Combined Holistic and Acupuncture Conference
Perth , 28 May – 1 June 2008
We are fortunate to have Dr Bruce Ferguson as our guest speaker this year. Please see the AVA Conference Program for further details. A copy of Bruce’s biography is below.
Both Food therapy and Tui Na massage therapy are ideal adjunctive therapies to learn for both conventional vets and holistic vets who have not studied any Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both will be useful in practice and are certificated courses taught by the best in the world to teach English speaking vets!
However, it is advisable for those with no prior TCM training to attend all food therapy lectures, especially the introduction, as it may be confusing if they come in to listen to some of the later lectures only.
Member Feature: Dr. Bruce Ferguson
AVA, Australian Veterinary Acupuncture Group (AVAG) Member and
AVAG Western Australian Representative Committee Member
Dr. Bruce Ferguson moved from the US to Perth, Western Australia, early in 2007. He accepted the position of Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Murdoch University’s Veterinary School, where is also a consultant in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). TCVM is comprised of Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Food Therapy and Tui Na (Chinese massage/ bodywork).
Bruce Ferguson received his MS in Animal Behaviour in 1986 and his DVM in 1992 from the University of Florida. Bruce purchased Micanopy Animal Hospital in 1993 and practiced predominantly conventional medicine for 7 years. He studied with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 1997 and began attending Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine (www.tcvm.com) classes in 1998. After certifying in Traditional Chinese Veterinary (TCVM) acupuncture and herbal medicine, Bruce studied Tui Na in Beijing and, along with Dr. Xie, developed a TCVM Tui Na course now offered at the Chi Institute. Bruce lectures at veterinary colleges and at scientific meetings nationally and internationally in the field of TCVM. He is the president of the American Association of TCVM and on the executive board of the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association. Bruce has published many papers and chapters in veterinary journals and texts. He is an advisory Board member to the American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.
The AVAG is pleased to present Bruce Ferguson as the main speaker for the combined AVAG/AHV program during the upcoming Perth 2008 AVA Annual conference. During the two AVAG/AHV lecture days of the conference, Bruce will present 12 hours of lectures on Traditional Chinese Veterinary Food therapy. He teaches this course at the Chi Institute and we are indeed fortunate to have him present it to us in Perth. He will be covering topics such as Food Therapy for Geriatric animals and for gastro-intestinal, liver, endocrine, heart, and kidney disorders.
Following the conference Bruce Ferguson will present an intensive three day Tui-Na or Chinese massage workshop. Bruce is the co-author of the book “Application of Tui-Na in Veterinary Medicine”. Tui-Na is a Chinese manual therapy used for preventing and treating disease. Practitioners use various manipulations applied to acupuncture points and meridians or apply special limb stretching movements. These techniques have been successfully used for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, osteoarthritis, disc problems, peripheral nerve paralysis, muscle wasting, general weakness and internal diseases. Tui-Na overlaps to some extent with massage therapy and Chiropractic manipulations.
Bruce has also started the Western Australian Traditional Chinese Veterinary Herbal Medicine course. The first module was completed in November 2007. This is a quote from one of the participants, Dr. Clare Middle: “Dr Ferguson is an excellent teacher, both in handing over basic knowledge thoroughly, and also being able to answer more obscure questions. It certainly shows that his training has involved years of sitting in lectures, often repeatedly, given by masters of this subject, and extensive experience in the form of case loads and teaching others”. We are hopeful that Bruce will present a two day module on the use of Chinese herbs for dermatological conditions, following on from the Tui-Na workshop.