Posts Tagged ‘Melbourne’
Boutique Beer Makers Fusion Brewing Win Silver and Bronze at Australian International Beer Awards 2009
Sydney, NSW (PRWEB) March 24, 2009
Having been in market for little over two years young start-up boutique brewer, Fusion Brewing wins two awards at The Australian International Beer Awards. The winners were announced last night at The Crown Palladium in Melbourne, Australia.
From a field of 1140 entries, Firefly Beer was awarded top prize with a silver medal within the ‘European Lager’ category (Gold was not awarded) and Bluebottle Beer awarded Bronze within the ‘Other styles’ section. The full results are at http://www.beerawards.com.au.
Director of Fusion Brewing, Scott Douglas was thrilled with the result, “We’re only relatively new however these awards really demonstrate the impact we’ve made. Such recognition really brings the idea to the forefront and we hope to continue this enhancement of the palettes of Australian diners and beer lovers.”
He continues, “Other companies occasionally claim their beer may vaguely suit a type of food but we create them from the start to be the perfect match – Bluebottle with seafood and Firefly with spicy foods. We use top experts and hundreds of consumers to craft the flavours and these awards are testament as to the quality of beer Fusion Brewing produces.”
These recent awards add to Bluebottle’s win last year as the ‘Best Lager’ at the Australian Beer Awards so it has been a very successful few months for Fusion Brewing. Fusion’s third beer is in the testing phases for release in the coming months. Scott Douglas has tasted it and is sure it will collect a few awards of its own next year.
Additional information:
The Awards:
The Australian International Beer Awards were presented on the 19th March at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, Australia. The awards were conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and The University of Ballarat. They are considered Australia’s most coveted beer awards also held in high regard throughout the world.
Fusion Brewing:
Fusion Brewing began in 2006 with one clear intention – to be the perfectly match beer to food flavours.
After a year of consumer testing and close consultation with Brian Watson (Fusion Brewing’s head brewer) and Matthew Evans (Acclaimed author, food journalist, gastronomer and food-matching consultant to Fusion Brewing), Bluebottle Beer was released to market in November 2007. Bluebottle Beer is also the only beer endorsed by the largest fish market in the Southern Hemisphere – Sydney’s Pyrmont Fish Market.
Fusion’s second beer, firefly, was borne out of the same rigorous testing and matching process and was launched in March 2008.
Fusion’s boutique beers are available in over 700 locations throughout Australia.
The Beers:
BlueBottle Beer – designed to complement seafood, it’s a European style lager with gentle bitterness and subtle citrus hints. Bluebottle adds to the delicate flavours of seafood without overpowering the palette.
FireFly Beer – designed to complement spicy foods such as Thai, Indian and Malaysian. Firefly is a Pilsner style beer with fine bead carbonation and an understated sweetness.
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Essential Indicators Of A Top-Rated Company For Carpet Cleaning Sydney And Other Key Cities Of Australia
Article by Zene Mary
Carpeting is one of the vital considerations when designing or furnishing a home. It makes a certain house looks radiant and remarkable. Living in a beautiful place with a temperate climate such as in Australia, may require homeowners to acquire professional help for cleaning and maintenance. Some may still prefer to do their own cleaning, but others may not find the time to do an intensive household chore anymore. There are essential guidelines when choosing the right company for carpet cleaning Melbourne or carpet cleaning Sydney. There can be hundreds of cleaning companies to choose from, but not all of them can deliver quality services. Carpeting can be an expensive investment, which is why it should receive proper care and cleaning, for it to last for a long time. One of the best indicators of an expert cleaning company is its reputation in the neighborhood or to its previous clients.
A good company for carpet cleaning Melbourne should offer different cleaning methods, in order to suit the varying needs and preference of their clients. However, the cleaning company should be able to recommend the right method according to the extent of cleaning required, in a certain household. The common carpet cleaning techniques are steam cleaning, hot cleaning and dry cleaning. Such methods may vary in the results and intensity of cleaning. A reputable cleaning company should ensure that the carpet is thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom, use a safe cleaning solution that will not harm the carpet and the people who live in the house, and be able to finish in the shortest time possible. The company should also offer flexible solutions for other services such as furniture moving and upholstery cleaning.
