Conference  Review  

 

Australasian  Integrative  Medicine  

Association  (AIMA)  Conference  2016  

 

Review  by  Amy  Tyler,  NSW  Facilitator,  OML  

On  the  weekend  of  3rd  and  4th  September  2016,  I  was  

very   lucky   to   be   the   delegate   for   OML   at   the  

Australasian   Integrative  Medicine  Association   (AIMA)  

Conference  –  Nature,  Science,  Practice:  How  science-­‐

based   natural   approaches   are   changing   medicine.  

Having  not  been  to  an  AIMA  Conference  before,  I  was  

expecting  quite   a   large  delegation,  however   speaking   to  others   in   attendance,   it   seems   it  

was   one   of   the   smallest   they   have   hosted   in   a   long   time   (almost   the   size   of   our   OM  

conference!).  So  in  the  rather  large  Carriageworks  at  Everleigh,  now  Australian  Technology  

Park,  we  had  plenty  of  space  to  mingle.    

 

Saturday   started   with   Adam   Hill,   AKA   Black   Douglas,   welcoming   us   via   a   didgeridoo  

performance.   Our   MC   Luka   Lesson   was   a   local   poet   who   also   entertained   us   between  

speakers.      

 

Talks  were  held  on  historical  trends,  future  opportunities,  social  transformation  and  global  

equality   before  we  went   into  our   breakout   sessions.   I  was  pleasantly   surprised  when  our  

first   speaker,  Dr   Robert   Saper   (who   spoke   about   the   historical   trends),   discussed  Herbert  

Benson  as  we  do  in  Oncology  Massage  Module  Two.  During  the  breakout  sessions  I  chose  to  

head  into  the  Innovative  Models  of  Care  talks  that  concentrated  on  combining  consultations  

and   integrating  treatments   in  multidisciplinary  teams  and   integrative  oncology  clinics   (The  

Lifehouse  Experience).  Dr  Suzanne  Grant,  the  acupuncturist  at  The  Chris  O’Brien  Lifehouse  

in   Sydney   talked  exceptionally  well   on   the   set  up  used  at   Lifehouse  and   the   therapies  on  

offer   to   patients   (acupuncture,   oncology   massage,   reflexology,   exercise   physiology,  

meditation,   yoga,   qi   gong   and   group   classes).   Lifehouse   is   a   50%   public   and   50%   private  

hospital.   Interestingly  she  mentioned  there  are  no  volunteer  services  at  Lifehouse  and  the  

reason  behind  this   is   that   it   reduces  the  risk  of   improper  care  (i.e.  poorly  qualified  people  

offering  a  service  to  patients).  

 

In   the   afternoon   break   out   session   I   attended   a   talk   by   Janet   Schloss,   which   focused   on  

supportive  therapies  during  chemo  and  radiotherapies.  If  any  of  you  attended  the  previous  

OM   conference   in   2014   you   will   remember   an   integrative   GP   talking   to   us   about  

supplements,  naturopathic  medicines  and  Chinese  herbs  which  can  interact  with  the  chemo  

or  radiation  treatments  in  a  negative  way  rather  than  a  supportive  way.  This  talk  was  along  

the  same  line,  giving  indications  for  specific  natural  medicines  that  can  be  used  and  others  

that  are  best  stopped  during  treatment  but  re-­‐introduced  after.  Similar  to  our  teachings  in  

OM,  she  brought  up  the  concept  of  a  “new  normal”  for  people  who  have  undergone  cancer  

treatments.    

 

Day  One  ended  with   a   talk  by   someone   I   am   rather   fond  of;   Prof  Charlie   Teo  gave  a   talk  

simply   titled  Hope.  He  mentioned   that  hope   is  different   for  everyone  and  who  are  we   to  

push   what   our   thoughts   of   hope   are   onto  

someone  else.   Sometimes  only   the   smallest  

of  things  are  important  to  one  person  whilst  

to  someone  else  something  totally  different  

will  apply.   (He  has  a  TED  talk  on  YouTube   if  

you’re  interested).      

 

Day  Two  had  no  breakout  sessions  and  was  

mainly   outside   my   scope   of   practice   as   a   massage   therapist   however   interesting   all   the  

same.   Discussions   on  medical   cannabis   for   pain  management   occurred   (who   knew   there  

were  so  many  different  types  of  cannabis  out  there!),  along  with  building  biology,  research  

and  genetics   and  epigenetics.   (A   few   things  here  we  already  know  about!).   Interestingly   I  

found  out   that  medicinal  cannabis  does  not  have  the  same  mind  numbing  effects  as   illicit  

cannabis.   Secondly,  as   the  use  of   Integrative  Medicine  has   increased,   the   investment   into  

the  research  of  Integrative  Medicine  has  decreased.    

 

Overall  the  conference  was  enjoyable  and  a  great  networking  experience  for  me.  I  think  as  

OM   therapists   we   are   actually   on   top   of   a   lot   of   the   ideas   being   discussed   among   the  

medical  community,  which  is  quite  lovely  to  know.    

 

To  finish,  just  a  quick  quote  I  wrote  down  during  Dr  Nicole  Avard’s  talk:  “When  anybody  is  

pioneering  anything,  struggle  is  common”.