rey tiquia intro

[Guest guest]

July 30, 2002

Dear fellow TCM practitioners,

 

I would like to thank the list for welcoming yours truly into your ranks. I am a TCM practitioner from the land downunder for the past two decades. I am a registered zhu ce acupuncturist and a registered Chinese herbal medicine practitoner .This year, 700 Chinese medicine practitioners have been registered by the Registration Board , a statutory body established by an act of the Victorian Parliament . Two disciplines of TCM in Victoria are covered by the registration i.e. acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine). However, in my practice, I also incorporate Tuina (traditional Chinese massage) and make available practical advice to patients on how to lead a long, healthy, balanced life here in the land of Oz.

 

However my place of Birth is Manila, Philippines, where I completed BA in Philippine History and political Science and one year of Law at the University of the Philippines. I undertook one year of Mandarin language studies at the Beijing Language institute in late 70's and then proceeded to enroll in a four year TCM Bachelors degree programme at the Beijing College of TCM. During my sojourn in China I met my wife Margaret who comes from Queensland Australia . We 'registered' deng ji as husband and wife in one of the Neighbourhood offices in the outskirts of Beijing where we exchanged xi tang ( double happiness lollies) . In l981, I came to Australia to commence my TCM practice.

 

Aside from attending to my private practice, I am also involve in the revitalized professional life of TCM here in Australia. I am currently, chairperson of the Alliance of Associatioins in Australia, which is a loose federation of 7 TCM and acupuncture associations with about 300 members. I oversaw the survey of TCM practitioners in Victoria in l995 as the project manager of this first broad social study of of the the profession conducted in Australia in recent times . For over a decade, together with other leaders of the budding profession in Australia , we have struggled for the legitimation and eventual registration of TCM practitioners . Despite strong opposition from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) , all these efforts culminated in the introduction and passage of the Registration Bill in the state parliament of Victoria in the year 2000.

 

Juggling my time in private TCM practice, household chores responsibilities and lobbying activities, I also undertake TCM research and scholastic activities privately and institutionally . I have completed a part-time Masters of Science degree (coursework) in the dept. of History and Philosophy of Science, the university of Melbourne in l997. I wrote a minor thesis entitled " Connecting Traditional and Western Laboratory-based Medicine " where in I elaborated on the practice of TCM i.e. bian zheng lun zhi. After completing my masters I decided to extend my studies into the Phd programme in the same department looking at how Chinese medicine is evolving and developling as an Australian tradition of healthcare. This study looks briefly at over a centuryand a half of Chinese medicine hisitory in Victoria, the state where I am currently practicing . Proceeding from this historical study I am looking at how Chinese medicine practice can 'translate' symmetrically with biomedicial practice and vice-versa. My research also is looking at developing a clinical evaluation system that suits the practice of TCM i.e. the practice of or " proposing treatment principles in accordance with the patterns of clinical phenomena " bian zheng lun zhi .

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Rey Tiquia BTCM (Beijing) MSc (Melbourne)

Chairperson

Alliance of in Australia

Phd Candidate

Dept. of History and PHilosophy of Science

The University of Melbourne

Parkville

Victoria

Australia