New Year 2014

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Dear Colleagues and Friends of OIRF,

As we assess 2013 and get set to begin a new year, I trust that you are filled with optimism and plans that will take your practice to the next level of success. It has certainly been an interesting year here at Occidental Institute and I am thrilled to be working with practitioners and researchers who have endeavored to present us with the latest and most in depth information.

You have read many times before that the only constant is change. The same holds true for OIRF. How well an organization recognizes, predicts and adapts to change can determine whether it thrives, struggles or dies. In the words of the contemporary business guru Jack Welch, “Change before you have to!”

There have been a number of recent articles talking about how non-profits, societies and other research organizations such as OIRF will be impacted not only by the current economic climate, but also by technology and demographics.

Demographics will continue to have a profound effect in both Canada and the USA. The “demographic tsunami” of massive numbers of baby boomers entering their senior years (myself among them) is already putting pressure on universal healthcare and government retirement funding. Public policies being put into place in both countries today will have serious consequences for seniors in general, but will also be reflected throughout our healthcare systems.

These factors will influence every active practice – not just the practitioners themselves, but the demographic of patients who will become prevalent in your practice! Today’s seniors tend to be more healthy and live longer more fulfilled lives. And thanks to the internet seniors (and all patients in general) are much better informed and insist on being more involved with the choices and decisions regarding their health. The demand for natural and complementary healing methods is increasing exponentially as can be witnessed by the increase of patient oriented ads for supplements and smaller devices. Practitioners can see this trend clearly in the “big business” conferences and shows such as the A4M meetings. At the A4M conference in Las Vegas last month, I was astounded by the Wal-Mart sized exhibit area and the vast array of so called “complementary” devices, tests and supplements.

As with all things technology (from that latest iPhone to our TVs) we are seeing rapid advancements in our field of Biological Medicine that have changed our research protocols and your daily practices in fundamental ways. One of the most obvious technology advances is within the area of homeopathy and remedy administration. In decades past we had practitioners with collections of (tens of) thousands of remedies. Within the past 10 years we have seen a move to having smaller specific test sets, “prescribing” domestically available remedies (like Sanum, Heel, Hevert, Nestmann, etc.) and some limited remedy software. Now, within a few short years, most of us are reliant on remedy software and because of recent legislation in Europe many of the German companies (like Wegamed) are no longer allowed to sell physical test sets and everything is only available in digital format. Already we can see differences in what electronic remedies are available, the quality of the “recorded” remedies and differences in cost factors.

We see another example of these technology changes with the recent splits between companies like BioKat and Med-Tronik (see “The Bridge”, Volume 9, Issue #11, Pages 2-4). Thanks to this split we have already begun to see amazing innovation and access to high quality BioResonance devices from two different perspectives but while still based on the original research and development of the engineer Erich Rasche and the physician Franz Morell, MD. I fully appreciate that many of you are working with MORA BioResonance devices that have served daily in your practice for decades. As a ‘once in a practice lifetime purchase’, why would you need to upgrade or update your devices? But the other side of that coin is, are you prepared and ready to compensate for the changes and development in the technologically newer models?

As an aside, during the recent A4M conference I was asked by someone why we continue to recommend all the “old” style devices like for example MORA and BioPhotons when other newer – more exciting, more expensive, more whatever – technology is now available. And the answer that spurted out of my mouth before considering the diplomacy of my remarks was “because they work”. And with a bit of further reflection I can add that for most of these “old” style devices we have new models which offer us the most innovative developments in the Biological Medicine field of today.

However, if recognizing and responding to current change as it happens is challenging; predicting the change drivers of the future is even more so. Our practitioners, directors, advisors and staff have been pro-active in analysis, discussions and planning in order to focus the activities and research of OIRF as we move into 2014. I am not going to bore all of you with a list of our plans and projects (those dreaded and often short lived New Year’s Resolutions), but you will shortly begin to see differences as we continue the transformation that will take us forward into a new era for Occidental Institute.

Amidst all this transformation two things have never changed – first, our commitment to our practitioners, and second, the dedication of our practitioners to OIRF. As we enter our 42^nd year we can look back on a record of growth, longevity, legitimacy, and unfailing ethics that few, if any, other associations in this field can match. The powerful united voice of our growing organization will help drive the changes that will make Biological Medicine a force to be reckoned with for all healthcare choices. Join with us – again – as we re-dedicate ourselves to the expanded application of Biological Medicine in North America.

Although initial plans were in place to turn “The Bridge” newsletter back into a paid subscription, we are once again offering this venerated publication free of charge for 2014. Like last year, all issues will be sent to you by email and then published in PDF (print) format online. Access is open to all.

Our publication focus will however be changing. Previous issues have focused on research, studies and bringing you the very latest information. Prof. Dr. Hartmut Heine’s articles included in last year’s issues were a testament to the – dare I say it – “scientific” background and explanations of Biological Medicine. But, as interesting and challenging as it is to follow the leaps of inspiration and understanding taken by these famous (and much honored) researchers, what are we supposed to do with this insight on a daily basis in our practice?

Included in this issue (Volume 10, Issue #1) you will find the first in a series of articles about the methods and devices recommended by OIRF. We will show you the benefits and some of the possible applications of these methods. The emphasis will be on practical everyday application – on how you can utilize each particular method in your practice.

But, we need your support. Even though we are a non-profit organization we must still pay the staff, the bills and the expenses. If our research, publication and sponsorships in this field are to continue, we need to increase our (up until now minimal) fund raising activities.

We ask for your continued and ongoing financial support as we move forward into 2014:

1. Consider making a donation to OIRF for the newsletter (even though we are offering it freely)
2. Be sure that you have purchased copies of the many educational printed and electronic publications and the audio/video training presentations available exclusively through OIRF
3. Plan now to attend the various smaller instructional seminars and meetings sponsored by OIRF to learn more about these methods
4. Incorporate sale of the smaller OIRF recommended devices (such as the Medisend Protect, MECOS, the “Little Ludwigs”, the AQA 707 water regeneration device, and so on) to your patients – talk to Elaine or Carolyn for quantity discount pricing.
5. Make this the year you travel to Germany with us to see Medicine Week
6. Consider which of the various devices and methods recommended by OIRF will work in your practice and make this the year that you add one or more of them into your office
7. Plan to attend the various conferences and conventions where OIRF will sponsor an exhibit booth to see these methods in action and talk to us personally about how you can incorporate these methods into your practice

We thank you for your support and look forward to working with each of you during the coming year. To close, I quote a few words to live by for a successful New Year: “A blind man’s world is bound by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world by the limit of his vision.” (Rev. E. Paul Hovey).

An Exclusive Article for Affiliates
From THE BRIDGE Newsletter of OIRF
Published January 2014

© Copyright 2014, Occidental Institute, BC Canada