Recession hits Physicians/Homeopathic Practice in North America
As jobs continue to disappear in Canada and USA, many physicians including the Homeopathic Physicians, are seeing fewer patients because people have lost their health insurance and/or are simply reluctant to spend money on their health. I had seen patients who just come to my clinic cum dispensary, to buy homeopathic medicines as taken from Internet after simply entering their signs and symptoms. Some patients outsource their treatment to Asian Countries by calling a select list of doctors and then come to buy the prescribed medicines. I have seen this trend for from quite a time from now and have thought to resolve this problem as if this trend is not checked now, it would create adverse affects both for patients in so far as their health is concerned and the Doctor’s practice in future. In this connection I have organized various Public Awareness Seminars in homeopathy and is still looking for the outcome.
Homeopathy medicines are prescribed by the qualified homeopathic doctors on the basis of laws and principles of Homeopathy which were formulated by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of Homeopathy. A fully trained Homeopath have about 5 years of regular (full time) training in Educational Institution having expertise in Homeopathy including Medical Sciences/Differential Diagnosis etc. followed by taking Clinical training in Out Patient Departments of Hospitals/Clinics.
The consumer thinking that Homeopathy is the safest treatment and can even be taken as self medication by them is wrong. It is true that most of the Homeopathic medicines are so highly diluted that if they do not treat the ailment may not cause any harm and if there is slight aggravation then it may be got anti-doted by some well known Homeopathic Medicines like Nux Vomica, Camphor etc. Homeopathy medicines selected from the internet, without the prescription from the qualified Homeopaths, may cause unnecessary aggravation and even harm the patient in some cases and also if not well chosen, may cause even casualties, for which the people stands themselves accountable for self diagnosis and self prescribing. One day one gentleman came to my Clinic cum Dispensary just to buy a medicine and when asked to wait for sometime, as I was with a patient, got panicky. I called him in and he answered, when I asked about the prescription, that he has taken the name of the medicine from internet and when I questioned the accuracy, he said, “Doctor, a time will come when it will not be required to go to a doctor, as the medicines would just be a click away with the internet.”
Most of the developed countries like Canada and U.S.A. are facing acute shortage of Conventional Doctors and Nurses. So there is a great pressure on the health care system and the consumers opt immediately to try the alternative system of medicine which is booming by the availability of OTC Natural/homeoapthic remedies in health stores, Natural Herbal/homeopathic counters in big Grocery chains. However these locations sell only low potency/complex homeopathic remedies as permitted under the law. For a wider range of Homeopathic remedies the clients have to look for a specified Drug Store or Clinic which make available the complete range of Homeopathic remedies on demand.
This is the trend what we are looking at our present day medical practice as we are in age of E-medicine and Tele- medicine which is o.k. as they are monitored by Family Health Care teams consisting of Conventional Doctors/Nurses etc But most of the people who want a alternative treatment and uses internet surfing/prescribing, the system will not work well as it will further burden the present day health care system already facing a challenge to deal with the rise in Chronic Diseases etc. Integration of Alternative System of Medicine can only reduce the shortage of Doctors by adding Homeopaths, TCM Doctors, Yoga therapists, Ayurveds/ Naturopaths, etc., thus restoring the confidence of the Patients in the Health Care System. The patients will then have an official choice to try alternatives from the reliable sources of Health Care Providers and stop their indulgence on internet way of getting Alternative (including homeopathic) medicines/treatment. Ontario is the first province in Canada who has already started experimenting with this concept in order to make up its health care system stronger. It is a positive sign of introducing innovation for the betterment of the health care services to the community. This will encourage the patients to consult the variety of Alternative Medicine Doctors ( belong to Regulated Professions only) of their choice who(the doctors) will be able to assess and enjoy the inter-professional relations through integration with the main stream health care system and its impact will be felt positively even before the present global economical conditions stabilizes. Recent studies show that Homeopathic treatment is so much cost effective that it can save billion of dollars in the Health Care Spending.