Practitioner Bulletin no. 61, Spring, 2006

Email addresses and spam å

As you know, the Foundation lists active practitioners on referral lists. Referral lists are made available to co-ordinators and others around the world. The referral list is also published on the Bach Centre’s web site at www.bachcentre.com.

For several years now we have been battling a serious problem with spam email. Spam is unsolicited mail, typically offering items for sale or services of a more ‘personal’ nature. A lot of spam is pornographic. Some of it can contain viruses or attempts to obtain personal information by deception.

The people responsible for sending spam email are known as ‘spammers’. Spammers get email addresses in a number of ways, and one of those is to trawl the internet looking for email addresses on innocent web sites like ours.

To try to stop spammers from using your email addresses we have experimented with a number of counter-measures, including the insertion of random words and spaces into addresses. While these have had some success, they have not solved the problem.

Over recent months we have received an increased number of complaints from practitioners who have been the victim of spam email. In many cases it seems clear that the spammers must have obtained these email addresses from our web site.

We have decided therefore no longer to list email addresses on our web site, except where practitioners specifically ask us to do so. Although this won’t solve the problem it will at least mean that practitioners who do ask to be listed will know in advance what the potential downside is.

If you decide that you would like us to publish your email address in future on our web site you need to email Stefan at the Bach Centre to request this.

At the same time it would be a good idea to open a separate email account specifically for this purpose. You can open free web-based accounts using yahoo.com or a similar free service. Yahoo has anti-spam and anti-virus filters built in, which will help reduce the problem. By accessing your practitioner email online using your personal password you will remove the possibility of inappropriate content arriving on your home or work PC.

Alternatively you might prefer to create a web site of your own, and we can give that address as a contact point for you instead of an email address.

Finally, if you are currently experiencing a problem with spam there are commercial products available that can filter out some of it. However, the only 100% guaranteed solution, unfortunately, is to create a new email account and start again.

Bach in Japan å

By Saodah Hayashi BFRP, BIEP co-ordinator, Japan

There are 162 Japanese BFRPs on the Foundation’s register as of January 2006. Out of this figure, 27 are inactive, so 135 BFRPs are currently on the referral lists. Bach Holistic Kenkyukai (BHK), as the national office of the Bach Foundation in Japan, lists them on its web site.

Amongst these practitioners most are women – probably this is the same phenomenon everywhere. (Yes, it is. – Ed.) Those who graduated sometimes don’t start their new career right away. Some are busy bringing up children. We do have a handful of men, and more men are attending our courses now than used to.

Amongst the Japanese BFRPs there are medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapist, acupuncturist, psychotherapist, counsellors, aromatherapists, reflexologists, and others. Some of them are already practising professionally before they come on the Bach courses, others are successful in incorporating Bach into their practice. Some new practitioners are hoping to change career into health care, while others become retailers and actively promote the remedies by selling in shops or through the internet. Some find it difficult to use Bach professionally but are able to introduce the system to their friends in their community.

When I am asked why Japanese participants come to our course, I think first of professional interest. But I also think that the concepts behind Heal Thyself and Free Thyself attract participants when they come to Level 1. Dr Bach’s ideas are much needed in Japan. There are a lot of strains and tensions in Japanese society and Dr Bach’s philosophy and the remedies empower us to feel it is OK to be who we are.

Ten years ago when I told people about the Bach system most were very sceptical. Although some Japanese were using the remedies, they only began to become well known when the organisation Bach Flower Tomonokai (which later developed into our institute, BHK) started to offer information and the Bach International Education Programme. Nowadays the remedies are even available at major outlets such as Tokyu Hands and Loft of Seibu department store and others.

The safety and ease-of-use of the remedies and the idea of self help came along at the right time for Japanese society. Information has been spread through word of mouth and also through the efforts of medical professionals in the Japan Holistic Medical Society, which showed an early interest in the remedies. English BFRP Hermia Brockway, as the first BIEP co-ordinator, and myself as the current co-ordinator have been able to introduce Bach to medical professionals and complementary therapists via this organisation, which has over 2,500 members in Japan. I currently sit on its council. As for BHK, its trustees – apart from Hermia and I – are Mr. Tatebe, the current president of the remedies’ sales distributor in Japan, and Dr. Makio Ishikawa, who acts as the medical advisor for our L3 course.