Cleaning companies in Australia commonly offer their services in different towns, cities or states. Hiring a company for carpet cleaning Sydney will make the work easy for homeowners, and they will be free from the worries of damaging expensive carpets and furniture. Having a professional cleaner is not just for the sake of being free from the tedious and laborious work, but also for ensuring that the beauty will be maintained by freeing the carpet of all the stains, dirt, grit, soil, mites, and bacteria. Reading reviews and feedback of a certain company might not be enough. It will be best to look for certifications or awards, which will guarantee that, as a hired cleaner, the company will deliver what it promises by being complete with the necessary cleaning equipment and experience, as well.
What is Homeopathy?
Brief history of homoeopathy
In the 18th century, Western medicine experienced a period that was influenced by new discoveries and increasing scientific medical knowledge (Wood 2000:33), which replaced the humoral principle of Greek medicine, based on the Greek physician Hippocrates in the 5th century BC (Lockie & Geddes 1995:10, Rose & Scott-Moncrieff 1998:10). Medical practice became increasingly invasive by employing dangerous methods such as bloodletting and purging or by prescribing extremely toxic materials as means of cure (Lockie & Geddes 1995:11, Wikipedia 2008c online), also known as ‘heroic medicine’ (Wood 2000:33). The German physician, linguist and chemist, Samuel Hahnemann, also referred to as the founder of homoeopathy, rejected such methods and began to experiment with other forms of treatment (Rose & Scott-Moncrieff, 1998:10). After making fundamental discoveries, which are further described in section 4, he devoted his whole life working out a new system of medicine which was based on the theory of Hippocrates and Paracelsus, that ‘like cures like’ (Griggs 1997:171). Over fifty years of work he refined his basic idea of homoeopathy and taught it to a wide number of students (Wood 2000:35).
Hahnemann’s treatment worked successfully in cases where regular medicine did not, such as the typhoid fever, and therefore attracted a large number of patients and doctors that had become dissatisfied with the practice of orthodox medicine. Ullmann (1991:xxix) suggests that homoeopathy became popular in Europe and the United States because of its efficiency in treating various infectious diseases at that time. However, by 1813, homoeopathy spread through Germany and the rest of Europe. By 1825, Hahnemann’s teachings were established in the US by Hans B. Gram, who opened the first homoeopathic practice in New York (Griggs 1997:172) and by Constantine Hering who founded the first Homeopathic College (Haller & Haller 2005:53). Homoeopathy in the US expanded so quickly that in 1844 the American Institute of Homeopathy was founded, which became America’s first national medical society (Ullmann 1991:37). But while homoeopathy became very popular, it also happened to become a threat and the object of ‘vigilant opposition from orthodox medicine’ (Ullmann 1991:33) for many reasons. Besides the successful treatment and the threat to the pharmaceutical industry (Ullmann 1991:37), homoeopaths, unlike herbalists or midwives of that time, could not be criticised because of their medical training as they went to the same medical school as regular physicians (Ullmann 1991:36). With the rise of the American Medical Association as an opposition to the American Institute of Homoeopathy, regular physicians discouraged any type of association with homoeopathy, leading to a gradual decline of homeopathy throughout America (Haller & Haller 2005:xi) With the reformation of educational standards that was oriented on a mechanical model of the body, also known as the Flexner report in 1909 and 1910, many schools were eventually forced to close down (Halle & Haller 2005:xii).
The development of homoeopathy in Australia at around the same time was influenced by immigrants between 1840 and the early 1850’s, who brought along their domestic homoeopathic remedies. Among them was Dr. Stephen Simpson, Australia’s first homoeopath, who arrived in 1840. In 1876, Australia’s first homoeopathic hospital was opened in Melbourne, although in 1880, the British Medical Association, which serves the interest of allopathic medicine, took over the various Australian associations. By the early 20th century, the practice of homoeopathy was excluded from their code of ethics, leading homoeopathic hospitals to employ physicians of orthodox medicine. It was not until 1973, that the Australian Institute of Homoeopathy formed the first course in Sydney (Armstrong 2008 online).
