Gulf of opinions about homeopathy separate Asia from the West
Medically trained homeopaths find wider acceptance of complementary medicine in the East
Opinions about the merits of homeopathy may vary widely between the East and the West , but in
India , they meet . Developed in the eighteenth century by German physician Samuel Hahnemann , homeopathy is based on the belief that the body can cure itself . Its basic principle that “ like cures like ” means that something that brings on symptoms in a healthy person can treat similar symptoms in an ill person . Practitioners use tiny amounts of natural substances , like plants and minerals , to stimulate the healing process .
It was well received at a time when modern medicine was in its nascence , but many Western physicians dismiss homeopathy as , at best , a placebo .
In a landmark review published in 2015 , Australia ’ s National Health and Medical Research Council concluded : “ Based on all the evidence considered , there were no health conditions for which there was reliable evidence that homeopathy was effective .”
Nevertheless , Asian societies appear to be more accepting . One study of medical history concluded in 2019 that “ homeopathy is flourishing ” in the Far East , where integrative medicine combining Western therapies and alternative approaches to treatment is commonplace .
Nowhere has this bridging of the divide been more successful than in India . Homeopaths there are also trained as medical doctors , with homeopathy taken as their specialisation . This means that they can perform integrative medicine from the same doctor ’ s office and at the same time .
“ In India , the qualification is equivalent to an MD . They train us in surgery ; the only difference is that instead of studying drugs , we prescribe homeopathy ,” said Dr Hasveni Chellamuthu , an integrative doctor at SOL Thrive in Kuala Lumpur . She trained for over five years in Tamil Nadu where she received her doctorate in homeopathic medicine and surgery .
“ I practice homeopathy not just based on symptoms . I do a lot of blood tests and screening and work in collaboration with mainstream doctors ,” she told Global Health Asia-Pacific . “ As long as we are all aware of our scope and limitations , and we understand that we can complement each other , it works well .”
Indian researcher and homeopath Dr Seema Mahesh , who received her medical doctorate from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bengaluru , points to the differences in perception between different ends of the world .
“ In the East , people aren ’ t strongly either for or against it . It ’ s not like that . Patients go to conventional medicine , but they also go for complementary therapies . They don ’ t have strong , distinctive opinions .
“ In the West , people tend to be either strongly pro or anti . Western practitioners are strongly against homeopathy , whereas people who are practicing homeopathy often have a very negative attitude towards conventional therapies ,” she told Global Health Asia-Pacific .
This , she says , is not constructive or to the patient ’ s benefit . It also makes for interesting conversations at international medical conferences when Dr Mahesh is presenting .
At these , she often hears criticism about the lack of research evidence from clinical studies to support the efficacy of homeopathy . She accepts this , but points out that it ’ s not possible to find proof of homeopathy ’ s approach using the methods used to study conventional medicine .
“ When I have these conversations , I say that we don ’ t have this evidence about how remedies are working in our body , but it ’ s not because there ’ s no evidence . It ’ s because we haven ’ t been able to find it yet ,” she said .
“ What we have been able to demonstrate , though , is the clinical effects , and there is a lot of research evidence for this from clinical studies .”
14 JUNE 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com