Dear Reflexologists
across Europe,
 |
| Heinrike Bergmans |
Please help us
to inform electable MEP’s about the good work we do and the support we need
from them.
RiEN is a
Pan-European organization, uniting 34 Reflexology associations from 18 EU countries, representing thousands of Reflexologists and 21 schools from 14 countries at present.
Reflexology is a Complementary and Alternative Medicine modality (CAM) widespread across Europe.
Reflexology is a Complementary and Alternative Medicine modality (CAM) widespread across Europe.
RiEN is a member
of the European Federation for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (EFCAM)
headed by its President, Mr Seamus Connolly.
Across the EU at
least 25% of citizens use CAM and there are some 500,000 practitioners in all.
360,000 of them are trained in specific therapies rather than as medical
practitioners. CAM therapies include: aromatherapy, kinesiology,
naturopathy, reflexology, shiatsu and yoga.
Appropriate European regulation is now urgently needed to assure the
right to practice of all appropriately trained practitioners of all CAM
practices and to assure equity of access to CAM to citizens.
By way of
general information, CAM is part of a global system of traditional and
indigenous health practices adapted across cultures and continents. Its primary
focus is health not disease, e.g. health maintenance and promotion as well as illness
prevention rather than pathology and treatment. Its most
consistently sought applications are for wellbeing, health maintenance,
prevention and a more personally sustainable and cost effective management of
chronic illness.
CAM supports the
key elements that contribute to good health including diet,
exercise, health education and health literacy, healthy lifestyle practices,
holistic treatment for illness - (the capacity of the individual to know
and implement healthy life practices within their own unique cultural context).
In keeping with
our colleagues in several EU States and on behalf of RiEN's membership, I would
like to ask you, to contact your national MEP’s and ask their support, if
elected, to work for equitable access to CAM by citizens in all member States, and,
for a Europe-wide system of recognition and regulation of both the CAM
therapies themselves and the practitioners.
If the MEP’s are
agreeable, RiEN by means of the local Reflexology organizations [and the EFCAM
President, Mr Connolly] would be pleased to meet with them to outline the
current situation with regard to the provision of CAM therapies and
indicate how we could assist them on an ongoing basis in being able to speak
about CAM in the European Parliament and its institutions.
In this regard
please find attached the position of EFCAM in relation to CAM in Europe.
We look forward
to hearing from you.
Heinrike Bergmans
Representative EFCAM for RiEN
