The Fight Back for Homeopathy

[Roger]

The Fight Back!

-- Dr. Manish Bhatia

Dear Roger,

A couple of weeks ago, I sent you an open letter ' Is Homeopathy Bleeding to Death? '

In response to my appeal to join hands, I received thousands of emails of support from homeopaths, patients and homeopathic enthusiasts. More than 700 people actually volunteered to be part of the international team that will not just work to check the bleeding but will also work proactively to promote Homeopathy in every corner of the world, in every way possible.

I feel inspired by your response and your letters. But in spite of my best efforts, I cannot reply to each of you personally. Therefore I am writing a public message to say thank you to all of you and put forward the future course of action.

So first of all, THANK YOU for the support, enthusiasm and solidarity that you have shown. It really feels that we are breathing the same air throughout the world and that we all have a burning desire within us to see homeopathy become the dominant system of medicine.

Now a couple of more serious issues and questions.

I told you in my last letter that The Lancet was planning another issue on Homeopathy. Well, the issue is already out. In its lead article, it summarizes:

Homeopaths in the UK have been feeling under pressure lately. Unfortunately for them, however, the cause of their anxiety is not a heavy workload but an active campaign against homeopathy, particularly its availability in the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

And another article focuses on Homeopathy in India. In this article, the highly regarded Lancet has put the 2,50000 strong and effective Indian professional homeopathic community in the box based on just ONE malpractice case! They didn't bother to look at the thousands of malpractice cases against conventional medical doctors! What an editorial policy they have!!

In a third article, the author says:

"Homeopaths can undermine public-health campaigns; leave their patients exposed to fatal diseases; and, in the extreme, miss or disregard fatal diagnoses. ...Homeopaths can misrepresent scientific evidence freely to an unsuspecting and scientifically illiterate public."

Before this issue, the editors of The Lancet sent the Society of Homeopaths (SoH) 13 questions to learn the stand of the homeopathic community on various issues. The SoH did reply, but none of their replies even got hinted anywhere in the issue. In fact this is what they got in the end:

"All these problems have been exacerbated by society's eagerness to endorse the healing claims of homeopaths"

So the polite and courteous responses of our organizations are still lying somewhere in a dustbin in The Lancet office.

Do you want to fight this media campaign which is spreading misinformation about Homeopathy?

NOW READ THESE MAILS FROM UK HOMEOPATHS:

"My practice has come down to a level where I started 9 years ago.."

"I have been in practice for 12 years and over the last few years have seen such a decline I am forced to look for other employment and I don't want to give up that easily."

"I am a homeopath in full time practice and manage (just) to make a living but this year the enquiries from new patients has gone down about 75%."

"I am a practicing homeopath who is limping along and have seen a demise in my practice. I have come to the point where I am considering giving up as I cannot support myself or homeopathy as I have done for the past 12 years"

"I'm one of those homeopaths who can no longer make a living out of homeopathy."

"I have a close friend who is a doctor at the RLHH - she says the situation there is dire and clinics have closed and private practice is down to a minimum - 1 or 2 a week!"

"I was already well established, so I am still in practice, but at the level where any further downturn in income will finish me off."

"..in Belgium the existing schools have practically no students anymore."

"My school in Finland is closing because of lack of students."

Each of these quotes is from a different homeopath.

The skeptics who are running this anti-homeopathy campaign will get a big boost after reading these lines. But ask yourself this question:

Why have we allowed it to get to this point?

1. We do not have any active International organization overlooking the growth of homeopathy. Most national societies, registers and organizations are working with a very narrow vision and have proved totally ineffective so far.

2. Most of the time we are busy giving and attending seminars but do not bother to work on the ground.

3. We are more concerned with 'My Clinic' and 'My Practice' and do little for 'Our Homeopathy'. We are not a cohesive community.

4. We keep waiting for someone else to take the lead. Most of us are too afraid to stick our neck out!

And this is not only a UK problem. I have received mails from UK, Germany, France, India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Poland, Norway, Turkey, Greece, Israel, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Iceland and dozens of other countries. Ninety nine percent of the people who wrote in, were able to see the truth in that letter. I got support from every corner of the earth, from homeopaths, vets, scientists, patients, enthusiasts, whole schools and even the biggest names in Homeopathy. In spite of our differences, we are still bound together somewhere with our love for Homeopathy. And we are facing similar problems around the world!

There were only two groups who failed to respond to my appeal:

1. Our societies and organizations, who are supposed to be writing these mails to you instead of me.

2. Our pharmaceutical companies, software companies and publishers .who are making the most money out of Homeopathy!

But don't get disheartened by what you have read above. Remember that there are close to half a million homeopaths and tens of millions of patients in this world who love homeopathy. If we all stand together no one will be able to stop us from growing and spreading! We just need to unite our energies. Are you willing?

The attacks are also a reflection of our growth, so there is something positive in it. Consider this as an opportunity to put our differences and egos aside and unite globally for a greater cause, or as Dr. Hahnemann would have said ...for the higher purpose of our existence.

SO WHAT TO DO NOW?

First, stop looking towards others, be it people or organizations, to do something for you. YOU have to do it yourself. The real power lies in you and not in organizations. It is your cause, so why wait for someone else? YOU are the leader!

And you are not alone. Just extend your hand and you will find someone else who loves Homeopathy just like you do. Let us become the 'bundle of sticks' that will work together to preserve and promote homeopathy.

I have got 700 volunteers. I need 25,000 more. Are you with me? If you are, write to me at editor@hpathy.com

We need good writers, speakers, marketing professionals, scientists, researchers, educationists, website designers and software programmers, graphic designers, course designers, public relations managers, seminar organizers, public campaign managers, motivational gurus .and above all spirited homeopaths who are willing to fight back!