Today, homoeopathy is used worldwide with a clinical experience of 200 years. Additionally, it is recognised by the WHO as a valid form of health care and has a wide acceptance especially throughout Europe (Australian Homoeopathic Association n.d. online). Although it was replaced in the late 19th and early 20th century by medicines such as antibiotics, there is an increasing interest in homoeopathic treatment since the 20th century. However, the major arguments against homoeopathy remain present until today (World Wide Web 2008 online). Practitioners of orthodox medicine and scientists claim that substances are diluted so much, they do not exist in a solution such as 200C potency (Ullmann 1991:xvii), which marks homoeopathy as an unscientific or even ‘quackery’ kind of medicine (Ullmann 1991:36).
Definition and description of homoeopathy
Homoeopathy, from the Greek ‘homoion’ and ‘pathos’, meaning ‘the cure is like the disease’ (Wood 2000:35), describes a complete system of medicine, which is based on the principle of ‘let likes cure likes’ (Australian Homoeopathic Association n.d. online), the totality of symptoms, the minimum dose, the single remedy and the direction of cure (Treacher 1996:8). The principle of ‘let likes cure likes’ is based on the concept, already recognised by Hippocrates, that disease can be treated with substances which are thought capable of producing the same symptoms in healthy individuals as the disease itself (Rose & Scott-Moncrieff, 1998:10). Homoeopathy aims to treat the patient as an individual, taking his personal constitution, his lifestyle and personal history into account (Australian Homoeopathic Association n.d. online).
By treating the whole person, rather than an isolated condition, the concept of healing in homoeopathy, like in other natural therapies, is based on stimulating the body’s ability to heal itself, so that all systems can function at their best rather than suppressing symptoms (Kayne 2002:5). This ability is also referred to as vital force, which reacts and adapts to internal and external causes (Wikipedia 2008c online) and is believed to become disordered when a person falls ill (Rose & Scott-Moncrieff, 1998:10). Treacher (1996:6) describes the vital force as the energy that animates all life and speaks of an electro-magnetic energy field around the body that vibrates at a certain speed, depending on the vitality of the person. In order to restore a person to his particular state of wellness and stimulate his vital force, homoeopathic remedies have to match this specific vibration of the energy field (Treacher 1996:6) on the mental, emotional and physical level (Kayne 2002:84).
Additionally, homoeopathic treatment is based on the use of a single remedy which is chosen after careful consideration of all present symptoms in a person, in an adherence to minimal doses in order to avoid aggravation (Haller, 2005:xi). Results from employing only one single remedy are predictable while two or more substances might alter each other’s action upon the vitality (Treacher 1996:9). The last principle, the direction of cure, established by Constantine Hering, illustrates how the vital force organises protection and healing in a logical and predictable way by symptoms of an illness moving from the inside to the outside, from important organs to less important organs and in the reverse order in which they appeared (Treacher 1996:9).
Homoeopathic remedies are derived from plant or animal products as well as mineral sources and are proven and tested on healthy persons until symptoms occur to determine which remedy could be used to treat which disease (Morrell 1995 online). This person’s experience is kept in a record and is eventually incorporated into the materia medica (Treacher 1996:8). They are usually taken in small white pills, which are then dissolved under the tongue but can also be obtained as tinctures and powders and might be used in the treatment of chronic or acute conditions or minor accidents (Australian Homoeopathic Association n.d. online).
The substances are prepared by a process of repeated dilution and vigorous shaking, also called succussion, for a specific number of times that produces a specific potency scale (Treacher 19961996:11). The decimal scale or ‘X’ and the centesimal scale or ‘C’ stand for 10 and 100 dilution or succussion processes while the Fifty Millesimal Scale or ‘LM’ has a dilution ratio of 1:50 000 (Wikipedia 2008c online).
Important contributors to homoeopathy
As already mentioned, homoeopathy was discovered by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a translator, chemist and physician, who disagreed with the general medicine practice of his time (Griggs 1997:171). When translating William Cullen’s ‘Treatise of the Materia Medica’ in 1790, he questioned the medicinal effect of Peruvian bark the author was writing about and started to experiment upon himself. The effects he experienced from ingesting the bark were similar to those of malaria what led him to the conclusion that the cure proceeds through similarity. Hahnemann found that the given remedy must be able to produce the symptoms of the diseases for which they were used as a treatment in a healthy individual. Through further experiments, which he called ‘Prüfung’ or provings, he conceived the existence of a law that became the fundamental principle of homoeopathy, the concept of ‘like to treat like’ or the ‘law of similar’ (Haehl 2001:38, Kayne 2002:83, Wikipedia 2008c online). Besides the ‘law of similar’, Hahnemann also introduced the principle of the single remedy (which was outlined in section 3) and the principle of the minimum dose, which he established after he developed a method of diluting or ‘potentizing’ (MedTerms dictionary 2004 online) his remedies to avoid toxic reactions and to receive a higher potency (Kayne 2002:85).
