size of your stomach”. It was significantly smaller than the amount of food most of us put on our plates, including me. So this brings me to the issue of quantity. Perhaps the most radical thing we can do in support of our health is limit how much we eat. Now this sounds hard and ascetic but consider: all scientific studies have shown how limiting the intake of food has extended lifespan, brought about freedom from most diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and extended reproductive life. And it is clear, surely, that over-consumption is a prime cause of many of our modern ills. So when the Chinese say “Eat til you are two thirds full” they were on to something.

Let’s unpack this a little further. In Chinese medicine there is a concept of foods possessing a balance of Wei and Qi. Wei is the dense nutritious aspect of food which builds structure. Qi is the dynamic energetic aspect which assists with the processes of digestion and absorption, with transit through the system. We balance these according to our needs. For example, someone carrying excessive weight with sluggish digestion and signs of Heat may do well to eat more foods that are high in Qi and less that are high in Wei. Someone struggling to maintain weight and vigour showing signs of Deficiency may do well to do the opposite.

An overburdened digestive system becomes sluggish and is unable to keep pace with detoxification and elimination. Cultivating the (difficult) habit of stopping before we are full and ensuring we eat sufficient foods high in Qi i.e. fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains will support the health of the digestive system.

Quality
If reducing the sheer quantity of what we consume is helpful it must be balanced by increasing the quality. Here again is a radical step. Simply upgrading the quality of our food, from chemically to organically grown, from old to fresh, from distant to local will have the effect of increasing our health, helping us to be more satisfied by our food (and therefore inclined to eat less).

Eating food with good flavour increases satisfaction and improves digestion. And the flavours are the nutritious essences of food. Dean Ornish, an American doctor and heart specialist, once said “As human beings we need a certain amount of gratification, and if we don’t get it in quality we tend to make up for it in quantity.” I like him for this. If food tastes good, and we are slowed down enough to appreciate this, we will eat less. Simple.

Timing
Then comes the issue of timing. Chinese medicine recognises that the body’s systems display a tidal movement of energy symbolised by the Chinese clock. Digestion is strongest in the morning and weakest in the evening. The implication here is that we should attend to breakfast. The Chinese clock is supported culturally by sayings such as “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a merchant and supper like a pauper”. It is supported also by modern science. Many studies have shown how the habit of eating breakfast gives us the best chance of regulating our weight, avoiding diabetes and managing our energy levels through the day. Similarly studies have also shown how the timing and quantity of supper affects weight management – lighter and earlier suppers best supporting those who are attempting to regulate their weight.

Although making breakfast the biggest meal of the day may not work for most of us (it doesn’t for me), the important message here is that distributing nutrients more evenly through the three meals of the day and both reducing the quantity and lateness of the evening meal is pivotal in supporting our health. A recent study on weightloss showed that the “Big Breakfast Diet” i.e. a diet involving some fat and protein for breakfast was significantly more successful in achieving weightloss than a lighter carbohydrate based breakfast despite an overall higher consumption of calories by the Big Breakfast group throughout the day. As they say in Spain “Better lose a supper than have a hundred physicians.”

Seasonally too our diet needs to be responsive. More foods high in wei for the winter and foods with warming energy; more foods high in Qi and generally cooler in the summer. This is not news. However, it is when we go counter to the seasons that we invite trouble. For example, it took me a long time to realise that if I followed the natural offering of Spring – more greens, less heating foods and a bit of a Spring clean – my summer hayfever was significantly better.

Digestive Fire
Digestion is a warm process dependent on the Yang of the Spleen and ultimately the Kidneys. Healthy eating means looking after this fire. If we continuously fill the body with chilled foods and cold energy foods we weaken this fire. If we eat a mostly warm, cooked diet we support it. The extent to which we need to do this will depend on our constitution. Eating raw (cold) foods can also be buffered by the use of warming ingredients in dressings such as mustard, black pepper, horseradish and vinegar and by chewing well to warm and break down the food on the mouth.

This notion is pivotal to Chinese medicine’s understanding of nutrition. “Sui Ren (Fire Man) invented fire by drilling wood and instructed the people to take cooked food to prevent digestive diseases.” (The Book of Rites, 11th century BC). Although the inclusion of some raw food in our diet is certainly supportive to health, the current vogue of raw food fundamentalism is misguided. It is the head leading the body. I have seen enough clients to know that, in almost all cases, a raw food diet is both unsustainable and ultimately damaging to health. Supporting the digestive fire is fundamental to healthy eating.

The Qi of the Cook
So, what about the fire in the heart of the cook? Working as we do with Qi, it will be apparent to us that the Qi of the cook enters the food. I often tell the story of how, when I was gathering recipes for my book, I met a pizza chef who made the best pizzas in town. I used to hang out in his pizza joint and chat with him as he multi-tasked with complete equanimity, warm and humorous with all his clients, relaxed in the busy environment of the kitchen. When I asked him for his pizza recipe he smiled and said “Oh, it’s the same as Jo’s down the road”. I was not convinced. His pizza was extraordinary, Jo’s was not. “It’s not the ingredients,” he went on, “it’s the dance”. And he’s right. And not just the cooking but the growing and transporting and selling all leaves its Qi imprint. So I tell you this story and do with it what you will.

Balance
“Eating a balanced diet” would be viewed by most of us as sound advice. But what does this mean? Balance in diet may be looked at as the balance of wei and qi as discussed earlier. A diet too heavy in wei will impede the dispersal and transformation process and a diet too high in Qi may be too light, failing to provide a sufficient ground of nourishment.

It may also be looked at in the balance of all five flavours. “If people pay attention to the five flavours and blend them well, their bones will remain straight, their muscles will remain tender and young, breath and blood will circulate freely, the pores will be fine in texture, and consequently breath and bones will be filled with the Essence of life.” Huang Di, Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, 2500BC. The flavours all have functions in the regulation of digestion and the habitual omission of a flavour or its overuse has consequences.

To take an example, the sour flavour has the function of supporting the digestion of fat, toning the body’s tissues through its astringent nature and encouraging movement of Liver Qi. Its omission may make the liver sluggish, encourage loss of tone and prolapse of body tissues, and fail to regulate the Stomach’s appetite. Its overuse may exacerbate the retention of Dampness.

One of the values of the bitter flavour is illustrated by the Maasai diet. The Maasai, whose diet is high in milk, eat a soup rich in bitter bark and roots which lower cholesterol and counter the congesting effect of the dairy. Urban Maasai, who don’t have access to the bitter plants, tend to develop heart disease.

