This site is about crossing some of the bridges that exist between conventional
medicine and CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) with a special
emphasis on homeopathy.
Doctors and complementary practitioners don't always appreciate the value of one another's training and experience. Unconventional systems of healing may be effective, but they can look quirky and unscientific. GPs are understandably concerned about the qualifications and training of CAM professionals. Patients usually do not tell their GP that they have decided to try alternative treatment and this may place some at unnecessary risk.
The open exchange of information between doctors and CAM practitioners is to be encouraged. Patients are already taking more responsibility for their own health. Good nutrition, reasonable exercise, and a positive attitude to life are promoted everywhere. Opportunities to collaborate in more areas of case management are there to be explored. Doctors, homeopaths and other therapists could be working together much more in order to optimise the treatment of their patients.
We can't get away from the fact that powerful pharmaceutical companies control the manufacture of most of our prescription and OTC drugs. Some of these drugs bring with them the risk of serious side-effects. Many are over-prescibed, and these medicines are becoming powerless against the very diseases they were developed to treat. Despite this situation, few doctors seem willing to investigate the possibilities of alternative treatment in family practice.
Homeopathy is a good choice for common complaints where antibiotics and steroids would normally be given with no guarantee of success. The remedies are suitable for all, including babies and the elderly. To a homeopath, behavioural, mental and emotional conditions are recognised more as part of the picture of disease. Homeopathy treats the whole patient, covering these areas as well as physiological symptoms.
When there is a recurring condition, homeopathic treatment can support recovery - for example in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, where the patient is put on decreasing doses of steroids, well prescribed remedies can help to strengthen the colon and minimise the side effects of the drugs. In palliative care, where repeat prescriptions are routinely filled, homeopathy may provide enough natural relief to allow a progressive decrease in the dosage of prescription drugs. Homeopathic treatment can also be a brilliant alternative to HRT, relieving menopausal symptoms without side effects.
