Issue 41 - Jan./Feb. 2002

The Bach Centre

Mount Vernon

Sotwell

Oxon

OX10 0PZ

England

Tel: 01491 834678

Fax: 01491 825022

www.bachcentre.com

foundation@bachcentre.com

These guidelines are for the use of practitioners registered with the Dr Edward Bach Foundation and relate to their work with the system of 38 flower remedies discovered by Dr Edward Bach.

They apply to the treatment of animals by Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners. The attention of practitioners in the UK is drawn to separate guidelines issued to reflect UK law. Where there is a conflict between the advice in the present guidelines and that in the UK guidelines, the UK guidelines are understood to take priority in any case that involves practice in the UK.

Awareness of local regulations

Practitioners are reminded that in some countries the law makes it difficult to treat animals with the remedies. In some parts of the world, for example, it is legal to select remedies for your own animals and to help other animals in an emergency, but not be legal to treat other people’s animals without a referral from a qualified registered veterinary surgeon. Practitioners should be sure they are aware of the law in their own region and take steps to ensure that in treating animals they act within the law at all times.

Remedies and orthodox veterinary care

Whether or not the law requires it, it is good practice to work in a co-operative way with vets and other professionals. This means referring animals for physical check-ups before starting treatment and always being clear about the limits of treatment with the Bach system. Under the Code of Practice practitioners do not diagnose, treat or prescribe for any medical condition. This means that owners of animals should always be advised to seek veterinary help in addition to using the remedies, so as to rule out an organic problem that may require other treatment alongside the remedies. This is in the best interest of the animal, which may be in pain and not able to communicate this in a way that you or the owner understand. Remember that the remedies are a complementary system of medicine: there is no reason not to use the best of veterinary care as well as the best and gentlest of complements.

Results speak for themselves. Once we have treated a few animals and got good results we may well find that vets start referring patients to us of their own volition. We may well be spending more time than ever helping animals, and along the way we will be helping to increases acceptance of complementary medicine among the veterinary profession. But this will only happen if the animal remains under the care of a vet so that the vet knows about our own work with remedies; if we treat in isolation vets may never experience for themselves the sometimes dramatic improvements that the remedies can bring about.

To help you make contact with local vets we have prepared a letter that gives basic reassurance on the safety of the remedies and on their status as licensed, over-the-counter medicines. For a copy of the letter, get in touch in the normal way.

Practitioners may of course render emergency first aid to any animal if this is done to save life or relieve pain. It is up to individual practitioners to use their judgement in deciding what circumstances constitute an emergency.

Best practice

The following points establish what we consider to be best practice when working with animals. They are based on the need to put the interests of animals first. Adhering to these standards will also reassure veterinary surgeons as to the professional attitude of Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners, and this in the long term can only encourage vets to be more prepared to recommend remedies themselves and to refer on to qualified practitioners.

Your own safety and that of the public and of the animal’s owner must be taken into account, and in making these recommendations we have attempted to create a framework that will allow you to do that.

• Wherever possible practitioners should only work with an animal if the animal has recently been examined by a veterinary surgeon to rule out or treat any physical or mental illness.
• Where possible practitioners should attempt to work in tandem with a qualified veterinary surgeon, who will remain at all times responsible for the animal’s medical welfare.
• Practitioners should seek to work within the limits set by a referring veterinary surgeon and in particular should fully inform him or her of the animal’s progress if asked so to do.
• In working with the System practitioners shall confine themselves to commenting on and selecting remedies for the animal’s perceived emotional state and personality and shall not attempt to treat or diagnose for any physical or mental illness.
• Practitioners shall make every reasonable effort physically to observe an animal before attempting to select remedies for it or where this is not possible shall make every reasonable effort to refer the animal to another competent person.
• Practitioners should keep the welfare of the animal uppermost in their minds at all times.
• Practitioners should be considerate of their clients’ feelings towards their animals and recognise that the animals’ problems can be equally distressing for their owners or guardians.
• Practitioners should be aware of and responsible for their own safety at all times and shall take steps to ensure that their personal safety is not compromised. In particular practitioners should refuse to make home visits to see an animal if there are grounds for believing the animal has an aggression problem.
• Practitioners shall be aware of the safety needs of animals and of clients and of members of the public and should make reasonable efforts to ensure the safety of all concerned.
• Practitioners should inform clients and referring veterinary surgeons in writing if in their opinion the safety of the animal or its owner or of the public is at risk.
• Practitioners shall refer cases that exceed their competence to more competent people whether other practitioners veterinary surgeons animal behaviourists or other professionals or professional organisations.
• Under no circumstances shall a practitioner recommend euthanasia or re-homing without referring the case back to a competent veterinary surgeon.
• Practitioners shall make reasonable efforts to be aware of changes in the law and current best practice regarding the treatment and behaviour of animals and shall adjust their practice and advise their clients accordingly.

