NCA Herbs Research on the Road!
We recently caught up with Pavlina Fialova, who, having completed the NCA Postgraduate Diploma in Acupuncture, will soon be graduating again from the NCA with an MSc in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Pavlina has been awarded a Distinction for her MSc for which she undertook primary research into how “Chinese Herbal Medicine can support patients with localised prostate cancer who have been assigned to the Active Surveillance treatment pathway.”
An important part of all the MSc programmes at the NCA is the undertaking of research and thereafter presenting or publishing that research so we are delighted see Pavlina actively getting her work out into the world.
So Pavlina, what have you been doing?
I was very excited to attend the recent RCCM (Research Council for Complimentary Medicine) conference in London and present my research poster considering CHM support for prostate cancer patients. It has taken me two years to complete my research and I was keen (and excited) to share the findings with the CHM and wider CAM community.
It was a really interesting day where researchers from many different complementary health disciplines shared the results of their research. I was one of 14 researchers who did a poster presentation and the only Chinese Herbal Medicine researcher to do so.
Who did you meet?
I met many inspiring researchers and got to speak to my personal favourite and hugely inspiring Beverley de Valois who was there sharing some exciting news on upcoming internationally agreed recommendations for safe practice of acupuncture in oncology. I am also eagerly anticipating her new book Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship: Recovery, Renewal and Transformation.
There was also an interesting oral presentation from Lora Duncan on mistletoe therapy for cancer patients by anthroposophic medicine practitioners in the UK. This was quite apt, as I am about to attend a week long international anthroposophic medicine conference (IPMT) held in Slovakia, where the topic is oncology this year.
Practitioner Beverley De Valois and her new publication
Tell us about your interests
As an acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Medicine practitioner I treat a wide spectrum of conditions, but I especially welcome patients living with cancer and cancer survivors. There is so much acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can offer these patient groups. I am particularly interested in treatment safety, effectiveness and ethical considerations surrounding patient – practitioner engagement.
Tell us about your research
These themes are also reflected in my MSc research. I undertook a Delphi which is an iterative panel led consensus study where panellists are recruited for their expertise in an area and whilst sharing their opinions and expertise, they remain blind to each other through the duration of the study. This research method is used where there is an absence of prior research or best practice recommendations. Drawing on panelists’ expertise, my research investigated the TCM patterns this patient group typically presents with, how we can meet and ethically manage patients’ expectations from a practitioner’s perspective and finally considered herb selection and prescribing preferences.
Read Pavlinka’s Research Project Abstract: https://nca.ac.uk/research/profiles/herbs/pavlina-fialova
What support did you receive during your research?
None of this would have been possible without the support of my amazing research supervisor Lara, who I would like to thank for her continuous support and also the generosity of my panellists who took time to participate in my study and share their expertise.
Take a look at this YouTube video where Lara talks about what is involved studying on the Research Project of our MSc in Chinese Herbal Medicine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqsI1Tzi44c&t=138
What next for you Pavlina?
I own a busy acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine practice in Sheffield, PF Acupuncture [link:https://www.pfacupuncture.com/home], but I am planning, with further support from the NCA and Lara, to publish my research in one or more CHM academic journals, so watch this space!
Inspired by Pavlina? Interested in conducting your own herbs research?
Take a look at our MSc in Chinese Herbal Medicine: https://nca.ac.uk/chinese-herbal-medicine-course
If you are interested in studying with us, please call us on 01904 343305 (ex 2) or email us at admissions@nca.ac.uk.