Robert Cran Practitioner blog

Courses for Chinese herbal medicine practitioners

Here is information on courses with Arnaud Versluys running between 19th and 23rd November at Kagyu Samye Dzong, Bermondsey, London.

These seminars will appeal to the seasoned practitioner and beginning herbal student alike, blending classical scholarly sources with clear clinical application. The material presented will enable you to construct more concise and precise formulas and modify them clearly and systematically.

For more information and details of how to book, please see the attached information sheet, both as a pdf and as a word document.

Link: http://chinesemedicinetools.com/node/5672/popup

Informative, authoritative, relaxed.

Talk by leading practitioners on all aspects of TCM including herbs, the pros and cons of using dried herbs/pills/granules.

And, music.

The radio debate on this subject is now available online after the event at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b010t4wv

The discussion begins at 1hour and 51 minutes into the 3-hour show and lasts about 8 minutes.

Very worth listening to to get a sense of the balance of argument and the stances of governments.

This is relevant also for countries outside the EU, particularly at the present time Canada and South Africa.

Here is the link to the recorded programme, including the debate on herbal medicine efficacy:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010t4wv

It will be available for 6 more days.

Listen tonight - Michael McIntyre on BBC Radio 5 Live debate show

Tonight on BBC Radio 5 Live's Stephen Nolan “Feisty topical phone-in debate” show, between 10.00pm and 1.00am UK time (9.00pm and 12.00am Harare/Pretoria time), one of the topics being argued about is the efficacy and benefit of herbal medicine. Historian Michael McIntyre, Chairperson of the EHTPA has agreed to take part in the debate with sceptical pharmacologist  Professor David Colquhoun and listeners will be invited to call in with their own views. The herbal medicine debate will be on at about 11.00pm, so tune in at least a little before that.

If you miss the live event, there's still a chance to hear it

After the event you can listen to the programme for up to 7 days by visiting
http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/programmes/schedules

Evidence or what?

At the heart of the debate is bound to be the question of "evidence".  The real question, however, is "What is evidence?"  For many establishment figures it can be an unquestioned point of view based on narrowly defined parameters, with all else being "lies".  For others evidence is seen as much more complex and organic, bringing with it the trusted experience of "evidence by consensus".