If you see yourself fit in any of those roles or have specific ideas about how to turn the tide, write to me at editor@hpathy.com

WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW?

We are not sitting idle after my last mail. The international workgroup is already taking shape and the discussions have started. We will soon act ...with plan, purpose and determination.

BUT ...don't think that a team of hundred people can turn around the tide for you. YOU cannot relax. We will need support from EACH one of you to reverse the tide and take homeopathy to the next level. The international workgroup will keep writing to you at regular intervals and will seek your help in making our collective dreams come true.

In the meantime, if you can do something at your local level, start doing it today! Don't even wait for my next mail.

ARE YOU READY ...FOR THE FIGHT BACK??

If you have any plans, ideas, suggestions or can help in any way in this movement ...write to me at editor@hpathy.com

Loads of love, peace, harmony and growth to all of you!

Yours in Homeopathy,

Dr. Manish Bhatia (aka Dr. B!)

[Jean Doherty]

What about getting our clients to E-mail the Lancet with their
thoughts or if that was blocked writing to the Editor, Regards ,
Inspiration and tenaciousness, Jean

[Tanya Marquette]

i would add a letter writing campaign to local newspapers
dealing with holistic/homeopathic health care. i find that
the letters to the editor are sometimes the most read
section of a newspaper or journal.
i think it works best if there are a group of people working
on developing a letter writing campaign. keeps up the morale,
provides other voices, and helps with the organizing.
tanya

[Annemieke Cloosterman]

Or start a weblog!
I found several today and they are fun to read after all the sceptic
weblogs these last weeks.

http://woowooscience.com/

http://freetochoosehealth.wordpress.com/

http://laughingmysocksoff.wordpress.com/
--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, "Tanya Marquette"
wrote:

[Tanya Marquette]

anything to get our message out is good.
speaking to groups of people is great.
i know that we all have lots of extra time
to begin speaking engagements, but many or
most of us work with networking groups in
different arenas. these make great venues
for presenting information in writing or
speaking.
there are a couple of videos that concern
themselves with related health care issues.
natural solutions foundation has a video, online,
about codex and its intent. this is very
germane to the attack on homeopathy since it
focuses on the intent of the codex. i think
the revv'd up assault on homeopathy if part of
the codex plan--it is priming the public to lose
access to holistic health care on every level!
shannon, this is the area for coalition building--
other holistic practitioners who are under assault.
i have also bought a kevin trudeau video on the
pharmaceutical industry. it is like a visual
encyclopedia of the assault by this industry on
health care. a little tedious but full of info
for folks who need to develop perspective.
showing these, or similar videos, is a great way
to get the message out. before and after the
viewing is time to get discussions going.
petitions can be available at the showing as well
as phone numbers and letter writing.
another possibility for people with active practices,
is to hold information sessions after work hours.
my chiropractor does this on a regular basis to bring
people into his practice or to get them hooked, as the
case may be. i see other practices do similar things
as well.
health fairs are another venue--not only the holistic
ones, but the mainstream ones would be very powerful
to open people up to new ideas.
just some additional thoughts for getting the word out.
personal contact is more powerful than anything.
tanya

[Alan E. Smith]

Another way to fuel the fight to protect health freedom is to "raise the lake" of public awareness and acceptance of all types of complementary and alternative medicine. The battle lines and challenges are easy to see when you compare a positive book on CAM like UnBreak Your Health published by a very, very small press with no publicity budget to Snake Oil Science published by Oxford House Press which says all types of CAM are at best random chance and at worst a scam or con. Guess which one the media is picking up on and promoting?
Alan

Alan E. Smith
UnBreak Your Health Oct 2007
Website www.unbreakyourhealth.com

[Gisela dicarlo]

Alan
So true - more public awareness is essential - I for one will be writing a regular column for a Health and Wellness Magazine starting in Jan. 08 - maybe some of the people ( many so very eloquent) can do the same start writing to the press the good stuff - with testimonials if available, just submit the articles - most Papers and Magazines welcome good writers.(specially if they do not have to pay for it . I have been doing so for years writing on natural health care _ Thai Hot Stem articles.That will raise the bar and let the public take notice. Look what happened with Reiki - all the public commotion about it - now many Hospitals have at least one Reiki Practitioner and even Yale teaches it - its all in the promotion - lets start a real campaign for Homeopathy. Start writing to the press.
Gisela proud :)Student at BIH
Http://thaihotstem.com

[Shannon Nelson]

Gisela,
That is interesting--hospitals are taking Reiki on board? Now *that*
suggests that it's just as you say, all in promotion--well, that plus
results, of course. What hospitals are you aware of that use Reiki,
and do you know how it came about?
Shannon

[Irene de Villiers]

gisela wrote:

I like this idea a lot.
Promoting homeopathy by presenting good aspects wherever we can - has to
help the public to know it's a good option to have. And that is
prerequisite to their voting for health freedom I would think.
Publishing is one option - there are many places to do it - and
giving talks at schools and other places where people gather as a group
for example.
Namaste,
Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."

[Roger]

If you read dr bhatia's letter to the end you will see that
the negative publicity that homeopathy has been getting
has been dramatically hurting the practices of homeoapths in the UK.
I hope everyone will do their bit for this campaign.
I think one big need is a significant (large) study showing
the effectiveness of homeopathy, published prominently.

Roger Barr

POB 1427, North Fork CA 93643-1427
Phone: 559 682 0177 (skype: rrandor)
Cell: 916 799 7918
e-Fax: 915 808-7233