Conventional medicine is still the mainstream Japan, yet increasingly medical professionals pay attention to natural and complementary therapies. The increasing age of the baby boomer generation forced the government to review the health insurance system and promote preventive medicine – they even encourage universities and academics to research CAM. Trends in CAM in the rest of the world also influence Japan, and increasing numbers of health conscious people tell their doctors about CAM. Homeopathy was not known of at all 10 years ago but now there is a Japanese Physician Society for Homeopathy, and doctors who learn Homeopathy naturally become interested in Dr.Bach and the Bach remedies.

In Japan there are legal restrictions on the importation of products containing alcohol. The distributor of Bach™ Original Flower Remedies, Purnama International, supplies remedies that have been specially made by Nelsons which use wine vinegar as preservative instead of brandy. Remedies are imported and sold under the health food category.

We publicise cases where medical professionals have used the Bach remedies in our newsletter, at Bach conferences, and over the internet. We published a book and showed the potential use of Bach in different settings – for the terminally ill, or by psychiatrists, aromatherapists, school counsellors, people caring for the elderly and so on. Recently we offered volunteer sessions to social workers dealing with the refugees.

Although we have various problems to tackle – registration, for example – one big step forward came when an anaesthesiologist undertook a double-blind test on Rescue™ Remedy in a Japanese hospital (see the study below – Ed.). This is amazing and couldn’t have happened 10 years ago!

Saodah was trained at the Bach Centre and has been involved in BIEP education in Japan since 1997.

Study into Bach as a pre-anaesthetic medicine å

By Dr. Shigeyoshi Toyota, Department of Anaesthesiology, Tsudanuma Chuoh General Hospital, Japan

Preoperative anxiety and tension can cause mental stress for patients who are about to undergo an operation. This in turn can prevent the smooth introduction of anaesthesia. For this reason it is very important to help pre-operative patients stay calm and free from anxiety. Drugs can be used, but they don’t work well for everybody, and sometimes they cause an excessive reaction.

Bach remedies are mainly made from plants. They don’t have side effects and can be used safely. Rescue™ Remedy, a combination of remedies, is said to alleviate various stresses, so I decided to study its usefulness as pre-anaesthetic medication.

To do this I set up a randomised comparative test and double blind study using patients who were undergoing surgery and either having general or spinal anaesthesia. Patients who had high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or mental disorders were excluded. The research was fully explained to the patients and forty of them who signed the written agreement were chosen as volunteers. The ethical committee of the Tsudanuma Chuoh General Hospital approved the research.

The volunteers were divided into two groups of twenty. Both groups received treatment bottles that were prepared in the usual way, but while the treatment bottles of one group contained four drops of Rescue™ Remedy, those of the control group only contained mineral water. Patients in both groups were asked to take four drops of the remedies orally at any time prior to the day of the operation, as frequently as they liked, and whenever they felt anxious and stressful; or if they simply felt like taking remedies.

When evaluating the results we recorded the number of times that the person had taken the remedy before entering the operating room. We measured blood pressure and heart rates when the person arrived in the operating room. We used the Visual Analog Scale to measure levels of anxiety and tension the day before the operation and after entering the operating room, and data were reported using standard statistical methods for measuring average results, standard deviation and so on.

One of the forty volunteers did not undergo the scheduled operation due to cancellation and three others had not felt the need to take Rescue™ Remedy, so these four people were excluded from the research. This left 36 people in the study. There was no significant difference statistically in the 2 groups as to age, sex, height or weight.

We found no significant difference between the two groups as to blood pressure at systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure. No significant statistical difference was found in heart rates either, although heart rate showed a tendency to decrease amongst subjects who took Rescue™ Remedy in comparison with the control group.

