PRACTITIONER PROFILE
Celebrating 30 + years of ATMS membership
Dean Smith
What has kept you practising for 30 + years ? There are many things that have kept me practising for over 30 years . These include strong relationships with colleagues , the lifelong learning that this profession offers , and increasing awareness and recognition of how we provide benefits to clients . Most of all though , it has been the privilege of being trusted by my clients to be let into the personal and vulnerable world of their health and supporting them to grow . Being involved in the transformational process is an honour and a gift .
What have been the most important changes to natural medicine you have seen during your career ? The two biggest changes that I have seen during my career has been the increased acceptance of Natural Medicine by consumers and the significant changes we have seen in training and accreditation . When I first started practising , Natural Medicine practitioners were mostly seen as weird hippies !!
What changes in natural medicine would you most like to see ? I would love to see even further acceptance and validation of our profession , with no delineation and separation between Western Medicine and Natural Medicine . Naturopaths , Nutritionist , Acupuncturists , and body workers for example , in every hospital and GP clinic , working closely with doctors , psychologists , physiotherapists , nurses and psychiatrists .
What advice do you have for today ’ s emerging practitioners ? My advice is don ’ t forget YOU are the most important asset to your business and your clients , not the modalities you practice . Therefore , invest in yourself as much as possible - do extensive training , take great care of your own health , and engage in your own journey of personal development . Although never “ treat ” yourself !
Dean Smith is a Psychologist , Herbalist and a Remedial Massage Therapist
Farida Irani
What has kept you practising for 30 + years ? Over the years our clinical research has been ongoing as each client brings with them their own unique profile of health and disorders as they search for a remedy . They are looking for ways to improve their lifestyle so treatments , together with education , awareness and homework as a daily routine , help them to keep that balance in their lives as they notice a shift in their well-being and get encouraged to continue doing so . We as practitioners can learn so much from each one of our clients and when we see the positive results we feel very satisfied . We can add those positive results to our portfolio so that we can help others with similar disorders or others , again holistically and individually as each individual is different and unique . So , using our skills and knowledge to help our clients and they then spread the word getting more people into our clinics . This is very fulfilling for us as practitioners .
What have been the most important changes to natural medicine you have seen during your career ? There have been some very positive outcomes with more research happening in the field of natural medicine and the negative side is when the health funds were stopped from giving rebates to our clients . The best thing that has taken place recently is we now have an Ayurveda Research Chair sponsored by the Indian government through AYUSH ( Ayurveda , Yoga , Unani , Siddhi , Homeopathy ), a department of complementary health in India , at the National institute of Complementary Medicine , University of Western Sydney . This gives us hope that this time-tested science will be recognised at some stage .
What changes in natural medicine would you most like to see ? I would love to see recognition of our sciences and I am hopeful that with more research and standards laid out , evidence-based complementary sciences will be in the forefront complementing conventional medicine . I also hope to see young doctors recognising the worth of natural medicine and working together with us instead of resisting our sciences . Some doctors are already doing so and studying natural medicine themselves .
104 | vol30 | no2 | JATMS