About Diversity

Diversity is the first magazine to take a really independent, in-depth look at what complementary health is - in its many forms - in Australia. This means asking the curly questions, explaining sophisticated concepts; it means defining and examining debates so that you can learn from them rather than continue to be comforted by your original perceptions or learnings. It also means finding out the common interests in apparently diverse activities - common to consumers and practicioners, common to different types of practicioners, or common across the whole field.

If you are looking for something much better in a complementary health magazine - then Diversity has the rigour of a journal with the liveliness of a magazine. If you want to be provoked into deeper thought on a subject, as well as be informed, then here we are. If you want an overview of complementary health in this country, as well as insight into specifics, and a political and social context for what you read, Diversity offers just that.

Diversity - Natural and Complementary Health magazine

Published quarterly by the
Australian Complementary Health Association
247 Flinders Lane,
Melbourne, Vic 3000, Australia
Ph (03) 9650 5327 Fax (03) 9650 8404
E-mail: diversity@diversity.org.au
Website: www.diversity.org.au

Editor: Jocelyn Bennett
Jocelyn has been a health issues advocate and journalist since the late 1980s, and in 1993 founded the Australian Complementary Health Association to promote wider use of natural and complementary therapies. She is also an adviser to state and federal governments, and to the profession, on consumer issues in complementary health.

Associate Editor: Paul Macgregor
Historian; Curator, Museum of Chinese Australian History, Melbourne.

Editorial/Management Committee:

Philip Bentley
Professional historian, Melbourne

Trisha Dunning
Clinical Nurse Consultant - Diabetes Education, Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne

Ann Paterson
Senior Lecturer in Nursing, RMIT University, Melbourne

Dr Sharron Pfeuller
Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Monash University, Melbourne

Terri Punshon
Conciliator, Office of the Health Services Commissioner, Victoria

Editorial Advisory Board:

Mr Alan Bensoussan
Head, Chinese Medicine Unit; Head, Research Unit for Complementary Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Western Sydney.
Expertise in: complementary medicine, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine

Mr Kerry Bone
Director, Research and Development, Mediherb Pty Ltd, Sydney
Expertise in: herbal medicine: practice, manufacturing, regulation and education.

Mr Nicholas Burgess
President, National Herbalists Association of Australia, Sydney
Expertise in: herbal medicine

Mr Steven Clavey
Chinese Herbal Gynaecologist, Melbourne
Expertise in: Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture.

Ms Sue Evans
Lecturer in Herbal Medicine, School of Natural and Complementary Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW
Expertise in: herbal Medicine, naturopathy

Dr Ian Gawler
Therapeutic Director, Gawler Foundation, Yarra Junction, Victoria
Expertise in: counselling, cancer management, support groups, meditation, nutrition

Mr Peter Gigante
Director, East West Therapies, Melbourne
Expertise in: shiatsu, Chinese herbal medicine, paediatrics of Chinese medicine

Mr Ralph Hadden
Feldenkrais Living Systems, Melbourne
Expertise in: Feldenkrais, massage therapy, bodywork, naturopathy

Mrs Jane Hall
Healing Connections, Melbourne
Expertise in: nursing, midwifery, vibrational energetic healing (therapeutic touch, healing touch, pranic healing, reiki, Australian bush flower essences), counselling

Ms Assunta Hunter
Women's Clinic on Richmond Hill, Melbourne
Expertise in: herbal medicine, nutrition

Ms Judy Jacka
Ringwood Natural Therapies Pty Ltd, Melbourne
Expertise in: clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, homoeopathy, esoteric Healing, pranic healing, astrology, naturopathy

Mr Brian May
Secretary, Australian Chinese Medicine Education and Research Council, Melbourne
Expertise in: Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, complementary health policy

Ms Pauline McCabe
Senior Lecturer in Naturopathy, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University
Expertise in: naturopathy, nursing

Ms Robyn Minski
Director of Studies, Consultant Aromatherapist, International Academy of Aromatherapy Pty Ltd, Melbourne
Expertise in: aromatherapy, massage, lymphatic drainage, shiatsu

Assoc. Prof. Stephen Myers
Head, School of Natural and Complementary Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW
Expertise in: clinical pharmacology, naturopathic medicine, herbal medicine, public health and complementary medicine

Mr Paul Orrock
Senior Lecturer, School of Natural and Complementary Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW
Expertise in: osteopathy, naturopathy

Dr Philipa Rothfield
Senior Lecturer, School of Philosophy, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Expertise in: philosophy of the body, feminism, post structuralism, dance

Dr Kevin Ryan
Director, Geelong Natural Healing Centre, Victoria
Expertise in: osteopathy, homoeopathy, natural therapies

Prof. Avni Sali
Head of Medical School, Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne
Expertise in: mind/body medicine, nutrition, exercise medicine

Dr Mohammad Siahpush
Senior Social Scientist, VicHealth Centre for Tobacco Control, Cancer Control Research Institute, Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, Melbourne
Expertise in: sociology of complementary medicine

Prof Beverley Taylor
Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing and Health Care Practices, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW
Expertise in: nursing practice and theory, holistic nursing, use of complementary therapies in nursing

Assoc. Prof. Jill Teschendorff
Department of Halth Sciences, Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne
Expertise in: nursing, health policy, bioethics, therapeutic massage

Ms Ruth Trickey
Director, Melbourne Holistic Health Group, Melbourne
Expertise in: herbal medicine, naturopathy

Dr Charlie (Changli) Xue
Head, Chinese Medicine Unit, Faculty of Biomedical & Health Sciences & Nursing, RMIT University, Melbourne
Expertise in: acupuncture, Chinese medicine

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About the Australian Complementary Health Association

The Australian Complementary Health Association is an independent, not-for-profit, association of health consumers and practitioners who encourage a diversity of approaches to healing and promote the integration of complementary therapies into the mainstream health system.

Integrating complementary & orthodox
We see "orthodox" medicine, as well as the varieties of "alternative" medicine, as all equal and integral elements of a comprehensive health system, with different and complementary strengths.

Equality of access
We aim to make it equally easy for all people to consult a diverse range of practitioners, by:

• making complementary therapies more affordable, through rebates from health insurance schemes and Medicare, inclusion in workers compensation cover, and encouraging discounts for consumers
  
• having complementary therapies available in hospitals, clinics, community health centres, nursing homes and so on
  
• encouraging cross-referrals between doctors and complementary health practitioners
  
• ensuring legal and regulatory equality for all responsible and ethical practitioners.

Inspiring with new knowledge
Consumers and practitioners want to know more about new options for health care. We run seminars and conferences; publish Diversity magazine, provide opportunities for networking, creative dialogue, debate and discussion; and promote greater coverage of complementary health in the media.

Empowering health care consumers
Consumers want to have a central role in making choices in their own health care, to be equal partners in the healing process with their practitioners, and to be fully informed about health care options and treatments.

We represent consumers on professional and industry bodies, and lobby for greater consumer power in the health care system.

Bringing people together
We encourage the people and organisations in the complementary health field - consumers, the various types of practitioners, professional associations, health administrators, hospitals, clinics, insurers, health departments, therapeutic goods manufacturers and educators - to talk and work together, and to foster understanding, support, co-operation and integration between them.

Improving health care
We aim to improve health care through promoting higher standards of training and practice for practitioners, greater practitioner awareness of the strengths of other modalities, and greater knowledge for consumers.

By including complementary therapies we can enhance health care outcomes.

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