A Celebration of the life of Janine Leach ND, DO

A MEMORIAL Service to celebrate the life of Janine Leach, a former President of the British Naturopathic Association (BNA), who has died at the age of 68, was held at St Dunstan’s Parish Church, Ashurst Wood, Sussex, on Friday, July 1, 2016.

Janine, a Naturopath and Osteopath, graduated from the College of Osteopathy, in London, in 1989, after studying there for five years.

The church was packed with more than 100 people to hear Tributes from her husband Martin, and daughters Rebecca and Francesca.

There was indeed a lot to celebrate, as Janine was involved with a wide variety of local and national organisations, holding office in many of them, as well as running her own private practice, in which she helped numerous patients, many with chronic and complex symptoms. ‘Jan’, who was born in Walls End on Tyne in 1947, excelled in all her school subjects as well as being a games captain, being proficient at hockey and tennis.

She went on to read Physics at Birmingham University, which in itself was unusual for a female student in those days, but topped it by becoming the first woman to graduate there with a 1st Class Honours Degree in Physics.

After teaching science at several schools, she returned to Birmingham to study for a PhD in the medical applications of nuclear physics – and it was here that she met Martin, her future husband.

After gaining her PhD Jan decided to move into epidemiological research and secured a post at the Institute of Cancer at Sutton, in Surrey. It was at this time that she also began her studies in Naturopathy and Osteopathy.

Jan, who became President of the BNA in 2004, taking over from Michael Spenceley, was also an active member of many other professional and scientific organisations. She was an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, Secretary of the International Cranial Association, and council member of the College of Medicine. She contributed to the regulation of, or improvements in regulation of osteopaths, naturopaths, acupuncturists and complementary therapies. She has also been a trustee of the Research Council for Complementary Medicines and a working group member for the British Society of Integrative Oncology. In addition, she was Senior Research Fellow in Osteopathy at the University of Brighton, and has contributed to teaching and examining at a number of universities, including Brighton, Westminster and Thames Valley.

It was a special interest of hers that complementary health should have a regulatory framework equivalent to other health professions.

She focussed on improving the standing of complementary health professions, and advancing research and evidence base, particularly in relation to cancer, where she put much effort into developing a project to investigate the potential of mushroom therapy in reducing the adverse effects of cancer treatment.

As well as all this, and having a family to look after, Jan enjoyed singing with local choirs, developing her expression in art with art groups and artists and exploring her family history. She also continued to explore the spiritual side of life.

Cancer cells were detected in the fluid surrounding her heart early in 2015, and the prognosis was said to be serious, her cancer specialists giving her only a few months to live. She adopted both conventional and complementary approaches to the disease.

Martin said: “She was inspirational throughout, maintaining a sense of balance and humour, finding things to look forward to and helping her family to achieve their goals. We will all miss her terribly, but have been so lucky to have known someone so special.”

Janine-Leach

The above photograph was taken at a BNA conference, and features from left to right: Roger Newman Turner, Joe Goodman, Edzard Ernst, Janine Leach and David Potterton.

The International Congress on Naturopathic Medicine is coming to London!

Save the date June 30th – July 1st 2017, The ICNM will be in London. The theme will be Global Patient Care; Restoring Health Naturally. This event is being held in collaboration with us, the BNA and GCRN! Please see the report below to find out about the recent ICNM in Barcelona, to inspire you to book your early bird ticket for next year as soon as they are released. We will keep you up to date as soon as these are available from next month.

ICNM 2016

Left to Right: GCRN Council member Kirsten Hartvig, GCRN member Desmond Henley, Richenda Powers, GCRN member Aliyyaa Spring, Honorary BNA Fellow Roger Newman Turner, GCRN Vice President Clare Badrick, GCRN members Olivier Léost and Katerina Vasileiadou, Joanna Thomson.

The ICNM, Barcelona, 2016.
What were you doing on the first weekend of July? I, and a group of fellow UK Naturopaths, spent it in Barcelona at the 3rd International Congress on Naturopathic Medicine. What a fabulous weekend we had! First and foremost, what was most important to me was to see firsthand that I am part of a global Naturopathic community. Sometimes, in practice it can feel as if I am the only Naturopath on the planet (I am sure you must know that feeling), but here I was with 500 other Naturopaths from 50 other countries! It was almost unbelievable to see Naturopaths from Japan, China, India, and all over Europe in one room together. Even Naturopaths from countries I had no idea had even heard of Naturopathy!

Then there were the presentations, 30 in all, on subjects as diverse as the use of medicinal mushrooms, skin disorders, mind-body medicine, sleep, anxiety, the therapeutic relationship, toxins, EMF pollution, autoimmune disease, iris diagnosis and the role of essential oils, plus many more!
Then there were the networking opportunities. I met movers and shakers from the global Naturopathic family who I could talk to on personal level and make friends with, but also who could be good professional contacts for us in the GCRN and for us to continue to develop our profession in the UK.

There were also exhibitors of all kinds, who were selling, demonstrating or showing products and services to help us in our work as 21st century Naturopaths. Really advanced products to scan or screen the patient, herbal, nutritional or mycological products to assist in healing, products to protect from EMF pollution, to name a but a few.

Then of course, there was seeing Barcelona which is a beautiful and vibrant city. Just not quite enough time to explore as the program was so packed, although many delegates had extended their trip to fit in sight seeing time – very sensible!

Overall, the congress offered us inspiration to carry on with our good work, in what can sometimes be a lonely profession. It offered support from those with more experience in certain areas, it gave masses of information on some very diverse subjects and many opportunities for friendship. I will be President of the GCRN when the ICNM comes to London, so I really hope to see you all there.

Clare Badrick
GCRN Vice-President