In 1802, Hahnemann returned to medicine, using his homoeopathic principles and in 1810 the first edition of his most famous work, ‘The Organon of the Rational Art of Healing’ was published. Another four, revised editions of the Organon appeared during Hahnemann’s lifetime in 1819, 1824, 1829 and 1833, while the edition of 1829 introduced his ‘Theory of Chronic Diseases’ and the latter included the doctrine of vital force and drug-dynamization. The sixth and last edition was written one year before Hahnemann’s death in 1843 and was re-titled the ‘Organon of Medicine’, which was not published until 1921 (Kayne 2002:83, Wikipedia 2008d online).
Another important contributor was Clemens Maria Franz Freiherr von Bönninghausen (1785-1864), a Dutch lawyer, agriculturalist and botanist, who became involved in practicing and researching homoeopathy after he suffered tuberculosis in 1827. He became a close associate of Samuel Hahnemann and was admired because of his ability to systemize the expanding homoeopathic knowledge of materia medica. In 1846, Bönninghausen wrote the ‘Therapeutic Pocketbook’, the first homoeopathic repertory that listed 125 individual remedies and which remains in use until today. He introduced the importance of generalities and modalities in his system of case analysis and conducted the successful prospective trial of 200C potencies in animal and livestock. Without a medical degree, he eventually received a special physician’s license from the King of Prussia in 1843 that allowed him to practice homoeopathy (Boger 1987:1-12, Wikipedia 2008a online).
Constantine Hering (1800 – 1880), although born in Saxony, Germany, is considered as one of the founders of American homoeopathy (Haller & Haller 2005:52). He studied medicine at the University of Leipzig, Germany, where he was asked to write an article to criticize the legitimacy of homoeopathy. Hering started the teachings of Samuel Hahnemann and expanded his studies by conducting experiments and repeated provings. He completely changed his mind about homoeopathy and became a convert, when an infected wound on his finger was successfully treated by homoeopathic treatment. He left the University (Wholehealth 2008 online) and in 1824 he began corresponding with Samuel Hahnemann. In 1826 he traveled to Surinam, where he settled to undertake intensive research and proving on substances such as snake venom before adding them to the materia medica (Wikipedia 2008b online). In 1833 he immigrated to the United States, where he formed the Hahnemann Society, an organization that was dedicated to the principles of homoeopathy in the US (Haller & Haller 2005:53). In 1834 he published his work ‘Domestic Physician’, which went through six editions. He moved to Philadelphia and continued his provings and devoted himself to the establishment of the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, where he also served as the editor of the ‘American Journal of Materia Medica’ (Haller & Haller 2005:52). Hering’s important works also include the 10 volume ‘Guiding Symptoms’ (Wikipedia 2008b online), which were finished by his students and colleagues who received instructions how to finish his work, right before he died while working on the third volume (Wholehealth 2008 online). The first two volumes appeared during Hering’s lifetime in 1879 and 1880; the later volumes were published between 1881 and 1891. Constantine Hering is also known for his contribution towards understanding the healing process with his observations by laying down the criteria for the value of symptoms (Kishore 1971 online).
Cure proceeds from above downward, from within outward, from the most important organs to the least important organs, and in the reverse order of appearance of symptoms. (Vithoulkas 1986:231)
This rules is also formulated as the ‘Hering’s Law’ and is a valuable guideline to see if a remedy is acting. (Vithoulkas 1986:231)
Conclusion
Although conventional medicine has been valuable and indispensable when dealing with acute infectious diseases and medical emergencies, it also has limitations which reflect in the treatment of a person with chronic diseases or in the overall improvement of a person’s health status. Conventional medicine has adopted a mechanical view that isolates certain conditions from the whole person and suppresses symptoms, rather than curing the underlying disease. The drugs that are described, act on an isolated, specific part of the body. In this context, it has to be assumed, that several different drugs have to be prescribed in order to treat various symptoms of one individual and that additional medication might be needed for possible side-effects, each of these drugs might have. This questions the safety as well as the efficiency of such drugs, as many facts about disease and health remain unknown, even with the highly, technological advances of today.
