BIANNUAL CONGRESS OF HOMOEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA

(HSA) 2014: A REPORT

(Prepared from REPORT: HSA CONGRESS 2014 by Dr Bronwen McKechnie, HSA
Chairperson: Public Relations)

The Homoeopathic Association of South Africa (HSA) is a voluntary association

recognised by the Allied Health Professions Council of SA as the official representative
of the Homoeopathic Profession in South Africa. The HSA actively engages
Government, the Department of Health, the Allied Health Professions Council and all
other organisations and structures that influence our profession in constant
communication with other health related bodies and institutions. It also represents
and promotes the homoeopathic practitioner, the profession and its interests including
related education matters, for the better health and well-being of all South Africans.
HSA Congress 2014, Success in Practice, was, as the name implies, a resounding
success. From the excellent choice of speakers, to the content of their individual
lectures, most delegates were left inspired and a little more enlightened. I have to
admit to feeling more than a little warm and fuzzy at the positivity and comradary
shared between practitioners, despite the difficulties and challenges that lie ahead.
Day 1 kicked off at a frenetic pace, registration, a finger lunch and lots of catching
up. Practitioners from all over the country descending on Umhlanga, leaving most of
the country without their indispensable homoeopathic resources for 3 days from 26th
to 28th September.
The Key note address, Homoeopathy- Therapeutic Success was delivered by Ms
Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi. Her informative introduction was a
fitting start to what was to be an inspiring weekend.

Prof. Ashley Ross followed with his presentation, Homoeopathy Applied to Rare
Diseases. Here we were reminded of how we are sometimes so pre-occupied with
the complicated pathology of a condition, that we often minimise the value of the
similimum and its symptom picture. Prof. Ross provided clinical cases where the
complicated pathology was unravelled by the beauty of the well selected remedy.

A video address delivered by Dr Rajkumar Manchanda was then shown. Dr

Manchanda introduced delegates to the work being done by the Central Council of
Research in Homeopathy (India) as a division of the Department of AYUSH. He also
provided valuable clinical pearls for the effective treatment of various dermatological
conditions.
This was followed by Dr Gyandas Wadhwanis lecture, Managing Health
Outcomes of Patients- Change of Therapeutic Approach When The Disease
Picture Changes. As with many of our esteemed Indian practitioners his knowledge
of individual remedies and the ability to see the simple guiding symptoms was both
humbling and awe inspiring.

In his lecture he explained, Every good mechanic knows the importance of timing in
your cars engine. If the cylinders do not synchronize there is severe loss of power. In
diplomacy too, timing is of the most vital importance. To musicians, as well as to
athletes, rhythm, which is really timing, is paramount. To understand the importance
of timing, you have to imbibe the entire sequence.
Curing in medicine is like the peeling of an onion, you must start at the topmost layer,
and then move slowly deeper and deeper. The homoeopathic cure too is like that but
even more appropriately it is like the result of a relay race; if we do not time the
remedies/ potencies well, then we stand no chance of winning.

The most perilous moment under homoeopathic treatment is the moment of second
prescription. If the doctor is over zealous or panicky, he shall prescribe before the
indicated medicine has finished its action in entirety, and shall loose the chance of
providing a cure. On the other hand, if over cautious or unfocused, the prescriber may
lose valuable time or estrange the patient.
Besides the theoretical aspect, we shall discuss the practical utility of one of the most
useful yet neglected sections in our literature, which helps overcoming the difficulties
in the transition phase, when the disease pictures change, published by both Clemens
Maria Franz von Boenninghausen and Cyrus Maxwell Boger, in their respective
repertories, with the help of a few cases.
His
complete
presentation
may
be
seen
on
the
link
http://www.slideshare.net/drgyanwadhwani/managing-health-outcomes-of-patientschange-of-therapeutic-approach-when-the-disease-picture-changes
The days serious business was concluded with the presentation of 2 select
dissertations;
-The efficacy of a homoeopathic complex on the symptoms of Acute Viral Tonsillitis
in black children in Gauteng by Dr Eunice Malapane (University of Johannesburg)
-A double blind placebo controlled homoeopathic proving of Malus Domestica 30CH,
with a subsequent comparative analysis according to the Doctrine of Signatures by
Dr Sumir Ramnarayan (Durban University of Technology)
Day 2 was opened by Dr Liz Solomon with her address, The Profile of a
Successful Graduate. Here she highlighted the traits of successful practioners and
her findings in studying what leads to the establishment of a successful practice. We
were also show the common fears and insecurities that all new practitioners face on
graduating.