Other measures produced more interesting results. In particular, the frequency of intake of Rescue™ Remedy decreased significantly in the group of subjects who had actually taken Rescue™ Remedy when compared to the control group’s intake from the fake treatment bottle. This last result seems to show that taking Rescue™ Remedy alleviated preoperative stress in the test group. Subjects felt anxiety and tension less frequently, thus they took the remedy less frequently. This confirms earlier research into pre-anaesthetic medication which showed that patients felt a subjective alleviation of anxiety when taking medication, despite the fact that the heart rate still increased at the time of entering the operating room.

These results indicate that Rescue™ Remedy can alleviate anxiety and tension prior to operations, and that it should be considered to have potential as a pre-anaesthetic medication.

I would like to express my special thanks to Saodah Hayashi of Bach Holistic Kenkyukai who kindly offered reference materials on Bach Flower Remedies. A Summary of this research was reported at the 52nd conference of The Japanese Society of Anaesthesiologists (in Kobe, 2005) and at the 4th Bach Conference (in Tokyo, 2005).

Light-bearers of the Legacy

By Lynn Macwhinnie BFRP, England

Having just spent a few days last week at the Bach Centre with a Level 3 group of students, I was reminded yet again of the talent and transferable skills that are held by those who travel along this route to become a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner. They come from such a diverse range of backgrounds – scientists and musicians, police officers and homeopaths, coaches and medics, finance directors and mothers, counsellors and flight crew, teachers and engineers, and wide ranging complementary therapists – the list could go on. What excites me is that everyone has access to their unique workplace, a context where they have credibility and understanding of the particular pressures of their environment. What this means for furthering Dr Bach’s work, is that we can reach out into the corners of industry, education, commerce, healthcare, public services – and connect with the people we know by dint of our shared experience.

One route to helping build your confidence in educating people about the Bach Flower Remedies is to enrol on the Bach Foundation Teachers Programme (BFTP). This is held at the Bach Centre, once a year. I take participants through the ins and outs of the process of becoming teachers of approved Level 1 courses. Everyone gets to plan and present their own micro-session, have and give constructive feedback and experience creating a short course. We also discuss issues of class dynamics, teaching tools and techniques, marketing and so on. It is a pretty intensive (and fun!) two days.

Afterwards, everyone goes off home with a manual of Level 1 materials to create their own classes. They can build their teaching hours log with ongoing mentoring from Bach trainer Maggie Evans. Successful completion of the whole training and mentoring process entitles the BFRP to deliver approved Bach Introductory Level 1 courses in their area.

Of course the choice of whether to go down the whole path of working on delivering L1 is entirely up to each person. Some participants decide the time on the BFTP is just for gaining experience, a way of honing existing skills and acquiring a few new ones so they can give shorter presentations with greater confidence. Others realize they do not want to teach, but value the learning opportunity; and there are those who want to take their teaching as far as they can.

The course is only open to UK practitioners, however if the Bach International Education Programme (BIEP) is not likely to run in your country, then contact Stefan Ball at the Bach Centre to enquire about your eligibility to participate in the BFTP. Igor in Poland, Barbara in Cyprus and Louise in Guatemala are three Bach practitioners who are successfully teaching courses where they live.

This year the BFTP, is for the first time going to be in late spring, on Wednesday 3rd & Thursday 4th May – a wonderful time of year to see the Bach Centre garden blossoming.

As BFRP’s we are the light-bearers of Dr Bach’s remarkable legacy, and what better way to reach out and encourage and educate people than through your own classes.

Lynn Macwhinnie is an international Bach trainer and teaches the Level 3 and Bach Foundation Teachers Programmes at the Bach Centre. She is currently setting up an online BFRP supervision programme; as well as a Bach Trainer & Teacher forum. To find out about the BFTP please email her .

Giving a talk in Dublin å

By Angelina Kelly BFRP, Ireland

Angela Kelly recovered from a serious illness a couple of years ago. This is her account of the first public Bach talk she gave since her recovery.

