This Vodcast is unedited because I consider edited vodcasts to be slightly less than authentic.
See “Why that parliamentary report was disingenuous” for related content.
Vodcast: Homeopathy Defended
About the Author: Dr. Kaplan
6 Comments
Comments are closed.
Just because some people might feel a bit better after visiting a homeopath does not mean that it is actually making any difference to their condition. Feeling a bit better is certainly important, but no so important that we throw away proper medicine in favour of sugar pills.
You talk a good talk, but it’ll convince no one who is at all concerned with people’s health because people’s health is FAR too important to leave decisions about treatment to consumer satisfaction surveys.
As someone said recently, they feel better after a curry, but that does not mean that curries should be available on the NHS.
Yes, Joe I agree with you that nobody whose mind is made up will be confused by the simple facts I’ve stated here. Nevertheless they needed to be stated for the benefit of those whose minds are still open. Addressing some of your points:
1. Nobody is suggesting that anybody ‘throw away proper medicine’. I deeply value many pharmaceuticals and often praise conventional medicine to any of my patients who seemed to be biased against it. The last century saw huge advances: penicillin for syphilis and killer bacteria, the advent of insulin etc. etc. Homeopathy is simply a tool I use in my practice among others.
2. Comparing the enjoyment of eating a curry with the homeopathic process (ie the detailed homeopathic consultation followed by taking a homeopathic remedy picked by the doctor to match the totality of the patient’s symptoms) while remaining medically accountable is is a pretty poor analogy imo.
Several generations of families (incl. the Royal Family) have trusted homeopathic doctors for two centuries in the UK and homeopathy is cost-effective whether it works because doctors like myself who use it believe/know that it works over and above the placebo effect OR even if it works due to ‘placebo’ , ‘suggestion’, ‘hypnosis’, ‘bedside manner’, ‘extra listening time’ or any other reason our critics jeeringly suggest. The argument: ‘Homeopathy is a waste of NHS resources’ is nonsense – as I’ve shown (and this is just one example among many) how millions of NHS money is ‘wasted’ on conventional interventions that lack an evidence base – anti-depressants for cases of mild and moderate depressions. Millions of NHS pounds are spent on these medicines and although there is some ‘concern’ about this, where is the political campaign to save the NHS money by curbing the non-evidenced basis for prescribing these ‘Soma-like’ drugs inappropriately for cases of mild and moderate depression? Where are the sneering and jeering remarks? Where are the demonstrators outside chemists selling these medicines? Where are the Professors of Psychiatry who campaign to stop this like Prof. Edzard Ernst, a card-carrying Professor of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, campaigns to end NHS homeopathy? Double standards? You bet! I would never campaign for the NHS to use only EBM because I understand how homeopathy, pscyhoanalysis, psychotherapy, counselling and other whole-person orientated methodologies do not lend themselves easily to this form of mechanistic testing. However if the NHS decided only to use evidence-based interventions – that would at least be consistent, democratic and unbiased. However to use EBM as a blunt instrument to attack homeopathy and CAM alone is disingenuous. Everything I’ve said rests on this and I haven’t heard anything even close to a refutation of this position.
these days homoeopathy is being agressively presented before the society.It is being given the name placebo.how can anyone directly say this.if its nothing how since past hundreds of years homoeopathy is surviving.and even people has given more preference to homoeopathy instead of other modes of treatment.placebo can’t show miraculous results.Hahnemann has said DARE TO BE WISE.But some ignorant people knows homoeopathy partially and criticize it bluntly.this has to be stopped.first dare to know everything and then dare to question anything.it is a request to all homoeopaths-lets come together and stop these false practices and serve the society together.
Joe,i understood what you want to say..but Homeopaths never say to stop or throw other medicines.Instead we support other conventional medicines as we know its value.Homeopathy is as Dr.Kaplan said a tool which helps the patient to recover soon and support further cure of the patient.So homeopathic medicines helps the patient to gain health.
Firstly thank you Dr. kaplan for taking this iniative to fight for homoeopathy.At this point of time where homoeopathy is facing lots of criticism from all over, an attempt like this was must. I agree to binal that all homoeopaths please come together and and prove everyone the efficacy of homeopathy.Being a HOMOEOPATH,i fully understand what a miraculous art of healing we possess along with accepting our limitations.We must remember, we are not here to challenge any PATHY !!! To improve the status of homoeopathy i think , root cause has to be improved and that is “QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND POOR EMPLOYMENT SOURCES AFTER GRADUATION”.Wanting for a proper recognition alone is not sufficient.We must remember “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER” AND SO THE PROBLEM NEEDS TO GET SOLVED AT ITS ROOT!! I WOULD REQUEST ALL THE SENIOR HOMOEOPATHIC DOCTORS WHO ARE WELL ESTABLISHED IN THEIR PRACTISE TO SPARE SOMETIME FOR IMPARTING THEIR CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE TO THE STUDENTS TO MAKE THEM COMPETENT AND CONFIDENT TO SERVE THE SOCIETY WITH FULL LOYALTY AND SATISFACTION.
To Mr.Joe-feeling pain or pleasure relate to personal experiences but preserving one’s health is a fundamental responsibility of every person. Life is a precious gift of nature the joy of which is supported by good health and the worth of which is evaluated by righteous conduct.Intellect,intelligence,logic and rationality belong to the realm of subtle mind which should be made conducive to guide a person serve with democratic compassion and true humility in whatever profession one is engaged. All man made creatures are products of his above cited inherent virtues judiciously protected by copy rights of original designs as long as a person lives or delegates them to others and patent rights of assemblage for certain periods of time to compensate for personal expenditures recovered by production and sale of products. Here authority is vested with individuals and protected by society for effecting all manipulations and modifications.The same cannot be extended to human individuals themselves because they are the products of primary creation of Nature which claims no copy or patent rights nor imbues to anyone by virtue of birth. As the joke circulates a mechanic repairs his machines with power completely shut off but a doctor repairs diseases of his patients with power fully on! It goes to say that a doctor is merely an advisor but not an authority to decide what is good on behalf of his patients.The selection of a proper medicine depends on causes predisposing,injury diagnosed and prognosis expected of recovery. Faith rather than conviction can only be of real service and freedom of choice of any therapy-classical or homeo should be left to patient who wants to survive but not a possessive well wisher nor an authoritative doctor to support it by personalized treatment because life is dear to all but the Oath of Hippocrates is only specific to doctors of all schools.