News From The Berkshire Health Clinic

The Berkshire Health Clinic 2011 Workshop - June 2011

Helping patients with Interstitial Cystitis, overactive bladder, and pelvic pain

Supporting the COB Foundation

On Saturday the 11th of June, Toni Tucker, Clinic Director at The Berkshire Health Clinic, ran a very successful one-day Workshop, specifically tailored for patients with the conditions of Interstitial Cystitis, overactive bladder, and pelvic pain.

The Workshop was held at The Berkshire Conference Centre, Moor Hall, Cookham, Berkshire, where presentations were given by the following speakers:

• Steve Foley, Consultant Urologist, gave a presentation about Interstitial Cystitis, over-active bladder conditions and pelvic pain.

• Toni Tucker lectured on the Philosophy and Principles of Chinese medicine for the treatment of IC, over-active bladder and pelvic pain

• Jenny Tschiesche, Nutritional Practitioner, spoke about nutrition for IC and bladder conditions.

It was an extremely successful day, and well attended with patients who had travelled from as far afield as Europe to attend the Workshop.

From the feedback we received at the end of the day, the attendees found it very informative, helpful and supportive.

Thanks to everyone that attended the day and made it such a success.

We were lucky enough to obtain two sponsors for the Workshop, G and G and BPM Consultancy, to whom we are very grateful.

Following such a successful day, we were able to donate a sum of £650 to the COB Foundation, and hope to raise further awareness for this debilitating condition.

Toni Tucker
Clinic director

Read what you said about the workshop - click here

The British Conference of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine - September 2010.

This is the largest British acupuncture conference for healthcare professionals,and a popular annual event, now in its 15th year, hosting top international speakers who have travelled from as far as the US, Israel and Europe.

The conference is one of Europe’s largest professional acupuncture conventions attracting more than 500 acupuncture practitioners, students and healthcare professionals from various healthcare sectors.

Toni attended again this year, meeting with many of the delegates to share knowledge, skills and research in the field of Oriental Medicine Acupuncture.

Each year the conference gets more impressive, attracting many overseas visitors and some of the most respected experts in the field of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, who lead the way with diverse and cutting edge content and debate.

With an exciting and stimulating itinerary of speakers and workshops, the event is a great opportunity for health professionals to learn more about acupuncture, share skills as well as network with fellow practitioners.

Toni’s 2010 visit to the House of Commons - July 2010

‘Raising awareness of Integrated Healthcare Issues’

The Parliamentary Group for Integrated and Complementary Healthcare

Toni attended a Reception at the House of Commons in July 2010, to raise awareness of integrated healthcare issues.

This was the first Parliamentary Group for Integrated and Complementary Healthcare since the General Election and was a curtain raiser for the new parliamentary season. The atmosphere was warm and celebratory; a mood of strong positive promise for future progression.

Three short presentations were given:

David Tredinnick declared this was a new age and that our time had come. A new White Paper on Health is coming and we should be thankful to the new Secretary of State. Integrated healthcare has been for a long time on the parliamentary agenda. He also said that the attack on Homeopathy from the bad science people is having no effect and the only thing that was proved by the recent injesting of homeopathic remedies outside Boots recently by some misguided souls was that homeopathy is perfectly safe.

Peter Fisher (Head of the Homeopathic Hospital) said that patient choice was at the centre of the new healthcare agenda. This is of great importance as the new White Paper will ask the public what kind of healthcare they want. Again we can thank the Secretary of State for Health. With patient choice, self-care and public safety high on the agenda the current, will, at last, run, in our direction with integrative healthcare forging ahead in the future. This picture is the same internationally also. In times of financial austerity, where there are big crunches in the health budgets, self care and informed patient choice becomes paramount.

Maggie Wallace (Chairman of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council) continued on this theme and stated that quality should also accompany choice. She reminded us that the CNHC was launched in January 2009 and was in the process of regulating many professions including Aromatherapy, Alexander Technique, Bowen, Naturopathy, Nutrition Therapists, Yoga, Cranio-Sacral Therapy etc. Not Hypnotherapy or Homeopathy. There is a possibility that Herbs and Acupuncture could also be absorbed into the CNHC or could be taken up by the HPC. The CNHC has developed good, clear standards and is cheap and is going from strength to strength. Professor David Colquhon sits on the Conduct Committee of the CNHC, although at present he is unwell.

The British Conference of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine - September 2009

450 national and international Medical Professionals attended the conference on the 12th & 13th September 2009, held at the Royal Holloway University of London.

International Conference - Saturday September 10th 2009

Toni Tucker Midwife acupuncturist together with Mr Steven Foley, Consultant Urologist MBBS FRCS teamed up together to review the physiology and the pathology of the bladder from western perceptive and of course the traditional chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture.

The bladder is the last bodily organ we gain control of as we are growing up and the first we lose control of as we grow older. It can be severely damaged during childbirth and react badly to many environmental stimuli and yet its function and problems are frequently ignored by both patients and doctors.

Mr Foley explained the normal and abnormal pathology and physiology of the bladder from a western medical perspective while Toni reviewed the aetiology and pathogenesis of interstitial cystitis from the perspecitve of traditional chinese medicine. She discussed the use of acupunture and moxibustion in the treatment of urinary tract diseases, and illustrated the effectiveness of such a system of medicine acupuncture in this field.

The session also included presentation of the results of a huge clinical study of patients treated with traditional acupuncture in her clinic, which was well documented and brought a huge amount of interest with the delegates.

Toni and Steve Foley continue to work together to deliver the quality of care required by our patients.