This was my first BFR presentation for four years due to illness so I was nervous and unsure if I could still do it. It was almost worse than my first ever presentation. Back then I didn’t know if I could but I was eager to give it a try. This time I knew I used to be able to and was afraid that I would fall apart and let myself down. I decided to call upon past experience and go through the preparations in my time honoured way. Having found out the fundamentals like location, travel time and numbers expected, I opened up my presentation case and began to pack.

The first thing was to make sure that I had at least one full bottle of each remedy in my box. In-date spares were packed into another box with a view to selling if required. Supplies checked and order made for top up stock, I then checked that all the other demo stuff was present. Soon I was to go.

As the date approached realisation of what I was about to do dawned. Along came the ‘I can’t do this’ feeling – immediately Larch set in. Then came ‘what if I make a mess and come across as a bumbling idiot?’ Sheer panic caused breathing difficulties, palpitations, and pains in my chest, restless pacing and sweating.

At this point the family commented that they had never seen me this bad before. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ they asked. When I expressed my feelings to them they pointed out that I was an old hand at this and that I used to do these days at the drop of a hat without thought.

‘Just get out and do it,’ they said.

‘Fine for you to say,’ I replied, ‘but I’m the one who is making a fool of myself.’

But in the final hours before the presentation I reminded myself that this is what I’m meant to be doing, this was a test and this was my quantum leap back into wellness. Massive doses of Rescue™ Remedy consumed, business suit donned, map and directions in hand, I loaded up the car and set out on my journey.

I arrived at the house, set up and had a chat and coffee with the hostess. Soon the guests started to arrive and mild panic arrived with them. I turned away for a few seconds to load up my coffee with Rescue™ Remedy and by the time I turned back around my Agrimony face was firmly in place. Having done the hellos, we settled down to the business of the evening. More Rescue™ Remedy – I greeted everyone and began.

At first my voice was weak and faltering and my confidence was low but as I got into the presentation my old confidence returned. I reminded myself that I knew my subject and should talk with conviction. I presented the basic background, what the remedies are and what they are used for, how to choose your own remedies and how to make up your own remedy mix. My confidence grew and I relaxed into the occasion.

The presentation went well and some interesting questions were asked at the end. I remembered that this was always the most exciting part of the presentation because you can prepare a talk but you can’t anticipate all the questions and this is where your knowledge and experience shows.

When the questions were finished I encouraged all present to make up their own remedy mix and, if willing, to discuss why they had chosen what they had. Most people did, some declined. We said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch.

When all were gone and the hostess and I were packing up, I silently remarked to myself that I had done it, I was OK, and that my earlier panic was unnecessary. On the way home a new confidence emerged and I congratulated myself and once again realised that this was a quantum leap back into wellness.

When I got home I should have been able to rest and relax but I couldn’t. Instead I was buzzing and couldn’t switch off – now came the Vervain!

We can have big plans for our life that we want to see come to fruition but we can’t always control what happens in our lives. In my darkest hours during unwellness I believed that my dream had been cruelly snatched away from me. Now I can see that it has only been taken, revamped and presented back to me slightly differently.

Letters å

We want you to use this bulletin to keep in touch with each other. If anything wonderful, funny, interesting or plain typical has happened to you in your work with the remedies, or if there are questions that have been nagging away at you, or you simply want to say hello, please write and tell us.

Send your contribution to the Foundation, 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’m now working as a Bach Practitioner at Nationwide Building Society in Northampton one morning a week. There are other therapists all of whom offer physical therapies so I’m the only one offering this kind of support. There’s no room hire and with a potential staff of 2000 to tap into it was too good an opportunity to miss.

I started in November so I’m still sowing seeds but have had a few success stories. This week is a “Healthy Lifestyle Week” promotional week and all the therapists have had the opportunity to promote themselves. I was there on Monday morning and thought I would just chat to people and hand out leaflets offering a free short consultation. I ended up making up 5 treatment bottles. I’m back again all day on Wednesday – I wonder what that will bring!

I also offer a treatment bottle delivery service there.