A Five Element approach might encourage a “rainbow” diet balancing all the colours which, incidentally, provides a full range of anti-oxidants. Balance may also be considered as the balance of different foods on the plate i.e. the proportion of grains, vegetables, proteins etc. For example, a more meaty diet is best balanced with higher intake of vegetables and fruits/less grains and a more vegetable protein diet is complemented by a higher intake of grains.

We must be careful not to form rigid views about food. Human beings are adaptable and there is no perfect diet. Even the notion of balance must be considered thoughtfully. An Eskimo may eat a diet high in protein and fat, a Maasai may consume vast amounts of milk, a Seventh Day Adventist may follow a vegetarian diet: all three are very healthy populations. Each of these populations has two things in common: a knowledge of how to balance the potentially negative impact of their staple foods and a strong supportive culture.

So, some simple notions: don’t worry, enjoy, eat less, eat better, consider the rhythms of nature, have fun in the kitchen and eat an inclusive, broad diet. In my view we need to address these broad issues of how we relate to food before we enter the nitty gritty of what particular foods support our health. Actually all foods can support health. The critical factor, as Paracelsus says, is quantity. Meat nourishes our Blood and provides warmth. How much we should eat depends on the individual’s constitution and condition and will also depend on what other foods are being consumed. And this is where this article ends. The field of differential diagnosis and how we translate this into more specific individual recommendations is a different article.

Better to end with the wise voice of the comedian Fran Lebowitz “Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”

Daverick Leggett qualified in Shiatsu in the mid 1980’s. Since then he has focussed his work into the teaching of both Qigong and Nutrition. He is the author of Recipes for Self-Healing and Helping Ourselves and he teaches throughout the UK and Europe. During 2011 he will be launching the UK’s first training in tcm nutrition. Details of his work can be found at www.meridianpress.net and www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

INBJUDAN

ÅRSMÖTE , SEMINARIUM & BANKETT
12 -13 Mars  2011

Hjärtligt välkomna till ett intressant seminarium och årsmöte med trevlig samvaro och gratis fortbildning  (till ett värde av 3.400:- kr)

SEMINARIUM  NR  23

Food Energeties /Kinesisk kostlära
Höjer och stärker kroppens livsvitalitet

FÖRELÄSARE:  Daverick Leggett
Välkänd internationell föreläsare. Europa
FÖRELÄSARE Peter Torssell
Författare till boken Kinesisk Kostlära

Ny Plats:    Sheraton Stockholm Hotel
Tegelbacken 6,(i närheten av Stockholms Central )

Tid: Lördag:   kl   09.00  – registrering
kl   09.30 -  12.30      Seminarium : Daverick Leggett
kl   12.30 -  14.00      Lunch
kl   14.00 -  15.15      Årsmöte
kl   15.15 -  17.30      Seminarium : Daverick Leggett

*  *  *    BANKETT 30 års Jubileum  kl. 19.00 – 01.00   *  *  *
Hagasalongerna / Sheraton , se separat INBJUDAN

Söndag:   kl   09.00 – registrering
kl   09.30 -  12.30      Seminarium: Daverick Leggett
kl   12.30 -  13.30      Lunch
kl   13.30 -  16.00      Seminarium : Peter Torssell

Pauser kommer att läggas in.
Obs Förbundet bjuder denna gången för att det är 30 års Jubileum, på kompendium,  förtäring i form av kaffe/te med tilltugg till varje deltagare.  Säg till vid anmälan om du vill ha laktos eller glutenfri  förtäring.

ANMÄLAN SENAST DEN 21 Februari 2011!!!
Telefon: 08-600 02 30
E-post: info@akupunkturforbundet.se

Valberedningen i Svenska Akupunkturförbundet

Valberedningen söker förslag till personer till styrelsen i Sv. Akupunkturförbundet
Årsmötet äger rum 12 mars 2011. Plats : Sheraton Stockholm Hotel
Kontakta Valberedningen :
Per Tollefeldt telefon. 0498 -21 46 74 mail: per.tollefeldt@swipnet.se
Angelika Wijesinghe telefon. 021- 18 85 00 mail: angelika@yinyang.se

Motioner till Årsmötet 12 mars 2011

Motioner till Årsmötet 12 mars 2011 måste vara till handa senast till kansliet 10 februari 2011.
Enligt Svenska Akupunkturförbundets stadgar, senast 30 dagar före årsmötet.
Kansli :
Svenska Akupunkturförbundet
Ystadsvägen 67 121 51 Johanneshov eller info@akupunkturförbundet.se

Presentation av föreläsaren Daverick Leggett

Svenska Akupunkturförbundet är glada att presentera Daverick Leggett från England för första gången i Sverige, som föreläsare 12- 13 mars 2011 för våra medlemmar, på Sheraton Stockholm Hotel.
Daverick är en välkänd internationell föreläsare i Europa, och han utbildade sig först i Shiatsu 1980, sedan läste han vidare inom Orientalisk Medicin, Nutrition och Qigong, Arbetar numera som lärare i England  och Europa, han är också director of the European Shiatsu school, sedan 1990 är han  director of the Centre for Oriental Medicine. Daverick har skrivit två st. böcker Recipes for Self-Healing och Helping Ourselves. Under 2011 kommer han att lansera Englands första TCM –Nutrition, vidare information gå in på www.meridianpress.net och www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

”Let the medicine be your food, and the food be your medicine“

Peter Torssell, B.Chin.med, lärare på Akupunkturakademin i Stockholm och författare till boken Kinesisk Kostlära  -”hur vi påverkas av ätande och mat enligt Traditionell Kinesisk Medicin”. Han är gästföreläsare på Örebro Universitet. Peter Torssell kommer under Söndagen att göra en resume och förtydligande av seminariet av Daverick Leggett, samt delge sin egen erfarenhet och kunskap runt Kinesisk kostlära.

Missa inte denna unika intressanta föreläsning med Daverick Leggett & Peter Torssell, ämnet är högaktuellt i Europa bla. för att EU -lagstiftningar kommer att begränsa användandet av kinesiska örter från April 2011.

Reservera detta datum redan Nu i era kalendrar !

Vi kommer att vara stränga med sista anmälningsdatum för Seminarium & 30 års Jublieums Banketten. Dra runt ett engagemang i förbundet av denna storlek och kaliber, kräver planering, utrymme och personal, dessa måste ha tidsförberedelser. Nya tag gäller, anmäl Er i god tid, om ni anmält er men fått förhinder, anmäl detta omgående.

OBS Anmälan till Banketten kommer brevledes i er brevlåda, där allt finns presenterat inför 30 års jubileums Banketten inkl. tid, kostnad  !

Anmäl ER i tid  : Senast 21 februari 2011  !

