Peter Conway CPD Seminar Archway Herbal Clinic

Thursday 14th June 2012 6.30 p.m. 8.30 p.m. Peter Conway: Herbal Medicine & Complexity: how tools shape competencies.

Peter Conway argues that both herbs and herbal practice are complex entities and that there is an urgent need for herbal practitioners to find a deep appreciation of this by connecting traditional herbalism with "three new frontiers" - in science, physiology and pharmacology. In this wide-ranging, exciting and provocative talk he will make his case. This talk will include a consideration of herbs as "convivial tools" (drawing on Ivan Illich) and explore ideas including complexity science, psychoneuroimmunology and systems pharmacology.

Peter is a medical herbalist committed to radical education. He believes that there is an urgent need for practical instruction in natural health care to be underpinned by rigorous criticality and opened out by daring connectivity. His teaching style has elements of art performance and philosophical high-wire act as well as down-to-earth grounding in research and clinical experience. Peter relishes putting so-called "conventional" and "alternative" perspectives up against each other to see what emerges as the two interact. An advocate of applying complexity theory in the practice of medicine Peter also teaches from this perspective - he intends to facilitate encounters where new properties can emerge and says: "I teach in order to learn".
Peter practises at his clinic in Tunbridge Wells, where he specialises in supporting people with chronic and complex conditions. He is a Fellow of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and a Fellow and former President of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy. He was a Director of the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association and his political work includes being involved in drafting the National Professional Standards in Herbal Medicine and sitting on the Department of Health Steering Group on the regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture. His teaching experience at colleges of herbal and traditional medicine is extensive, he is a Visiting Professor at Pacific Rim College In Victoria, Canada and his latest book was published in 2011 - The Consultation in Phytotherapy.
The cost of each Seminar is £10 and should be booked and paid for in advance at Archway Clinic of Herbal Medicine 020 8411 4411. CPD certificates, accredited by CPP, will be issued at the end of the evening. Wine (suggested donation £1.50 a glass), juice and some nibbles will be served, so that people can mingle. With luck the weather will be good enough for us to go out to the herb garden and hopefully it will be a fun evening for everyone.