To not want to see a GP who had a qualification in Homeopathy?

[cordiality]

I've been offered an appointment with a newnGP at my surgery instead of my usual one, 'as she's a woman' (not that I requested that, but that's another issue entirely!)

I looked her up on their website and, among other specialities, she is a qualified homeopathic practioner.

Am I BU to think that you either practice mainstream medicine or homeopathy (which I, possibly wrongly, consider as being a bit 'woo') and to think that she's not the sort of doctor I would want to see?

Am perfectly open to being told I'm wrong by the way!

I guess we'll see more and more of this as the trend is towards more integrated health care ie orthodox practitioners including complementary medicine into their treatments. Bring it on I say!

But... some intelligent people do have very funny ideas.

IF you were a total atheist, and knew your GP was religious would that be different? They believe in something you believe to be "woo" so does that make them incapable of prescribing medicine?

I'm not sticking up for the homeopath, but I do think that they are allowed a bit of respect as a medical professional.

I think I'd prefer a GP with a more open mind who could possibly offer an alternative to conventional medicine (in the right circumstances, obviously) than one who barely looks you in the eye and has the prescription printed out before you can discuss the treatment.

Totally agree AlmightyCitrus there is nothing lost to at least meeting her and seeing how you feel then OP :)

YANBU

springbokdoc said it perfectly, imo, with: "I do believe in alternative medicines - acupuncture is very effective as is some herbal remedies such as St Johns wort etc. BUT homeopathy is bull and as well as being ineffective is bloody expensive and most practitioners seem to advise taking their remedies to the exclusion of all traditional treatments."

I wouldn't choose to go to that doctor because I wouldn't trust the medical decisions/diagnoses of anyone who believes in homeopathy, personally.

I don't understand why acupuncture is suddenly ok: I thought it didn't stand up very well in double blind randomised trials?

I nearly went for a degree in herbal medicine but I realised with quite a minimal bit of research that I'd be frustrated by the lack of evidence and huge number of unsubstantiated claims. True there are a few herbs which give chemicals that can be used as medicines but look further and it's not really enough to build a career on IMO. However it's basically pharmacology and we aren't required to suspend disbelief to see how it works (on the rare occasions that it does).

I say not enough to build a career on, but there's a herbal/nutrition shop/therapy place here which has a socking great sign up advertising 'medical practice', I keep meaning to complain about that.

But AfS no one argues that adequate nutrition has an impact on healthcare (I don't think!). People do argue that water that has the memory of an ingredient does. You'd expect a GP to be able to base decisions on scientific evidence, incuding decisions about which qualifications to study.

A belief in homeopathy in the face of the growing body of evidence that it is no more effective than placebo would worry me in a GP. So YANBU and I would ask for a different GP.

But I do think people forget sometimes just how little of mainstream medical practice is based on good scientific evidence -e.g. large, repeatable, double blind studies. Evidence based medicine has been around for a long time, but it hasn't been the default approach for a lot of medical practice. Almost every mother has see this in the way recommendations for pregnancy and childcare have changed over the last 50 years. And while some of the new recommendations are based on sound data, much of it is still a guess based on experience (and prejudice) and data collected in less than ideal environments. So I wouldn't be dismissive of all alternative medical practices. But homeopathy isn't just unsupported - evidence shows it is not effective.

interesting link

Ben goldacre really hates homeopathy. Think it works. Like all treatments, sometime it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I think it works

My favourite GP at our local practice has a homeopathy qualification, she is great. Very sympathetic and open to ideas.

When I had various minor problems in pregnancy she included lots of options in her suggestions. Other doctors were mainly - take these drugs or get on with it.

I did end up just getting on with it, but nice to have the suggestions and options.

I've got a tube of calendula cream in my bathroom cupboard. Homeopathically spealing , that means I am much better qualified than someone who's studied the subject for 5 years because the dilution is so much greater......

but calendula (the herb I mean) is proven to be effective. it also has side effects as everything that really works has.
the homeopathic calendula formulation however is just "water with memory", a placebo.

This is homepathic calendula, forced on me by a friend who said it was much more effective thant eh herbal stuff. That's why contact with it provides homeopathic levels of education.....

If it's Weleda calendula cream, it's herbal (they do herbal preparations too, and their nappy cream is the best).
Ditto arnica cream is herbal.

yep, seeker, I am a burnt child when it comes to homeopathy as my mum swears by it.
I had to fend her off this easter as my son was showing an asthmatic reaction with his hayfever. she seriously wanted to give him sugar pills first before giving him his inhaler.
history repeating itself. I have lung damage because she "treated" my asthma with homeopathy!

I would not want to have a GP who believed in woo bullshit, so YANBU.

If I'm ill, I want to be treated. If, as a hypochondriac, I am NOT ill, then for my own mental health I actually need to be told that I am NOT ill, and that there is nothing wrong with me.

My doctor is great. He once said to me "Podgy 26 year old women with no heart problems don't have heart attacks. I've listened to your heart and your heart is fine. Don't come back to me with this unless you have any other symptoms apart from the vague sense of disquiet that has brought you in today. DO come back immediately if you start feeling tearful and apathetic, and we'll review your antidepressants."

I was given arnica cream when dd sprained her ankle just recently to prevent it swelling. It did not swell. Tbh I assumed that herbal = homeopathic. I am a bit confused about this now.

Nope - the cream in my cupboard is homeopathic calendula - which I know is different from herbal.

Shall I post a photo to prove it?

The difference between herbal and homeopathic is that one has active ingredients and may possibly, in certain circumstances and for the right conditions, work.

The other hasn't and won't.

ZZZ I agree it is easy to confuse.
herbal medicine is just that: a medicine with (ideally) proven efficacy (meaning it works). medicines have effects and side effects. it doesn't matter if the active ingredient is from a plant or has been synthetically produced.

homeopathy, schuesseler salts, bach flowers are just "water with memory" and could not be proven effective. but the placebo effect might be real and helpfull to some people.

A 100ml bottle of drops (alcohol) costs the nhs about £35

Bloody hell. We're paying £35 for 100ml of water??

ZZZen - no - although arnica's a bit confusing as it's used in both herbal and homeopathic stuff. Arnica cream's for external use, and so it's the herb in the cream.

To recreate what homeopathy is - get a tiny bit of arnica, fill your bath with water, and put the arnica in there. Mix vigorously, and then hit your bath several times with a leather strap. A belt would probably do, but I'd call the Royal Society of Homeopaths first to be sure.

Remove a teaspoon of the water / arnica mix you now have in your bath. Preserve carefully. Pull out the plug. Run the bath again. Add the teaspoon of water. Hit the bath with the strap again. Take out another teaspoon of the much-more diluted mix.

Do this repeatedly for two years.

Then put 100ml in a bottle and sell it, explaining to everyone that because of the principles of homeopathy, the mixture you're selling is more potent than it was two years ago.

Of course, no homeopathy discussion would be complete without

love that link!

crumbs how can you get away with selling stuff like that then?

Thanks for the explanations

Brilliant link josie, had us in stitches!

I'm going to go see that GP goddammit, see what she has to say for herself. Will report back!

Thanks for the Mitchell and Webb link. I'd not seen that one.

Imagine playing that for a homoeopath. Picture their serious expression as they note down the techniques to add to their own.