Hjärtligt Välkomna
Ordförande Mats Fredland

Healthy Eating – A Chinese Medicine Perspective
By Daverick Leggett

This article is about how I am becoming more of a simpleton as I get older. It essentially states the obvious, or perhaps what is obvious to me. But because something is obvious we should not stop saying it. Below are some reflections on what is important when we look at the question of what constitutes healthy eating. The lens through which this question is viewed is that of Chinese medicine which has informed my work for the last three decades.

Don’t Worry
These days this is the single most important piece of advice I give to my clients. I mean it. In Chinese medicine we understand that emotions and states of mind impact our Qi. Worry, the emotion associated with the Spleen, knots the Qi. This manifests as tension in the digestive system and inhibits our ability to digest clearly. When Chinese medicine says “Anxiety damages the Blood” it is describing this process. So worry, especially about food, is damaging. In fact I would go further and say that today worrying about food, overwhelmed as we are by too much often contradictory information and stimulation, has become a pathology.

Related to this is the state of the body when receiving the food. In the words of the bard “Unquiet meals make ill digestion” (Shakespeare, Comedy of Errors).
Relaxation and enjoyment are key and are part of the ‘yin’ aspect of digestion. A relaxed body will digest food more easily and enjoying our food is how we open to nourishment. Digestion begins even before we put the food into our mouths. The sight and smell of the food on our plate begins the production of digestive enzymes. Therefore, taking time to appreciate food before we put it in our mouths is part of healthy eating. If I achieve nothing else with a client beyond convincing them to slow down, stop worrying and enjoy their food I am happy with the session.

Less is More
A cook once held out her cupped hands to me and said “Look, this is the size of your stomach”. It was significantly smaller than the amount of food most of us put on our plates, including me. So this brings me to the issue of quantity. Perhaps the most radical thing we can do in support of our health is limit how much we eat. Now this sounds hard and ascetic but consider: all scientific studies have shown how limiting the intake of food has extended lifespan, brought about freedom from most diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and extended reproductive life. And it is clear, surely, that over-consumption is a prime cause of many of our modern ills. So when the Chinese say “Eat til you are two thirds full” they were on to something.

Let’s unpack this a little further. In Chinese medicine there is a concept of foods possessing a balance of Wei and Qi. Wei is the dense nutritious aspect of food which builds structure. Qi is the dynamic energetic aspect which assists with the processes of digestion and absorption, with transit through the system. We balance these according to our needs. For example, someone carrying excessive weight with sluggish digestion and signs of Heat may do well to eat more foods that are high in Qi and less that are high in Wei. Someone struggling to maintain weight and vigour showing signs of Deficiency may do well to do the opposite.

An overburdened digestive system becomes sluggish and is unable to keep pace with detoxification and elimination. Cultivating the (difficult) habit of stopping before we are full and ensuring we eat sufficient foods high in Qi i.e. fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains will support the health of the digestive system.

Quality
If reducing the sheer quantity of what we consume is helpful it must be balanced by increasing the quality. Here again is a radical step. Simply upgrading the quality of our food, from chemically to organically grown, from old to fresh, from distant to local will have the effect of increasing our health, helping us to be more satisfied by our food (and therefore inclined to eat less).

Eating food with good flavour increases satisfaction and improves digestion. And the flavours are the nutritious essences of food. Dean Ornish, an American doctor and heart specialist, once said “As human beings we need a certain amount of gratification, and if we don’t get it in quality we tend to make up for it in quantity.” I like him for this. If food tastes good, and we are slowed down enough to appreciate this, we will eat less. Simple.

Timing
Then comes the issue of timing. Chinese medicine recognises that the body’s systems display a tidal movement of energy symbolised by the Chinese clock. Digestion is strongest in the morning and weakest in the evening. The implication here is that we should attend to breakfast. The Chinese clock is supported culturally by sayings such as “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a merchant and supper like a pauper”. It is supported also by modern science. Many studies have shown how the habit of eating breakfast gives us the best chance of regulating our weight, avoiding diabetes and managing our energy levels through the day. Similarly studies have also shown how the timing and quantity of supper affects weight management – lighter and earlier suppers best supporting those who are attempting to regulate their weight.

Although making breakfast the biggest meal of the day may not work for most of us (it doesn’t for me), the important message here is that distributing nutrients more evenly through the three meals of the day and both reducing the quantity and lateness of the evening meal is pivotal in supporting our health. A recent study on weightloss showed that the “Big Breakfast Diet” i.e. a diet involving some fat and protein for breakfast was significantly more successful in achieving weightloss than a lighter carbohydrate based breakfast despite an overall higher consumption of calories by the Big Breakfast group throughout the day. As they say in Spain “Better lose a supper than have a hundred physicians.”

Seasonally too our diet needs to be responsive. More foods high in wei for the winter and foods with warming energy; more foods high in Qi and generally cooler in the summer. This is not news. However, it is when we go counter to the seasons that we invite trouble. For example, it took me a long time to realise that if I followed the natural offering of Spring – more greens, less heating foods and a bit of a Spring clean – my summer hayfever was significantly better.

Digestive Fire
Digestion is a warm process dependent on the Yang of the Spleen and ultimately the Kidneys. Healthy eating means looking after this fire. If we continuously fill the body with chilled foods and cold energy foods we weaken this fire. If we eat a mostly warm, cooked diet we support it. The extent to which we need to do this will depend on our constitution. Eating raw (cold) foods can also be buffered by the use of warming ingredients in dressings such as mustard, black pepper, horseradish and vinegar and by chewing well to warm and break down the food on the mouth.

This notion is pivotal to Chinese medicine’s understanding of nutrition. “Sui Ren (Fire Man) invented fire by drilling wood and instructed the people to take cooked food to prevent digestive diseases.” (The Book of Rites, 11th century BC). Although the inclusion of some raw food in our diet is certainly supportive to health, the current vogue of raw food fundamentalism is misguided. It is the head leading the body. I have seen enough clients to know that, in almost all cases, a raw food diet is both unsustainable and ultimately damaging to health. Supporting the digestive fire is fundamental to healthy eating.

The Qi of the Cook
So, what about the fire in the heart of the cook? Working as we do with Qi, it will be apparent to us that the Qi of the cook enters the food. I often tell the story of how, when I was gathering recipes for my book, I met a pizza chef who made the best pizzas in town. I used to hang out in his pizza joint and chat with him as he multi-tasked with complete equanimity, warm and humorous with all his clients, relaxed in the busy environment of the kitchen. When I asked him for his pizza recipe he smiled and said “Oh, it’s the same as Jo’s down the road”. I was not convinced. His pizza was extraordinary, Jo’s was not. “It’s not the ingredients,” he went on, “it’s the dance”. And he’s right. And not just the cooking but the growing and transporting and selling all leaves its Qi imprint. So I tell you this story and do with it what you will.