Inspiration in Practice, by Dr Loretta Ferrucci, followed to roaring applause. Dr

Ferrucci stirred up new ideas and tapped into our passion for what we do, making us
all want to run back to our practices and re-look our pricing and strategies.

Mrs Margaret Fry followed with Maintaining the Profit Margin. She showed how
with financial sustainability, you can translate your therapeutic success into business

success. This being achieved despite the ethical and regulatory guidelines under which
healthcare professionals have to operate.

The morning concluded with, Practice Design for Success, by Carmen Kelly. This
was an exciting journey through practice interior design and decor, that made me
want to bash down walls and re decorate every room in my practice in neutral tones
with earthy accessories.

After lunch, Tamsyn De Beer, talked us through, Social Media Usage and the
Protection of Personal Information Act. This very well-heeled lady clearly did
her homework and was well equipped to advise on all matters relating to social media
and the ethical implications of such as a healthcare professional. She was very
insightful in highlighting the dangers of such communication when considering the
relationship between doctor and patient.

Day 3 and an early Sunday morning started with many tired delegates and a few
blistered feet. Dr Renzo Galassi, LMHI President, delivered a special address,
announcing Cape Town, South Africa as the host for the Liga Congress 2018. This
prestigious honour is a momentous achievement for homoeopathy in South Africa and
will be the largest international gathering of our peers ever to be staged on our
shores. Prof. Ross, continued by elaborating on the objectives and direction of
homoeopathy as overseen by the LMHI and how the profession is progressing in the
world.
Dr Colin La Grange , brought the morning to a close with an honest and lighthearted talk on the decision to have a specific practice interest (as defined by the
HPCSA), including the pitfalls, legal implications, danger and future regulatory

decisions involved with such a decision. We laughed as he relayed some of his highs
and lows of how he went about establishing his successful practice.

Dr Mani Norlands video address, followed, Addressing the Public Profile of

Homoeopathy. Here he demonstrated the public relations campaigns and projects
the U.K. have utilised to achieve a brand potential for Homoeopathy.

The final lecture of the day was by Dr Gyandas Wadhwani, The Public Profile of
Homoeopathy- The Evidence Base For Homoeopathic Prescribing. What role, if
any, does an evidence based approach within homoeopathy have? As a specialized
system of therapeutics and pharmacology, homoeopathy, has withstood all possible
criticism, from quackery to witchcraft and placebo to nocebo. Attempts have been
made to curb the rising popularity through all the articles and data analysis proving or
disproving homoeopathy, especially published in the lancet, over last few decades.

One of the learned physicians once said about homoeopathy, It is the medicine of the
ten percent. But is it really so? The trends across the globe highlight an increasing
inclination towards homoeopathy.
In spite of numerous publications, reviews and researches condemning all that is
known as homoeopathy, the financial sector has been a boom in business worldwide.
But is it a bubble about to burst?
How to make a fruitful and perhaps lasting, or at least unforgotten, impact on the
world? Research, says the researcher; advertise, says the practitioner with a chain of
clinics; laboratory experimentation with reproducibility, says the scientist; treat larger
number of patients, says the practitioner. Is it enough?

Lately the homoeopathic research scientists are throwing weight behind the works of
Archibald Leman Cochrane, widely regarded as the father of Evidence based
medicine. Will it keep the vultures at bay?
Let us join hands and pledge to stand firmly together and forever, silence one and all,
for this system of specialized therapeutics offers multum in parvo. Together we can
uplift the profile of homoeopathy for public at large.
His
complete
presentation
may
be
seen
on
the
http://www.slideshare.net/drgyanwadhwani/public-profile-of-homoeopathy-theevidence-base-for-homoeopathic-prescribing

link

The day ended on a jovial note with hurried goodbyes and frantic dashes to the
airport. A special note of thanks goes to Dr Pillay, Dr Gower, Dr Silvana Nienaber and
her HSA regional committee for their exceptional efforts in organising an HSA
congress to remember.
Prof. Ashley Ross and Dr David F Naude thereafter took Dr Gyandas Wadhwani on a
tour of the Department of Homoeopathy at Durban University of Technology.