Restoring Rhythm - Gui Lü 規律

After a year of extreme disruption, patients and practitioners alike now find themselves in the position of moving back into the world and re-establishing regularity in their lives. The idea of rhythm or regularity (gui lü 規律) is core to  health in Chinese medicine, the restoration of which is seen as synchronising our own rhythms with the rhythms of nature. It seems appropriate therefore that the theme of this year's conference should be 'Restoring Rhythm' and helping us and our patients getting back in the swing of things. The conference begins with Associate Professor Winder Zhang and a presentation on how herbal supply is managed in Taiwan. This will not only give us a vision of what herbal supply monitoring can look like in a country with institutional support for Chinese Medicine, but it will also touch upon the current state of the global herb industry. This will be followed by an afternoon focus on 'Long Covid' with case presentations from RCHM members leading into a group discussion. The long term effects of Covid will be seen for many years to come and understanding its various manifestations will be key to helping our patients restore their normal functionality. Our masterclass lecture this year will be given by Robert Helmer on the subject of insomnia and restoring regularity in our day-night cycle. It has been said in Chinese medicine that restoring regular healthy sleep is a precursor to successful treatment of any condition so we are grateful for this opportunity to hone our skills and get better results in this sometimes tricky area. The conference will end with an interactive session on restoring and re-invigorating our practices after this year's disruption. You will have the opportunity to hear from the experience of your fellow practitioners as well as the opportunity to share your own challenges and connect with other members.