Balance
“Eating a balanced diet” would be viewed by most of us as sound advice. But what does this mean? Balance in diet may be looked at as the balance of wei and qi as discussed earlier. A diet too heavy in wei will impede the dispersal and transformation process and a diet too high in Qi may be too light, failing to provide a sufficient ground of nourishment.

It may also be looked at in the balance of all five flavours. “If people pay attention to the five flavours and blend them well, their bones will remain straight, their muscles will remain tender and young, breath and blood will circulate freely, the pores will be fine in texture, and consequently breath and bones will be filled with the Essence of life.” Huang Di, Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, 2500BC. The flavours all have functions in the regulation of digestion and the habitual omission of a flavour or its overuse has consequences.

To take an example, the sour flavour has the function of supporting the digestion of fat, toning the body’s tissues through its astringent nature and encouraging movement of Liver Qi. Its omission may make the liver sluggish, encourage loss of tone and prolapse of body tissues, and fail to regulate the Stomach’s appetite. Its overuse may exacerbate the retention of Dampness.

One of the values of the bitter flavour is illustrated by the Maasai diet. The Maasai, whose diet is high in milk, eat a soup rich in bitter bark and roots which lower cholesterol and counter the congesting effect of the dairy. Urban Maasai, who don’t have access to the bitter plants, tend to develop heart disease.

A Five Element approach might encourage a “rainbow” diet balancing all the colours which, incidentally, provides a full range of anti-oxidants. Balance may also be considered as the balance of different foods on the plate i.e. the proportion of grains, vegetables, proteins etc. For example, a more meaty diet is best balanced with higher intake of vegetables and fruits/less grains and a more vegetable protein diet is complemented by a higher intake of grains.

We must be careful not to form rigid views about food. Human beings are adaptable and there is no perfect diet. Even the notion of balance must be considered thoughtfully. An Eskimo may eat a diet high in protein and fat, a Maasai may consume vast amounts of milk, a Seventh Day Adventist may follow a vegetarian diet: all three are very healthy populations. Each of these populations has two things in common: a knowledge of how to balance the potentially negative impact of their staple foods and a strong supportive culture.

So, some simple notions: don’t worry, enjoy, eat less, eat better, consider the rhythms of nature, have fun in the kitchen and eat an inclusive, broad diet. In my view we need to address these broad issues of how we relate to food before we enter the nitty gritty of what particular foods support our health. Actually all foods can support health. The critical factor, as Paracelsus says, is quantity. Meat nourishes our Blood and provides warmth. How much we should eat depends on the individual’s constitution and condition and will also depend on what other foods are being consumed. And this is where this article ends. The field of differential diagnosis and how we translate this into more specific individual recommendations is a different article.

Better to end with the wise voice of the comedian Fran Lebowitz “Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”

Daverick Leggett qualified in Shiatsu in the mid 1980’s. Since then he has focussed his work into the teaching of both Qigong and Nutrition. He is the author of Recipes for Self-Healing and Helping Ourselves and he teaches throughout the UK and Europe. During 2011 he will be launching the UK’s first training in tcm nutrition. Details of his work can be found at www.meridianpress.net and www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

30-års Jubileumsbankett!

Svenska Akupunkturförbundet
Traditionell Kinesisk Medicin

1981- 2011

Sheraton Stockholm Hotel
Hagasalongerna

Lördagen den 12 mars 2011
Tid : kl. 19.00 – 01.00

Jag vill se Dig personligen på denna Jubileums Bankett den 12 mars 2011, för att tillsammans  fira denna händelse i vårt förbund. Vi erbjuder en utsökt meny till ett subventionerat pris, som följs av underhållning och dans, i de fabulösa Hagasalongerna.

Anmälan till denna bankett gör du per mail samtidigt som du betalar in 350:-kr på förbundets
plusgiro 17 71 99-7 , anmälan är bindande.

Se meny och program på separat inbjudningskort  !

Vi kommer att vara stränga med sista anmälningsdatum som är den 21 Februari, gällande Jubileums Bankett & Seminarium. Så anmäl er i God Tid.

Genom att Svenska Akupunkturförbundet firar 30 årsjubileum kommer vi denna gång att bjuda Er alla på gratis kaffe, tilltugg och kompendium under seminariedagarna.
Så Du kan fördelaktigt lägga 350:-kr  på vår jubileumsbankett på lördagskvällen !

Sista Anmälnings datum 21 Februari 2011

Missa inte detta tillfälle – Once upon a time

Varmt Välkomna

Ordförande  Mats Fredland

Inbjudan till höstmöte & seminarium 23 – 24 Oktober 2010. Seminarium nr 22.

Yang Sheng – Höjer och stärker kroppens vitalitet, teori & workshop.

Hjärtligt välkomna till ett intressant seminarium och årsmöte
med trevlig samvaro och gratis fortbildning (till ett värde av 3.400:- kr).

Presentation av föreläsaren  Deirdre K Courtney

Svenska Akupunkturförbundet är glada att kunna presentera Deirdre K Courtney från Dublin Irland, som föreläsare 23- 24 oktober 2010, för våra medlemmar.
Deirdre är en välkänd internationell föreläsare i både Europa och USA. Förutom att praktisera undervisar hon inom traditionell kinesisk medicin, samt är ansvarig för Akupunktur vid College of Naturopathic Medicine på Irland och The Institute of East West Medical Science.

Missa inte denna unika intressanta föreläsning,  Yang Sheng – Höjer och stärker kroppens vitalitet, teori & workshop, med Deirdre K Courtney som är i Sverige för första gången. Reservera detta datum redan NU i era kalendrar. Hjärtligt Välkomma!

Ordförande Mats Fredland

Yang Sheng – Nourishing life “with the help of sun si miao”.

A little bit about myself.

I grew up in Dublin Ireland and started my career cooking in a vegetarian restaurant and ended up specializing in health foods. I trained in Vegetarian, Vegan, Macrobiotic, No wheat and No sugar diets. I have lived in Europe and the USA and worked in top restaurants in both placing specializing in French, Italian and Spanish cuisines. During this time also gave private cooking classes and which involved peoples private cooks healthier cooking practices. This Iead to working as a private chef in California for a client who was overweight and recovering from years of drug and alcohol abuse. It was here that I started to get more deeply interested in nutrition and then Chinese Medicine.

I have always considered food as a form of medicine and noticed how by changing one’s diet you could improve or eliminate symptoms. I decided to study nutrition, however life guided me to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Which includes Chinese nutrition.
(brings to mind Talking Heads -  Stop Making Sense; ”how did I get here?”)

