Of homeopathic feet and guns...

[homeopathy_advice]

The (UK) homeopathic profession has just finished an extremely expensive exercise in
determining whether the umbrella organisations can play nicely together. They can't.

There will be no single register. There will be no über umbrella organisation (CORH etc ) to
decide how to set up another über organisation for registration, there will be no inefficient
over-priced money machine to filch our hard earned pennies (c'mon, they took six years
and blew a fortune just trying to set it up!).

The bureaucratic knots the profession has got itself into during the last few years over the
single register issue have finally tripped it up, they ran out of money for it, apparently -
and a good job too, otherwise it might have gone on ad infinitum gobbling up resources
that could be put to MUCH better use!

So now perhaps that this (predictably) futile exercise is over they can put the same level of
resources into what they should have been putting it into in the first place, i.e. marketing
homeopathy to the public. For the money (and time!) they spent over the last 6 years or
so, we ( the homeopathic profession en masse) could have had a whopping advertising
campaign, even TV ads, for that kind of money.

I have argued for for a long time that marketing should be the prime concern of these
organisations (SOH, ARH, HMA,CMA etc) but it was deemed more important by the
combined council members that they try to learn to play nicely with each other rather than
to get the public educated about the potential of homeopathy, and using it.

Ask any average homeopath and they will be more concerned about aquiring a steady
stream of patients and with their profession defended against slurs in the media, than
whether they are on a single register or not.

Some of the registration organisations ( you know who you are) do not see it as their
remit to promote homeopathy to the public - (WHY NOT???) - it is my assertion that this
should be their FIRST priority. ('HAW' is less than a drop in the ocean compared to what it
needed)

Without the public using homeopathy there will be no profession to promote or regulate,
so the real priority should be self evident! It is very frustrating to watch as the
organisations PAID to represent the homeopathic profession squander resources on self-
obsessive idealisms and infighting.

So I say ( again) to the registration bodies: GET YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT! Homeopathy is a
BUSINESS (not a medico-political party): it needs to be marketed as such.

http://classicalhomeopathy.blog.com/1925304/

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi, (Could we have a name to call you?)
While I'm not familiar with the UK exercise, I surely sympathize with
your frustration over wasted funds!!!!! But at the same time, the
"play nice under one umbrella" concern shouldn't IMO be dismissed too
lightly, under current political and economic circumstances. Just for
e.g., re the advertising campaign you'd rather have seen--who would do
it, if there is no common front and no organizing body?

And when (as would certainly happen here in the US, so I imagine it
will be coming to you too) all that advertising attracts a
counter-punch, who would defend? Sad to have to think that way, and
maybe my US mentality doesn't apply to your UK situation???

But we surely do seem to have a problem with "playing nice" with each
other, don't we!

What was the "exercise"?
Shannon