– Frankie Boyes BFRP, UK

My niece had her driving test last week. She rang me the evening before to see if I could give her anything to help settle her nerves. I suggested she take Rescue™ Remedy prior to her test. Then suddenly I thought, ‘What if the examiner smelt alcohol on her breath?’ He or she might mention it and Emma could have shown him the remedy, but there was always the danger the test might be aborted.

I rang Emma back and told her that on the morning of her test she would be as well to put the remedy in her bottle of water instead of taking it from the stock bottle. Was I over-reacting? Has anyone else had a situation similar to this?

By the way, Emma passed first time!

– Tracey Deacon BFRP, UK

We have had similar queries in the past from people worried about being breath-tested – would it be best not to use the remedies after a car accident? In the latter case, a blood test would still prove that you hadn’t been drinking, but in the case described by Tracey, where the worry is somebody’s opinion rather than the result of a test, Tracey’s solution seems prudent. We would be interested in any other relevant experiences in this area. – Ed.

As a BFRP, and having used the remedies for 15 years or more on family, friends and myself, they have been with me through many life changes. What would we have done without Walnut for protection, Mimulus for known fears, Gentian for setbacks, Larch for lack of confidence, even Crab Apple for the ageing process? Six years ago my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The remedies were there to help us through this difficult phase as well. They have always been faithful friends.

Recently, however, I noticed changes in my Bach remedy needs and went into denial. I didn’t like what I found. Intolerant? Impatient? – not me. These remedies were for other people.

But on reflection – yes, they were me. I had become that character. I’m glad to say things are back to normal but it was quite a shock to have an insight into myself and find something different, however temporary it was.

– Heather Owen BFRP, Wales

I have recently taken up a post for the international charity YMCA as a Complementary Therapist working with young people (over 18) who are recovering from drug addiction problems. Does anybody know of any work that has been carried out in this field using the Bach remedies, any case studies etc.? I would be very interested in anything available, websites, contacts with other therapists and so on.

– Lesley Holloway BFRP, UK

You can contact Lesley using the email address in the printed version of this bulletin – Ed.

Competition results å

Thanks to everyone who entered the “Coping with Stress” competition in the last edition of the Bulletin.

After much deliberation we have chosen Katja Bähr as our winner.

Katja will receive a “Coping with Stress” kit including a relaxation CD and a bottle of Rescue Spray.

Bits and pieces å

- Bach Foundation-approved Level 3 Animal Practitioner courses run every year at the Natural Animal Centre in Wales. The course is in three parts: Stage 1, a two day introduction; Stage 2, a 3-day course; and Stage 3, a 4-day course followed by a period of home study and supervised case studies. For more information contact the Natural Animal Centre, Penhill, Trawmawr, Carmarthen, SA33 6ND, Wales: or phone 0870 991 3334.

The Bach Foundation Teachers Programme is aimed at UK-based BFRPs who want to improve their teaching skills and eventually run Bach Foundation-approved level 1 courses. The programme includes a two-day course at the Bach Centre followed by a period of supervised teaching, and access to support and training materials. The next course takes place on the 3^rd & 4^th May 2006 – so coming to the course would be a great chance to see the garden at its best! Contact us for more details.
Aquí se habla español – The Spanish version of the Bach Centre’s web site is at www.floresbach.com, or click the link on the Bach Centre’s main home page www.bachcentre.com. Spanish translations of the Bulletin are at www.floresbach.com/found/bulletin.htm.
Tessa Jordan’s Suffolk-based Bach interest group will next meet on Thursday 1st June from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm. ‘Hopefully it will be warm and sunny,’ she says, ‘and we can sit in the garden. Maybe we could challenge one another to find remedy plants in the garden?’ If you are interested in going along you can contact Tessa via her web site www.tessajordan.co.uk.
The UK’s Bach Practitioner Network North West has a meeting scheduled at Barton Grange Hotel, Preston, on 4th November 2006. For more information telephone 01253 885512.

A reminder that the Bach Centre web site includes back issues of the Bulletin and guidelines on subjects like giving a talk on the remedies and working with animals.