In 1991 I got the NCCAOM certification and my Masters in TCM from Yo San University in 1992 and passed the Californian State exam that same year. I came back to Ireland in 1993 where I have been teaching and running a practice in Dublin since. I lectured both here and in the rest of Europe and I am currently Director of Acupuncture in the College of Naturopathic Medicine Ireland where I am teaching the theory of Chinese Medicine. I am also the director of the Institute of East West Medical Science.

Since the beginning I have been interested in the area of Yang Sheng – Nourishing Life and preventing illness, which is what Chinese medicine is so fantastic for. I work a lot with the face as it tells so much information about someone’s life and health and include Sun Si Maio’s Ghost Points in my treatments to help move emotions (demons). I have found by using food and acupuncture we can nourish our Jing. I feel by releasing emotions we can also release possibly Jing that has just got stuck not lost.

Alla medlemmar som deltar i seminariet får intyg !

Plats: Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel
Vasagatan 1 ( bredvid Stockholms Central )

Tid: Lördag:   kl   09.00  – registrering
kl   09.30 -  12.30      Seminarium
kl   12.30 -  14.00      Lunch
kl   14.00 -  15.00      Höstmöte
kl   15.00 -  17.45      Seminarium
kl   17.45 -  18.30      Föredrag:

Söndag: kl   09.00 – registrering
kl   09.30 -  12.30      Seminarium
kl   12.30 -  13.30      Lunch
kl   13.30 -  16.00      Seminarium

Pauser kommer att läggas in.

200:- kr i registrerings avgift betalas i entrén. Detta inkluderar kompendium, förtäring i form av kaffe/te med tilltugg, frukt, juice och vatten, till varje deltagare.  Säg till vid anmälan om du vill ha laktos eller glutenfri förtäring

Anmälan senast den 18 Oktober 2010.
Telefon: 08-600 02 30
E-post: info@akupunkturforbundet.se

Välkomna!

AN INVITATION TO ALL PRACTITIONERS OF TCM!

The British Acupuncture Council is hosting its 3rd International conference again this September at the Royal Holloway, University of London, a magnificent building in its own forested grounds. You can sign up for a full weekend (or an individual day if you prefer) of workshops, forums for debate, Qi gong, Tai Chi, keynote lectures, tantalising research outcomes, a Poster competition, good food, good conversation and much more…

You can make your booking as well as find further information about the conference by visiting www.acupuncture.org.uk/conference or alternatively via the BAcC website. The conference location is ideally placed for delegates from all corners of the UK and around the globe, just 20 minutes from Heathrow airport and close to all main road and rail links.

This landmark International event promotes diversity, with an extensive list of foremost lecturers, authors and thinkers in the field of oriental medicine.

Don’t miss this groundbreaking conference – stay in the loop! Bring along questions that challenge the old and bear witness to the evolution of the new.

Last year, alongside members of the British Acupuncture council, we welcomed delegates from over 20 different countries. This year promises to be the same.

Most of all, a conference offers a great networking opportunity – in workshops, lecture halls, over coffee, in the bar! Don’t miss out on all the fun!

Visit www.acupuncture.org.uk/conference for further information.

GETTING THERE

Using public transport is convenient and it helps the environment too. A FREE shuttle service will operate to and from the local train station throughout the conference weekend.

There is also a shuttle operating from the Heathrow airport at a small charge of £15.To book the Heathrow shuttle please call 44 (0)20 8735 1216. Click on this link to find out more.

Visit www.acupuncture.org.uk/conference to view information about the conference weekend as well as book online when the phonelines are busy

Contact

Nigel Kay
Conference Manager

63 Jeddo Road
London
W12 9HQ
United Kingdom

Tel: 44 (0)20 8735 1216
Fax: 44 (0)20 8735 0404
E-mail: nigel@acupuncture.org.uk

Ladda ned framtidsdokument till Sveriges riksdagspolitiker här.

Stärk akupunkturens ställning i Sverige.

- att förebygga är att spara.

Förbundets budskap valåret 2010 är riktad direkt till Sveriges riksdagspartier.  Vi finns på Donnersgatan 8 under Almedalsveckan. Besök oss som medlem och icke medlem. Vill du som är medlem i förbundet delta gör du en anmälan till förbundet.

Förbundets representanter kommer före valet att uppvakta de politiska partierna och presentera förbundets tre mål. De tre målen är momsbefrielse, stöd för akupunkturforskning och projekt samt skyddad yrkestitel. Här kan du läsa förbundets framtidsdokument till Sveriges riksdagspolitiker.

41:a Internationella TCM kongressen i Rothenburg 11 maj- 16 maj 2010.
För information och registrering gå in på www.tcm-kongress.de.
Årets tema för denna kongress är: Trauma, Psychological and Physical, Life Counselling.

Behandlade du en eller kanske flera migränpatienter i år, förra året eller 2008? Blev någon eller några av dem tydligt bättre? Om de tidigare provat läkemedelsbehandling utan att bli symptomfria kan de passa in i NAFKAM´s register över exceptionella sjukdomsförlopp. Svenska Akupunkturförbundet Traditionell Kinesisk Medicin deltar i insamlandet av lyckade migränbehandlingar. Nu har var och en av er chans att förmedla till omvärlden att akupunktur kan vara effektivt vid migrän. Genom att rapportera in era resultat kan ni bidra till ökad kunskap om akupunktur!

NAFKAM´s register
Norska NAFKAM, (Nasjonalt forskningssenter innen komplementær og alternativ medisin), som är en del av Universitetet i Tromsø, har gjort ett register för exceptionella sjukdomsförlopp. Med ett “exceptionellt gott sjukdomsförlopp” menas till exempel långvarig bättring eller tillfrisknande från en allvarlig sjukdom eller väsentlig minskning av symptom. Meningen är att registrera goda förlopp av kronisk eller allvarlig sjukdom efter behandling med akupunktur eller zonterapi genom att bygga upp en databas, som kan tjäna som grund för forskning om exceptionella sjukdomsförlopp.

Migrän
NAFKAM har ett speciellt fokus på klienter med migrän. De är intresserade av att få kontakt med klienter, som 2008-2010 har erfarit ett exceptionellt gott sjukdomsförlopp efter behandling med akupunktur eller zonterapi och som icke har uppnått motsvarande resultat efter användning av etablerade behandlingar.

Kriterier för att deltaga i registret är att personen
• har/har haft migrän och
• har uppnått osedvanliga behandlingsresultat efter behandling med akpunktur eller zonterapi och
• hade en medicinsk diagnos, innan han/hon påbörjade den akupunktur- eller zonterapibehandling, som gav osedvanliga behandlingsresultat.