Foundation-approved courses on working with animals

If you want to work with animals we strongly recommend that you attend Foundation-approved courses on this subject. These are held on our behalf by the Natural Animal Centre in the UK, and occasionally courses are hosted in other countries. Details appear regularly in copies of the practitioner bulletin; or contact your local Bach International Education Programme representative to see if there are any plans to host an animal course in your own region.

In the UK the Foundation will seek where possible to refer cases involving animals to practitioners who have been trained by the Natural Animal Centre. Outside the UK preference will be given to those practitioners who have already gained experience in this area and have shown that they are setting the highest standards of practice.

Disclaimer

The information here is provided in good faith but does not constitute legal advice or opinion. No responsibility will be taken by the Foundation or any of its agents or officers for any act or omission carried out by a practitioner following these guidelines. In line with clauses 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 of the Code of Practice practitioners are responsible for their own actions at all times.

TLC is currently seeking a qualified and experienced Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner to become part of its team.

You must be able to analyse and suggest a remedy or combination of remedies for your clients in a reasonably short time, and be insured for your work as a practitioner.

Are you able to put together a CV/résumé? Can you design a suitable open-ended questionnaire that will help online clients give you the information you need to make a correct selection?

TLC offers a unique position, good rewards and a higher profile for your professional work. No in-house competition, and referrals from other TLC clinicians.

Interested? - In the first instance contact David Needleman by email at

david.needleman@btinternet.com

with your CV and any questions you may have.

We want you to use this bulletin to keep in touch with each other. If anything wonderful, funny, interesting or just plain typical has happened to you in your work with the remedies, or if there are any questions that have been nagging away at you, or if you simply want to say hello, please write to us at the Bach Centre, marking your letter clearly as being ‘FOR PUBLICATION’.

We can’t promise to print every letter in the bulletin, but even if we don’t use your contribution we always love to hear from you.

I am a Speech and Language Therapy Student and I have been brought up on Bach flower remedies. I have been given a project, connected with my clinical placement with adults with aphasia, looking into the other therapies that are available to people post-stroke.

I was wondering if any of your practitioners had any experience of treating adults post-stroke with the flower remedies and if they wouldn't mind sharing their experience with me, as this would be a very valuable addition to my project, as well as being of great interest to myself as an aspiring Bach Practitioner!!!

Many many thanks. I look forward to hearing from you.

- Cath German

Since the last (November 2001) issue was prepared, 24 new practitioners have joined the register:

• in Belgium, Goedele Jaussens;
• in Brazil, Arlete Maria Tonet Passarin, Maria Angela Capocci, Jumara Toledo Pennacchi Souza, Patricia Costa Matos Carvalho de Alencar, Maria Elisa Dias de Camargo Costa and Rosangela Montenegro Ferreira;
• in Canada, Shirley Marquardt;
• in Denmark, Elin Holst;
• in England, Julie de Vere Hunt, Lin Davies-Llewellyn and Athena Santoriniou;
• in France, Michelle Tosolini and Jamalh Aberkane;
• in India, Veronique Robert;
• in Israel, Edna Dvir;
• in Japan, Juli Ishihara and Keiko Nakamura;
• in Mexico, Myriam Elizabeth Morales Sanchez and Elba Leticia Sanchez de Morales;
• in New Zealand, Colleen Anstey;
• in Spain, Celia Guerra Calzada and Raquel Fraga Sánchez;
• and in the USA, Shahrooz Pearl.

There are now 1,049 practitioners on the register.

This form is for the use of registered practitioners only. Members of the public who want to attend our animal courses need to complete a Foundation-approved level 2 course beforehand and should apply to the Bach Centre for an application form or see our web site at:

#

I want to attend the following stage 1 animal courses:

plus the following stage 2 courses:

I enclose a cheque for _____________ made payable to the Dr Edward Bach Foundation. I understand that a cancellation fee will apply if I cancel my booking after it has been confirmed.

(Cheques should be drawn on a UK clearing bank. To pay by credit card either phone 00 44 1491 834678 or write your card number, type [Visa, Delta or MasterCard] and expiry date on the bottom of this form and post it to us.)

Name (block capitals please):

Address:

Practitioner PIN (as shown on your certificate of registration):