The addresses to go to are:

www.bachcentre.com/found/bulletin/ and

www.bachcentre.com/found/guide/

Welcome to… å

Since the last issue of the bulletin was prepared, 128 new practitioners have joined the register:

in Argentina, Andrea Alejandra Deserti, Rosina Mora, Maria Estela Bernath, Maria Victoria De Bernardi, Gonzalo Grande and Marcos Feccia;
in Belgium, Karine Van der Borght, Wim Deprez, Hadewych Waterschoot and Hens Veer;
in Brazil, Iris Romero Barretto Lins, Zélia Heilsendiger and Thais Pedrazolli Guzzo Rodrigues;
in Canada, Ina Wong, Louise Rossi-Chan and Marnie Hol;
in Chile, Marianela Luisa Olmos Mena and Yolanda Alonso de Linaje Barcena;
in Costa Rica, Ana Orozco Sanchez and Sandra Cecilia Garcia Barrantes;
in Denmark, Jeanet Been, Anders Peter Blasild and Janne Dehn Gyldholm;
in England, Vanessa Louise Sanderson, Vicki Rasmussen, Janet Moore-Roberts, Nicky Albrecht, Helena Petre, Rosamund Newnham, Julia A Waterton, Charlotte Bryant, Sylvia Clark, Corinne Devine, Barbara Murphy, Jenny Rosemary James, Annamaria Small, Pam Young, Ann Christine Kirkham, Michèle Le Sueur, Yvonne-Lesley Brigenshaw, Karen Hughes, Beverly Edgington, Susan Pettifer, Terri Brown, Rosamund Dora Blyth, Clare Woods, Jackie Clarke, Denise Gregory, Barrie Wright, Angie Luff, Rosemary J Buchanan, Nicola Hunt, Jennifer Brown, David Clements, Samantha Jane Waterfield, Jeannette Oughton-May, Helen Elizabeth Kirby, Carol Wood, Melissa Edwards, Cheryl Richardson, Lynne O’Sullivan, Toni Bowe, Julie Shoobridge, Jan Mellish, Julie Linda Campbell and Lyley Gail Dunn;
in Finland, Erja Salow;
in France, Catherine Collignon, Marie Claire Vaugeois, Christine Grosperrin, Eve Gouin, Sandrine Schnell, Nadine Jauneaud, Valérie Latour-Burney, Magda Comby, Janine Ruhlmann, Helene Vaucherot, Stephen James Boyd, Josette Andreu-Boussut, Nancy Novena, Isabelle Bestel, Christian Busser, Amouriaux, Cécile Bacque-Pregizer, Annick Polge and Marie Duhau;
in Germany, Juergen Kohlert;
in Ireland, Imelda Maguire;
in Italy, Silvia Nadalini, Giovanna Mazzarino and Barbara de Siena;
in Japan, Mika Sugano, Yukiko Hiranuma, Ritsuko Kawakami, Sachiko Suzuki, Shiho Nakashima, Mari Ogata, Hiroko Funayama, Hirose Yoshiyuki and Mariko Mashino;
in Mexico, Dra Rosa Maria Hernández González, Daniel Villarreal Frias and María Concepción Flores de Villarreal;
in Northern Ireland, Cynthia Hamilton;
in Norway, Isabelle Schjelderup and Else-Mari Skjelland;
in Scotland, Sarah Jane Kelly, Mary Begley and Moira Turner;
in Spain, Maria Teresa Cañada Muñoz, Judit Admetlla Bagan, Paloma Villar Platas and Jose Luis Novo Mosquera;
in Switzerland, Anne-Katrin Grossenbacher, Carina Staedler, Sandra Corbaz and Romy Diebold;
in Taiwan, Wan-Li Hsu and Hui-Chuan Pai;
in the U.S.A. Delores J Walmer, Laura Vasallo Zito, Brooke M Griffin, Maya Lampson and Norene F Wedam;
and in Venezuela, Judith Olavarrieta De Barrios, Alicia Hernandez Gonzalez, Maria Elisabeth Bravo and Linda A. Molina G.

There are now 1,598 practitioners on the register.