We are pleased to announce that Women’s Health and Wellness Conference held on April 11th, 2015 at Saint Mary’s University was a great success. We have received excellent feedback from those who attended the conference.
The conference was hosted by the Nova Scotia Chapter of CMAAC and the Confucius Institute at Saint Mary’s University, in association with the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (CCATCM) and the Acupuncture & Naturopathy Association of Nova Scotia (ANANS). These associations, along with the public, gathered to address various aspects of women’s health concerns.
The conference began with opening remarks from our two emcees, Dr. Charles Beaupre and Ms. Dora Poole. Dr. Beaupre, the Canadian Director of The Confucius Institute at Saint Mary’s University, opened with a welcome to all of those in attendance. Following this, Dr. Diana Li, on behalf of the Nova Scotia Chapter of CMAAC, welcomed everyone and thanked those who made the conference possible.
Ms. Jane Cheung, Vice-President of External Relations for CMAAC, travelled from Ontario to show her support for the Nova Scotia chapter. Ms. Cheung expressed her thanks towards Dr. Diana Tong Li for all of the time and energy she has devoted to helping the fields of acupuncture and TCM in Nova Scotia, through the promotion of the field and the career, as well as increasing standards and public safety throughout the province. Ms. Cheung also congratulated Dr. Diana Li for her position as a representative for Canada on the executive board of the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS). As Ms. Cheung noted, there are thirty members of this international executive board representing different countries across the globe. Five of the thirty members are representatives for Canada, one of which is Dr. Li, who was elected onto the board due to her devotion and tireless work towards the field of acupuncture. Ms. Cheung said that on behalf of CMAAC Head Office, they are very pleased to have Dr. Li as part of the association and are proud of her accomplishments.
The opening remarks finished with the emcees reading a letter of congratulations from Professor Cedric K.T. Cheung, the Vice-President of WFAS and Permanent Honorary President of CMAAC.
The morning session began with a talk presented by Dr. Roy Fox and Dr. Hilda Fox, titled, “How a balanced life and managing stress can have a profound effect on women’s health”. Both Dr. Roy Fox and Dr. Hilda Fox are Western medicine doctors; however they also practice in alternative medicine and are always willing to refer patients to alternative medicine. Their talk was highly informative and we are very lucky to have had them as part of our conference.
Next was a talk by Dr. Franklyn Chen and Dr. Qing Zhang on the topic of using food and herbs to treat women’s issues. This talk was well-received and concluded the morning session.
During the lunch hour there was a delicious salmon buffet. Following the meal the NS-CMAAC held its Annual General Meeting. We had close to 70% of the chapter’s members attend this meeting. During the AGM, the new board gave an overview of what they have achieved thus far. After the overview, all members voted and passed the members and their positions for the NS-CMAAC Board of Directors.
Dora Poole, the Secretary and Director of Ethics & Membership, read the association’s complete by-laws. After the reading, all members voted and passed the by-laws. Dr. Feng Jia presented the financial report, which was also voted on and passed. The NS-CMAAC board now has nine members who are all dedicated to working for the association to promote standards and protection of the public as well as to educate practitioners and the public about acupuncture and TCM.
The afternoon session began with a talk by Dr. Charles Beaupre and Mr. Steve Oliver titled, “Energy enhancement and holistic health”. This was followed by a talk by Dr. Diana Li titled, “Women’s health and the care and treatment of common issues from infertility to menopause using acupuncture”.
All speeches throughout the day were well-received by both the public and association members. The Canadian College of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (CCATCM) also set up a public clinic where they offered acupressure and cupping therapy for free, which was a great opportunity for the public to experience alternative medicine.
Altogether, the conference was a great success, and there were many accomplishments in the AGM. NS-CMAAC now has a stable and strong board to lead the association and to further promote acupuncture in the province.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the conference and to all of those who made it possible.
We are looking forward to the WFAS International Conference in September 2015.