Canadian Society of Homeopaths


E-BULLETIN: 2008 Summer

 

HOME     >>COMMUNICATIONS     >>E-BULLETIN ARCHIVES






Canadian Society of Homeopaths
 Summer 2008 Bulletin





Greetings to all members and friends of the Canadian Society
of Homeopaths!  We hope you enjoy this issue of the CSH
E-bulletin.  We would appreciate it if you would use your
networking skills to pass this message on to anyone who
might be interested.  Thank you!


IN THIS ISSUE
A.  CSH NEWS
      1.  Membership Benefits
      2.  Attention Registered Members
      3.  HAW Raffle Winners
      4.  Winning HAW Participants
B.  AFFILIATE NEWS
      1.  Ontario Update
      2.  WCHS Conference
C.  HOMEOPATHIC NEWS
      1.  Regulation in Ontario
      2.  Importing Concerns
      3.  Bill C-51
      4.  Council for Homeopathic Certification News
D.  VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
      1.  Legal Fund Advisors Wanted
E.  EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
      1.  Continuing Education



A.  CSH NEWS

1.  Membership Benefits
Special thanks go to Luminous Courses and Lou Klein for offering a $25 discount to CSH members who sign up for the Jan Scholten seminar October 24 – 26, 2008 in Vancouver.  This offer is available on top of the earlybird discount, which ends September 23.

Look for details about how to apply for this discount on our Calendar of Events webpage.


2.  Attention Registered Members
The printed version of the 2008-2009 Directory of Registered Homeopaths is being prepared for the printer.  The final proofreading involves comparing the printed version with the information posted on the website Directory.  Therefore, it’s very important that the website information is up-to-date and accurate.

Please check your own listing on the website and let us know if you want any changes or additions.  In particular, make sure that the following are accurate:
   ·  all spelling
   ·  your practice name and address
   ·  your phone number(s)
   ·  your e-mail address and website url

Access your listing(s) by clicking on your province on the main Directory webpage.  If you require any changes, send details to web@csoh.ca.


3.  HAW Raffle Winners
Thanks to all who sold and purchased tickets for this year’s HAW Raffle, which raised nearly $700 to help offset our expenses for sponsoring HAW.

Congratulations to the following winners!
     ●  Lori Hartwick of London, ON - PRIZE: Complete Homeopathy Handbook by Miranda Castro
     ●  Carleen Higgs of Vancouver, BC - PRIZE: Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines by Stephen Cummings and Dana Ullman
     ●  Barb Laxon of London, ON - PRIZE: Homeopathy for Children by Gabrielle Pinto & Murray Feldman
     ●  Pat Prokopchuk of Saskatoon, SK – PRIZE: Impossible Cure: the Promise of Homeopathy by Amy Lansky
     ●  Heidi Reid of 100 Mile House, BC - PRIZE: Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs by Don Hamilton

The prizes are books listed on the back of our Homeopathy Awareness bookmark.  Many thanks to Greg Cooper of Minimum Price Books for donating the prizes for this important fundraising raffle!


4.  Winning HAW Participants
Again this year, CSH members who participated in Homeopathy Awareness Week had a chance to win a discount coupon towards their 2009 membership fees.

Congratulations to this year’s winners of the HAW Participants’ Draw:
     ●  FIRST PRIZE ($100 discount):  Karen Viovy of London, ON
     ●  SECOND PRIZE ($60 discount):  Margo MacLaren of Nelson, BC
     ●  THIRD PRIZE ($40 discount):  Marilyn Hirsekorn, Shauna Kovach, and Diane Louie from the Lower Mainland, BC



B.  AFFILIATE NEWS

1.  Ontario Update
We have been informed of a change of the Board members at the Ontario Society of Homeopaths, specifically the resignations of Karen Werhstein, Karen Jonas, and Liz Henderson.  OSH Secretary, Christine Jambrosic is heading up a new OSH Board that will carry on the purposes and objectives of the OSH mission statement.  For further information or to volunteer at OSH, contact Christine at 416-315-0748.

The resignations on the OSH Board do not affect the CSH status of our Ontario members.  With three CSH Board members residing and practicing in Ontario, the interests and concerns of our Ontario members continue to be well represented by the CSH.  CSH has always been at the forefront in advocating for political causes, promoting the profession, and unifying the homeopathic community.

Once the OSH has regrouped, negotiations towards formalizing an Affiliate agreement will resume between our two Societies.  The CSH Board is committed to the concept of Affiliation with provincial or regional organizations that are willing to align with the goals of CSH and are able to put CSH initiatives into action and to contribute towards developing projects of mutual benefit.  We look forward to resuming discussions about Affiliation with the new OSH Board as soon as they are in a position to do so.


2.  WCHS Conference Report
West Coast Homeopathic Society reports a most successful and “inspired” annual conference and post-conference seminar in Vancouver on the last weekend of April.  Featured speakers were Julie Anne Lee and Roland Guenther, with Keynote Speaker Douglas Brown on both days.  Details are posted on their 2008 Conference webpage.

Note that WCHS has already scheduled their 2009 Conference and Post-Conference seminar, again on the last weekend of April.  Watch for details on our Calendar of Events webpage.