In comparison, the holistic approach of homoeopathy represents an effective and safe alternative to conventional treatments as a single remedy can lead to an overall improvement in a person’s health. It offers the possibility to achieve better long-term results or even to cure deep-seated chronic diseases completely without any side-effects. Ullmann (1991:xxvi) refers to the increasing demand in self-care practices and alternative healing practices, wellness programmes and nutritional and fitness regime, which leads to the assumption, that there is a growing desire in our society to prevent disease and understand health better. Additionally, this implies that people are taking more responsibility for their own health which corresponds to the philosophy of homoeopathy as well as other alternative therapies. This demand will certainly influence the development of homoeopathy in the future, although it also becomes apparent that homoeopathy has a difficult standing point with an unforeseeable future ahead. Conventional medicine continues to apply its dogmatic view on homoeopathy as it cannot be explained thoroughly by scientific facts yet. When understanding the history of homoeopathy and conventional medicine, it additionally becomes clear that the popularity of the successful homoeopathic treatments remains a threat to the practice of conventional medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
References
Armstrong, B. 2008, ‘A History of Homoeopathy in Australia: A Consolidated Timeline’,Australian Homoeopathic Association. Accessed 20th October 2008 from http://www.homeopathyoz.org/HistoryTimeline.asp
Australian Homoeopathic Association n.d., ‘What is Homoeopathy?’ Accessed 21st October 2008 from
http://www.homeopathyoz.org/WhatIsHomoeopathy.html
Boger, C.M. 1987, Boenninghausen’s Characteristics and Repertory’ B.Jain Publishers, New Delhi
Griggs, B. 1997, Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine, Healing Arts Press, Rochester
Haehl, R. 2001, Samuel Hahnemann: His life and work, B. Jain Publishers, New Delhi
Haller, J & Haller J. 2005, The History of American Homeopathy: The Academic Years, 1820-1935, Haworth Press, New York
Kayne, S. 2002, Complementary Therapies for Pharmacists, Pharmaceutical Press, London
Kishore, J. 1971, ‘Hering’s Guiding Symptoms’ Whole Health Now. Accessed 1st November 2008 from
http://www.wholehealthnow.com/homeopathy_info/hering_symptoms.html
Lockie & Geddes 1995, The Complete Guide to Homeopathy: The Principles & Practice of Treatment, D.K. Publishing Inc., New York
Morrell, P. 1995 ‘A Brief History of British Lay Homoeopathy’ Articles on Homoeopathy by Peter Morrell. Accessed 30th October 2008 from
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http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3775
Rose, B. & Scott-Moncrieff, C. 1998, Homeopathy for woman: A comprehensive, easy to use guide for woman all ages, Harper-Collins Publisher, Auckland
Treacher, S. 1996, Practical Homeopathy: A beginner’s guide to natural remedies for use in the home, The Book Company International, Sydney
Ullmann, D.1991, Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st century, North Atlantic Books, London
Vithoulkas, G. 1986, The Science of Homeopathy: The Classic Homeopathy Textbook, Thorsons, London
Wikipedia, ‘Carl von Bönninghausen’, last updated 7th August 2008a. Accessed 2nd November 2008 form
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_von_Bönninghausen
Wikipedia, ‘Constantine Hering’, last updated 28th March 2008b. Accessed 31st October 2008 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_Hering
Wikipedia, ‘Homeopathy’, last updated 4th November 2008c. Accessed 4th November 2008 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy#Preparation_of_remedies
Wikipedia, ‘The Organon of the Healing Art’, last updated 17th July 2008d. Accessed 2nd November 2008 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Organon_of_the_Healing_Art
Whole Health Now, ‘Constantine Hering’, last updated 2008. Accessed 2nd November 2008 from
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Wood, M. 2000,Vitalism: The history of Herbalism, Homeopathy, and Flower Essences, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley
‘World Wide Web’ (updated 2008), Samuel Hahnemann Biography (1755-1843).Accessed 2nd November 2008 from
http://www.faqs.org/health/bios/54/Samuel-Hahnemann.html