Handlingsplanen ser ut så här:

En kontaktperson har utsetts
Akupunktur- och zonterapiföreningarna i Danmark, England, Norge och Sverige har kontaktats av NAFKAM och utsett varsin kontaktperson. Jag blev i december 2009 utsedd till kontaktperson för akupunktörer i Sverige. Min uppgift är att be er akupunktörer om hjälp med att få kontakt med tre patienter med exceptionella förlopp efter migränbehandling med akupunktur.

Akupunktörernas uppgift
Ni ger information till patienter, som kan vara aktuella deltagare, och får tillåtelse från den enskilda patienten att förmedla kontakt med mig. Jag talar med den enskilda patienten och tar ställning till om det kan vara tal om ett exceptionellt migränförlopp efter behandling med akupunktur och om patienten före behandling med akupunktur inte har fått motsvarande resultat med konventionell behandling. Om jag bedömer det som en exceptionellt lyckad behandling kontaktar jag NAFKAM.

Nästa steg
… är att NAFKAM kommer sänder ut registreringsschema, samtyckesförklaring och information till de tre första patienterna på listan från varje kontaktperson, schema till behandlaren för att fylla i om den behandling, som har givits, blankett för dokumentation av diagnosen samt information om projektet till patientens läkare. NAFKAM kommer också att inhämta journalmaterial från patientens etablerade och alternativa behandlare. Journalmaterial skall angående akupunkturbehandlingen innehålla följande upplysningar:
• Tidpunkt för start och avslutning av behandlingen (om den är avslutad).
• Antal behandlingar och hur ofta akupunkturbehandling givits.
• Beskrivning/värdering av klienten och klientens sjukdom/symptom (zonterapeutisk/akupunktur diagnos)
• Beskrivning av behandlingen som givits, och behandlingsförloppet.
• Händelser/reaktioner under behandlingstiden.
• Registrerade ändringar i tillståndet hos klienten.
• Eventuella dåliga reaktioner på behandlingen.
• En beskrivning av varför detta sjukdomsförlopp är definierat som exceptionellt.

Läkarmedverkan
NAFKAM kommer att utse en läkare med specialitet i migrän i de respektive länderna för att utföra de medicinska värderingarna av de inlämnade anonymiserade berättelserna om exceptionella migränförlopp efter behandling med akupunktur.

Feed back
NAFKAM sänder feed back till akupunktur- och zonterapiföreningarna. NAFKAM planlägger att hålla en workshop om exceptionella migränförlopp på basis av de anonymiserade fallen från Danmark, England, Norge och Sverige med deltagare av läkare, alternativa behandlare och patientföreningar för migrän.

Så:
Please, please,please, rapportera era migränbehandlingar snarast! Jag nås via mail eller telefon.

Vi hörs!

Kajsa Landgren
kajsa@kajsalandgren.com
0739-321746

Version 1_090227

This Code of Professional Conduct will be translated into the languages of all member associations by the members.

About this Code

The Code of Professional Conduct is published by the European Traditional Chinese Medicine Association (ETCMA) as a basis for Codes of Conduct of member organisations and associations. It is based on the Code of Professional Conduct of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC).

The Code is set up for the protection of patients. It also serves to explain to people outside the profession the high standards under which members operate.

This Code represents a minimum standard and shall serve only as a basis for codes of conduct of ETCMA-member organisations and associations. It does not list every possible situation that practitioners will face in practice. In order to help maintain the highest levels of professional behaviour, therefore, ETCMA-member organisations and associations are encouraged to elaborate on key topics of this Code with examples of best practice as illustrations of the broad principles outlined in this Code. Members shall also regularly update their code in order to keep practitioners as informed as possible of changes and developments in the professional conduct expected of the ETCMA-member organisation or association.

The laws in the ETCMA-member states override this Code.

In this Code, ‘practitioner’ refers, if not marked otherwise, to the individual member of an ETCMA-member organisation or association. Furthermore, in this Code, ‘patient’ refers, if not marked otherwise, to an adult person seeking advice or treatment from a practitioner of their own free will.

Code of Professional Conduct

Obligations to Patients

Duty of care

1. Practitioners have a duty to their patients to maintain high standards of care, competence and conduct.

2. The relationship between practitioners and their patient is that between a professional and a client who is entitled to put complete trust in the practitioner as a professional. It is his or her duty not to abuse this trust in any way.

3. Any patient consulting a practitioner has the right to expect that he or she will:

a) make their care the overriding priority

b) listen to them carefully and respect their confidentiality

c) explain findings to them as clearly as possible and ensure that they are understood

d) inform them clearly of the nature and purpose of any proposed treatment

e) respect their autonomy and encourage their freedom of choice

f) ensure that they know how and where the practitioner may be contacted

4. In providing care practitioners must:

a) assess any condition thoroughly, with appropriate examination and  investigation

b) recognise the limits of their professional competence and work within them

c) provide, where appropriate and with the patient’s consent, relevant  information to other health professionals who are caring for them

d) consult others and refer for investigation and treatment elsewhere, when  necessary

e) keep accurate and comprehensive case notes and records

f) review the patient’s treatment and progress at agreed intervals and assess  the suitability of further acupuncture treatment

g) encourage patients promptly to seek other forms of medical treatment if  acupuncture and Chinese medicine does no longer seem to be the most  appropriate means of treating their problems

h) act promptly and appropriately if becoming aware of an error on their part,  ensuring that the professional organisation or appropriate commission is informed as soon as possible for guidance on any further action or comment

i) act promptly if a patient complains about any aspect of their professional  practice and keep a record of the complaint and any actions taken

Fees

5. When a patient consults a practitioner this involves entering into a contractual relationship. The patient will normally pay a fee. Even if the patient does not pay a fee, or where there is no explicit contractual relationship (e.g. in an emergency), the practitioner still has a duty to apply the standard of care expected of a professional practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

6. Patients must be given clear information on the fee structure for treatment for both initial and subsequent sessions.

Case notes

7. Practitioners must keep accurate, comprehensive, easily understood, contemporaneous and dated case notes recording:

a) the patient’s personal details (name, address, telephone number and date  of birth)

b) the presenting complaint and symptoms reported by the patient

c) relevant medical and family history (including practice details of the GP)

d) their clinical findings and Chinese medical diagnosis

e) any treatment given and details of progress of the case, including reviews of  treatment planning

f) any information and advice that they give, especially when referring the  patient to any other health professional

g) any decisions made in conjunction with the patient

h) records of the patient’s consent to treatment or the consent of their next-of- kin and consent to contact their GP or any other relevant health care  professional

8. Practitioners are legally required to keep patient records for the amount of years required by the law in the practitioner’s country of practice.

