2022 NYCAVMA EVENTS

2022 Conferences & Seminars

NYCAVMA Annual Conference: Our April 25th - 29th Conference featured Matt Wood: A Potpourri of Herbal Wisdom and Insights! The NYCAVMA hosted Matt Wood for four days of herbal instruction at the amazing Buddhist retreat, Menla Mountain, the Tibet of the Catskills, in Phonecia, NY. Recordings of this conference are available to purchase HERE.

LECTURE TOPICS:
Lyme disease and Co-infections
Matthew shared his experience with these problems in humans. “I’ve had personal and professional experience with Lyme, Erlishiosis, and Bartonella—not Babesia. Teasel, Blue Vervain, Monarda fistulosa, Cleavers, Red Clover, Holly. Bartonella helped me prepare for Covid".

Autoimmune Diseases
We still are attempting to understand this system. It is like the blind men feeling the elephant. Matt shared his insights and remedies. This touches on skin and intestinal health.

The Extracellular Matrix
Understanding the first and foundational organ system of multicellular organisms; implications for therapy; remedies that touch the matrix. The microbiome—rubs shoulders with the matrix. Mucosal remedies, mucilages, tannins, and the matrix. Insights into cancer from studies of the ECM. Red Clover and encystment of tumors.

The Wisdom of Nature - Plants and Animals as Teachers
Nature is both a living and intelligent being. To look at the world from this perspective is fulfilling, completing, and always entertaining and wonderful. The Wisdom of Nature” is based on this experience of Nature as living and intelligent; her “alphabet” consists of animals and plants, reference points for healing and wisdom. Matt discussed the doctrine of signatures, the Language of Nature, animal medicines (the plant looks like an animal or is used by an animal), relationships, constitutions and physiology reflecting the animals and plants. Medicines of the Bear, Wolf, Dog, Deer, Rabbit, Eagle, Crow, Bat, Alligator, Snake, Turtle, and others. Collected and observed over a life time of herbal practice and learning. And of course, at every turn we learned about the practical uses of our sponsors, the herbs.

Alaskan Ecotour: The NYCAVMA traveled to Alaska to hear Are Thoresen, DVM lecture on Anthroposophic medicine in relation to translocation of disease, visit with Kathleen Hildebrand Meckel, and more. Cindy Lankenau had this to say about the experience:

"We truly had a fantastic time in Alaska. The day prior to the start, Marge had a massive shopping adventure to buy food for all of us staying at Twin Bears Campground, which is located Chena Hot Springs Road, about 35 miles east of Fairbanks. We were extremely well fed. She did a fantastic job with the help of one of Jeanne's clients, DeeDee. Jeanne Olson was an amazing host, and organized rides and places for people to stay before and after the EcoTour. She also organized amazing extra events. We were treated to a potluck dinner, hosted by her clients, and music from a local singer. We even had a special appearance of Raven. We painted a tote bag, visited the muskox and reindeer, toured a mushers kennel, had a bird walk, got to meet Allie (three-time second place Iditarod finisher) and got to meet canine Iditarod champions. We spent our first afternoon at the hot springs and toured the geothermal facility. It was amazing.

The weather was nice when we were out on adventures and a bit rainy when inside for lectures. Are Thoresen presentation was the best ever. He gave us homework and exercises on how to fade in to take the pulse and he really presented the 90-degree method very clearly, and we can use this method using herbs or acupuncture points. Our Inuite herbalist was so nice. We had a brief talk on Native food insecurity, an issue we were all unaware of. She led us on an herb walk around our little lake and then we gathered high bush cranberries. The next day we made jelly, made a willow bark salve with Kathleen Hildebrand Meckel, and our herbalist taught us how to bead.
A large group of us went to Denali after the Eco-Tour finished. The weather was perfect, and we had two clear days to see the Big Man Denali. We hiked, some white water rafted, and Linda had the Ranger perfect curious bear encounter. Golden eagles, ground squirrels, picas, Dall sheep, Grizzly bears, caribou, moose, red squirrels, caterpillars, grey jays, chickadees. Tons of berries, and lots of plants still flowering such as aconite, fireweed, avens, goldenrod, buttercups, anemone, gentian, and more!"
We hope you enjoy the photo galleries and slideshow videos we've created for you below.