C.  HOMEOPATHIC NEWS

1.  Regulation in Ontario
We are pleased to report that at least two CSH members have applied for positions on the Transitional Council of the new College of Homeopaths of Ontario.  Our thanks and best wishes go to those individuals who are willing and able to take on this considerable commitment on behalf of homeopathy.

Your Board continues to closely monitor developments relating to the new Ontario Homeopathy Act, 2007.  For additional news as it happens, see the Updates page on the CSH Political Action webpages.


2. Importing Concerns
Supporting member, Andy Christopher of Alypsis reports that border security has confiscated 2 recent orders that were shipped to him from Helios in the UK.  This has occurred in spite of government policy that protects the right of professional homeopaths to import homeopathic medicines without need of a site licence.  CSH has been investigating this situation with the Natural Health Products Directorate, Health Canada, and the office of the Minister of Health, none of which has yet been able to determine the cause of the seizures.  We will continue working with our contacts in these offices until we are assured that border security will no longer interfere with the importation of homeopathic medicines intended for professional use.

However, many individual homeopaths are still importing homeopathic products without difficulty.  For those who plan to order homeopathic products directly from a foreign supplier, we advise the following:
1.  Ask the supplier to attach a label near the shipping label that states, “For compounding purposes only by a professional homeopath”; and 
2.  If you are importing liquid medicines, arrange with the supplier to send the package by courier, not postal service.

If any members experience additional problems with importing homeopathic products, please contact our office at homeopathy@csoh.ca.


3. Bill C-51
Many CSH members joined the overwhelming public opposition to Bill C-51 and are heartened by the Minister of Health’s announcement that he will revise the Bill to recognize a third category specifically for natural health products.

Unfortunately this is an empty change because the new third category of Natural Health Products will still be included in the new Therapeutics Products Act.

Parliament returns on September 15, after which the government will announce the order in which it plans to present legislation.  If the debate continues on the revised Bill C-51, your Board will advise all our members to oppose Bill C-51 for several reasons:

1. It is fundamentally flawed legislation (e.g., giving rights to foreign governments to modify our regulations without Parliamentary oversight);

2. Natural Health Products should not be included in this Bill as NHPs do not require the same level of reporting, enforcement, and regulation as pharmaceutical drugs;

3. Health Canada has already demonstrated that homeopathic products are not safe from over-zealous inspectors (see Importing Concerns above).

For more information on Bill C-51, check the C-51 Updates page on the CSH Political Action webpages.


4. Council for Homeopathic Certification (CHC)
Congratulations to recently accredited CSH members Courtenay Fraitzel, CCH of North Vancouver, BC and Linda Miller, CCH of Calgary, AB who completed the accreditation process with the Council for Homeopathic Certification (CHC).  Both are graduates of the Vancouver Homeopathic Academy.

The CSH Board encourages all Registered and Associate members to apply for certification with the CHC, the only independent accrediting body for professional homeopaths in North America.  Each successful candidate contributes towards establishing high standards of competency for the homeopathic profession in Canada.

Start preparing now for the CHC certification process leading to the respected CCH credentials!  Next exam dates are October 4, 2008 and March 7, 2009.  (Exams are always held on the first Saturday of March and October annually).  Check for details and application deadlines at the CHC website.



D.  VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

1.  Legal Fund Advisors Wanted
Acting on a vote by the membership in November 2006, CSH established a Legal Fund and, since then, has set aside $30 of the annual membership dues of each Registered member for this purpose.

The Legal Fund is managed by the Treasurer and Board, who will take advice from a Legal Fund Committee.  This Committee will play an essential role in helping to determine the terms and procedures for managing and allocating monies in the Legal Fund.

With the illness and passing of last year's Treasurer, Brenda Malin, activity of the Legal Fund Committee stalled.  However, CSH now has an active Treasurer and it is time for a Legal Fund Committee to get busy!

This Committee will provide advice and assistance pertaining to several undetermined questions, such as:
   ·  How will the Legal Fund be used?
   ·  Who will be able to apply for Legal Fund assistance?
   ·  How will applications be handled?
   ·  How will the funds be invested?

The Board invites CSH members with experience or interest in any of the above questions to volunteer to join the Legal Fund Committee.

Members of the Legal Fund Committee will communicate by conference calls and group e-mails.  Moderator for these discussions will be the CSH Treasurer, Donna Costa.  Please e-mail your interest in participating on the CSH Legal Fund Committee to:  treasurer@csoh.ca.



E.  EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

1.  Continuing Education
Registered members can use Continuing Education opportunities to collect Professional Development Credits (PDCs) as part of their commitment to their practice, the Society, and the homeopathic profession.  Check the Calendar of Events webpage regularly for educational events in your area!

For a list of other homeopathic activities that qualify for PDCs, check the Professional Development Credits webpage.




FEEDBACK
You received this e-mail because you are a current or recent member of CSH or you have enquired about homeopathy within the past 6 months.  To unsubscribe from this regular announcement, please return this message with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

To receive CSH News e-mails in your Inbox, not your bulk or junk e-mail folders, add announcements@csoh.ca to your address book or safe sender list.

It is the policy of CSH to never sell, rent, or trade e-mail addresses.



For more information please visit  www.csoh.ca
604-803-9242                homeopathy@csoh.ca
Canadian Society of Homeopaths ©2008