9. The patient’s case notes and records are the practitioner’s property, and he or she must retain them. However, when a patient requests a copy of their notes, practitioners must follow the procedure laid out in the law of their country of practice.

10. The requirement to retain original records applies especially in the buying and selling of a practice; even with a patient’s consent, practitioners must only pass on copies of the records, not the original notes. Practitioners must also ensure that patients are kept fully informed and offered appropriate choices about their continuing care and the safe keeping and location of their original records.

11. Practitioners must not use knowledge gained from patients or from their records in any other context for personal or professional gain.

12. Patient records must be kept secure and confidential at all times. The requirement of the law in the practitioner’s country of practice must be fulfilled, including compliance with all regulations governing electronic data.

13. Records must be destroyed according to the law in the practitioner’s country of practice. If the method of disposal is not regulated, shredding and burning are the most appropriate methods. Practitioners must also make appropriate arrangements for the safe keeping and transfer of patient notes in the event of the practitioner’s death or serious injury.

14. If case notes are written in any other language than the official language in the country of practice, it will be the practitioner’s responsibility to provide a full translation, if called upon to do so by the professional association’s ethical board or similar commission in the event of a complaint being made, or the records being required for official purposes, or a request being made by the patient.

Delegation of professional duties

15. Practitioners must ensure that the practice is managed with due care should

professional duties be delegated to another practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese medicine or to a practitioner of another therapy. The delegating practitioner must be satisfied that any such practitioner is adequately qualified and belongs to a reputable professional body. The delegating practitioner must also be satisfied that any services provided by the other practitioner are done so with the agreement of the patient.

Absence from practice

16. Should the practitioner be away from his or her practice for any length of time, it is his or her duty to ensure patients are informed about where they may seek appropriate treatment in his or her absence, or to provide properly trained and qualified locum cover. Should the practitioner retire from practice he or she must

also inform the patients that he or she is retiring and ensure that the patients are

aware of other practitioners in the area and of the location of their original case notes and records.

Continuing study

17. Practitioners must refresh their knowledge and techniques by, for example,

attending appropriate seminars and post-graduate training courses, or

by undertaking recognised continuing professional development

training. This includes fulfilling any continuing professional development requirements set by the professional association.

Ethical Boundaries in Relationships with Patients

Inappropriate Relationships

18. Practitioners must not enter into a sexual relationship with a patient. They must

also be aware of the dangers of allowing any sort of emotional relationship to develop with a patient. If practitioners realise they are becoming emotionally or sexually involved with a patient, they should end the professional relationship, and recommend to the patient an alternative source of appropriate care.

19. If a patient shows signs of becoming inappropriately involved with the practitioner,

he or she should discourage them and, if necessary, end the professional

relationship. Practitioners may wish to report such matters to the ethical committee or similar commissions, or seek advice from a colleague whilst maintaining the anonymity of the patient.

20. Practitioners must ensure that their behaviour in dealing with patients is professional at all times and not open to misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Non-physical behaviour, gesture, unnecessary physical contact, verbal suggestion or innuendo can easily be construed as abusive or harassing.

21. Practitioners must allow the patient privacy if they are required to undress for

treatment. Practitioners must also ensure that they provide adequate clean

covering for patient use.

22. Practitioners may sometimes find themselves called upon to treat a relative or

someone whom they consider to be a friend. There is no harm in this provided that clear boundaries are kept between the social and professional relationships.

23. Practitioners must ensure that past, present or anticipated relationships of any

kind do not interfere with their professional duties, and they must avoid any behaviour which can be construed in this way.

Legal Obligations

Patient Consent

24. Practitioners must explain carefully the procedures and treatment that they intend to administer, and must recognise that the patient is entitled to choose whether or not to accept advice or treatment. It can be construed as an assault to examine or even prepare to treat someone without their consent, and to continue to treat someone if they withdraw their consent in the middle of a treatment.

25. Consent must be given by a legally competent person, must be given voluntarily and must be informed. Although consent may once have been taken as implied by a patient’s actions in turning up and lying on the treatment couch, explicit consent is now considered essential. Practitioners must seek explicit consent, in writing if necessary, and ensure that the patient understands the proposed therapy. This is particularly important where treatment may involve sensitive areas of the body.

Practitioners are recommended to record all relevant information in the case notes.

26. Practitioners must record any subsequent explanation and consent obtained if

the course of treatment extends beyond the original projection, if treatment continues beyond an agreed review date, or if the treatment itself involves significant changes in point locations, techniques used or time taken.

27. Practitioners must not delegate the obtaining of consent to a receptionist or

unqualified assistant. Informed consent requires that the practitioner (or an appropriately qualified colleague) must explain the procedure, be available to answer questions and be able to satisfy themselves that the patient understands what they have told them.

Consent of Minors

28. Practitioners must seek the consent of a parent or guardian if the patient is legally defined a minor in the country of practice. In the absence of such consent practitioners must not offer treatment.

29. Practitioners must also be aware that the refusal of treatment by a child legally defined a minor in the country of practice may carry legal force and override the consent, even though properly given, of a legally authorised adult. If practitioners are in any doubt, they must contact the ethical commission or similar committee or seek legal advice before performing any treatment.

30. When a child legally defined a minor in the country of practice is treated, practitioners must follow the guidance offered by their professional association on whether a parent or legally authorized guardian is present in the treatment room throughout the whole examination and treatment.

Confidentiality

31. Practitioners have a duty to keep all information, medical or otherwise, concerning their patients entirely confidential, and such information may only be released with the explicit consent of the patient. This also applies to any views that the practitioner forms about the patient. This duty, which survives the death of a patient, also extends to anyone employed in the practice.

32. The fact of a patient’s attendance at the practice must be considered confidential. Practitioners must also not assume that details of a patient’s case may be discussed with their partner or their relatives unless explicit permission has been given.

Disclosures without consent

33. Disclosures without consent may be necessary in the public interest if the practitioner’s duty to society overrides the duty to the patient. This may be because the patient is putting themselves or others at serious risk by, for example, the possibility of a violent or criminal act or failing to report a notifiable illness. In all circumstances practitioners are advised to consult the ethical commission or similar committee or take legal advice before making a decision to release information without a patient’s permission.

34. A Court may order the practitioner to disclose information about a patient. In such

circumstances, only information relevant to the proceedings should be disclosed. If called upon to do this, the practitioner should seek advice from the ethical commission or similar committee as to how best to proceed.

