Jan 21st 2014.
A controversy is raging in India at this point in time over whether homeopaths should be allowed to practice allopathy after a 1 year bridge course in Pharmacology. The Courts have given permission but the allopathic associations are up in arms against in and will probably move court against it.
In today’s Mumbai Mirror, part of The Times of India group, an article by Dr. Altaf Patel was published – Admission of Failure – this article tries to imply that homeopaths want to practice allopathy because they see the failure of alternative systems of medicine. The article reeks of bias and hence I felt the need to respond to it. I have posted the same comments on Mumbai Mirror’s website, we shall see if the newspaper will publish a contrary view.
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With due respect to Dr. Patel’s views, I have to differ. There are several angles to this issue, hence it is inappropriate to say that failure of alternative systems of medicine make homeopaths want to practice allopathy.
I will first introduce myself by saying that I am a homeopath and proud to be one. I joined my homeopathic college (despite having the required percentage for entry to government/municipal MBBS colleges) because I wanted to study homeopathy – I grew up with homeopathic medicines and I know what they can achieve when well-practised. Saying that, I also know that a majority of students join homeopathic colleges because they have missed admission to MBBS colleges.
Regarding course study, homeopaths study all the subjects an MBBS student studies except Pharmacology. We have homeopathic subjects in addition – which are very detailed subjects; hence I would actually conclude that the homeopathic course is more intensive than the MBBS course. Homeopathy is a system of medicine (I refuse to call it alternative) that seeks to cure a person’s ailments from the root. Real cure; which is very different from just palliation or suppression that is the mainstay of allopathic treatment. It is easy to mask symptoms and troubles with strong chemical drugs; bringing about an inner real resolution of health problems by safe energy medicine is much more difficult and challenging.
It is a sad fact that many homeopaths do not want to take up that challenge. It is an easy way out to practice allopathy and earn their money. It may also be reflective of the quality of homeopathic education outside larger cities. It is probable that colleges in small towns are unable to impart enough skills and knowledge to fledgling homeopaths. Since good homeopathy is difficult to practice, this probably leaves a lot of homeopathic graduates in the lurch, unable to practice good homeopathy and hence unable to earn decent money. This makes them want the alternative of practising as allopathic GPs which is not that difficult with average pharmacology knowledge. (I am not talking about the extra skills and knowledge that a post-graduate allopath acquires after many years of dedication and hard work).
Dr. Patel writes that he does not see allopaths wanting to practise homeopathy or other systems of medicine. Again I need to differ. The founder of the homeopathic system of medicine was an allopath to start with, who quit allopathic practice because his conscience did not allow him to continue. Even today, there are plenty of allopathically qualified physicians in India and abroad who, having an open mind and a strong conscience, have chosen, voluntarily to learn and practice homeopathy because they find it a superior system of medicine to bring about true healing. There are also plenty of allopaths who refer patients to homeopaths when they feel the need. In fact, Dr. Patel would be well-advised to contact some of them and discuss pros and cons of different systems of medicine before making biased blanket statements.
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UPDATE:
Well, they did publish it as comment on the article web page. There are some other worthy replies there –
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/columns/columnists/dr-altaf-patel/Admission-of-failure/articleshow/29124304.cms