Commercial Obligations

Advertising standards

35. All advertising must be legal, decent, honest and truthful and must conform to relevant guidelines of the professional association or association the practitioner belongs to. Advertisements may include information about any non-acupuncture qualifications and special interests of the practitioner, but must not make claims of superiority or disparage professional colleagues or other professionals.

36. Advertising must not mislead or deceive. It must not be sensational and make unrealistic, self-laudatory, or extravagant claims. Neither its content nor the manner in which it is distributed should be such as to put prospective patients under pressure. Advertising must not create unjustified expectations about the length or type of treatment or its prospects for relieving the condition concerned. Claims to cure

conditions, as distinct from relieving symptoms, are strictly prohibited.

Placing and distribution of advertisements

37. Practitioners need to ensure that advertisements appear in appropriate surroundings, unlikely to bring disrepute to the profession, and that they are distributed by similarly professional means.

Financial and commercial activities

38. Practitioners must make a clear distinction between their acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice and any commercial activity in which they may be involved. There must be no suspicion of any business affairs having an influence over the attitude towards patients and their care.

39. To promote a product to patients for no good reason other than profit is highly unethical. If practitioners sell or recommend any product or service to a patient, they must be satisfied this will be of benefit to the patient and that they are appropriately qualified to offer such products or advice. It must be clear that any financial interest practitioners have in doing so does not influence the care or treatment provided.

40. Before selling or recommending such a product or service, practitioners must declare to the patient that they have such an interest. Practitioners must ensure that patients can differentiate between the prescribing of a product and the marketing of a product.

41. Practitioners must not encourage patients to give, lend or bequeath money

or gifts which will directly or indirectly benefit them. Practitioners must also not

put pressure on patients or their families to make donations to other

people or organisations.

Obligations in Multi-Disciplinary Practice

Membership of other professional organisations

42. If practitioners belong to other professional bodies whose ethical standards differ from these, they must be aware that this cannot put them beyond this Code of Conduct as far as matters of professional conduct are concerned.

Practising other therapies

43. If practising other therapies, practitioners must have undertaken an appropriate course of structured training. If using other therapeutic modalities without appropriate training practitioners will be in breach of this Code.

Using other techniques, supplements or equipment as an adjunct to

acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatment

44. If using techniques, supplements or equipment which are not within the normal scope of acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice, practitioners must inform the patient that this is the case. Practitioners are also strongly advised to ensure that they are appropriately trained in and hold valid insurance for the use of the technique, supplement or equipment, and to record the patient’s consent to the treatment proposed.

Use of the title ‘doctor’

45. The use of the title ”doctor” by members, either as a prefix in advertising their practices, or in referring to themselves, or in allowing themselves to be referred to as ‘doctor’ in the context of being addressed as a practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, must not be done in such a way as to imply that the member is a registered medical doctor.

46. Courtesy titles, doctorates in any other field, and post-graduate

acupuncture qualifications are not acceptable as a basis for the use of

the title ‘doctor’ as a prefix when being addressed as a practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Treatment of animals

47. Practitioners must not administer any type of treatment to an animal without appropriate training in veterinary acupuncture and Chinese medicine, always making sure that they do not treat outside the limits of their competence. In all events, practitioners must act according to the laws applicable in their own country.

Relationship with Professional Colleagues

Relationships with other therapists

48. In this section ‘therapist’ refers to all healthcare professionals, including practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese medicine who are not members of an ETCMA-member organisation.

49. Practitioners must not attempt to persuade the patient of another therapist to seek treatment with them.

50. If practitioners treat the patient of another therapist because of holiday, illness or any other reason, they must encourage the patient to return to their original therapist as soon as that therapist becomes available again. Practitioners must not attempt to solicit the patient, either directly or by default, to continue treatment with them.

51. In all cases the wishes of the patient are paramount. If a patient decides to transfer from a practitioner to another therapist, it is courteous, and in the patient’s interest, for the practitioner and the other therapist involved to communicate with each other about this transfer, and for relevant information about the patient to be forwarded, with the patient’s consent.

Relationships with medical doctors

52. It is good practice to maintain contact with medical doctors over shared patients.

Practitioners should acknowledge referrals from medical doctors, and should also

consider it good practice to inform and communicate with a patient’s general doctor, with the patient’s consent, when the patient has self-referred.

Criticism of other therapists

53. Practitioners may sometimes encounter criticism of the competence or professionalism of other therapists voiced by patients or colleagues. If practitioners hear such criticisms of other therapists, whether they are members of the ETCMA-member organisation or not, practitioners must at all times act with the utmost discretion and professionalism, and must be extremely cautious about voicing any opinion. This applies equally if they themselves hold critical views of others, either in the own field or in another health care discipline.

54. Practitioners are expected to act with integrity, discretion, and respect for the

views of others. They are entitled to put forward their views on good clinical practice in publications, seminars, etc. However, practitioners must not criticise other healthcare disciplines or professionals, either directly or by implication, over and above the standards which apply in the debates to which a practitioner contributes.

Dealing with concerns about other therapists’ behaviour

55. If there is evidence or if practitioners are reliably informed that another therapist’s conduct, health or professional competence poses a threat to patients, practitioners have a responsibility to act in order to protect patients’ safety. If necessary, they must report their concerns to the applicable commission or office.

56. Practitioners must obtain a patient’s consent before repeating information given

to them in confidence. Only in very extreme cases, such as when considering that the duty to society at large takes precedence, would the lack of such consent be considered acceptable.

Obligations as a Teacher

Public lectures

57. Lecturing to medical and paramedical groups and the general public, in order that they may better understand the work of the professional acupuncturist and the range of services, is perfectly acceptable. Such lectures must only be for information and must not be promoted or encouraged to be construed as training in acupuncture.

Assistants and Observers

58. Practitioners are allowed to have acupuncture students, potential acupuncture

students, or other individuals present as observers in their practice. An observer may only be present with the explicit permission of the patient. Practitioners must take care to avoid ‘coercive consent’ where a patient feels that they are under pressure to allow an observer to be present.

Research

59. If practitioners are involved in research involving patients, they must seek the

approval of an appropriate research ethics committee. Practitioners must also obtain consent of the patients if they are involved in the research. Practitioners must ensure above all that patient care is not compromised in order to meet the needs of research aims.

60. Practitioners must also ensure that the patient’s confidentiality is respected in

the sharing or publication of research findings. If the results of research cannot be aggregated in such a way as to conceal the identity of individual patients, any consent obtained from the patient for the use of such results must be based on full details of the distribution, publication and ownership of these results. If a patient refuses consent for the disclosure of research results, their choice must be respected.