Homeopathy in the news again today

[Rochelle]

This was on this morning's news:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8384040.stm
I think you can only pick this up in UK
Rochelle
Registered Homeopath
EFT(Advanced) Practitioner
www.southporthomeopathy.co.uk

[Tanya Marquette]

very disappointing interview. while the homeopathic point of view had some strong points, the
energetic impact was very diminished and the female md was more aggressive and adamant in
her presentation. the last point the man made was very important and it was squashed. when are
we ever going to learn how to market ourselves in a world that is based on marketing for success!
tanya

[Rochelle]

My sentiments exactly and I think this is what we are paying our professional societies to do so why are they not pursuing since actively. (Marketing positively). I fear it is going to get worse .
Rochelle
Registered Homeopath
EFT(Advanced) Practitioner
www.southporthomeopathy.co.uk

[Tanya Marquette]

My understanding, so far, is that it was the same with the Science and Technology committee hearings the other day.
Only 3/12 people asked to testify that were supporters of homeopathy. They were the same lack luster presenters
stumbling over their material. I was sitting here, in NY wanting to push them to get some oomph into them.
I send out information on the history of the AMA and how they were a marketing organization that developed into a
finely

[Kerry]

The MD that was in the interview is a seasoned Radio MD (perhaps also
TV, but I don't have one so don't know) so is going to come across far
better. Are there any homeopaths in the UK who are used to such
exposure? Unless someone is used to this sort of media they are
likely to have problems getting the message across and being forceful
enough in interviews.

Kerry

[Tanya Marquette]

sorry for the abortive post--let me complete it below:

[Liz Brynin]

George Lewith is very media savy - he has done several TV programmes too, so is well-known to the BBC. I guess that's why they used him. But he's not charismatic, is he?!

[Liz Brynin]

Dr Fisher was very good, I thought.
But the committee had their agenda - they insisted on asking leading questions like "Do you believe the government should take a hand in letting hospital trusts know about your (negative) findings?" -this to the head of Kent PCT - who was responsible for persuading the PCT to stop funding the homeopathic hospital in their area, and which has consequently had to close.
No-one asked 'What proof do you have?' to the nay-sayers!
A sham.
Liz

[Tanya Marquette]

I hear your point Kerry, but there is more to it than that. Homeopaths seem to think
they have to be nice, low key kinds of people. They have a victim mentality in presenting
themselves. Let me give another example.
In the 1950's the gay community was exactly where homeopaths are in many ways today.
The worked really hard to look mainstream. They acted with great fear of being ridiculed,
isolated, fired, etc. Gay folk were beaten and lost in courts. They were arrested and mocked
in prison. They feared losing their jobs and their kids. Being in the closet was highly repressive
and led to dysfunctional and self-deprecating behavior. 1969 came along with many other
freedom movements. Part of those movements was the claiming of positive identities. One
last raid by the police in a Grenwich Village bar was just too much and the patrons of that bar
rioted and took to the streets. It was a revolutionay act that changed everything for this community
for decades to come. People just got plain fed up with being less than. They created an
event that had to be covered by the press and they began to get a voice in public. They began
to speak with power; they found their entitlement. People began to stop hiding. Today we are
still fighting descrimination issues but the battle is different. Now it is for the all the civil rights
accorded straight people. The battle is slow, but even in this right wing, fundamentalist climate,
they are winning.
It was not being polite that got them acknowledgement. And so it was for the civil rights movement
for African-americans and for feminists. Stokley Carmichael railed against white people and raised
oodles of money. The radical feminists took to the streets and got their voice out there. When the
publishing houses refused to print the books, people began their own publishing houses to get the
information in print. The list of strategies and tactics is very long. But, bottom line, the polite, timid, t
ippy-toe approach did not work and never works to get the message out there.
So, yes, the female MD may be a seasoned media person. But what stops our community from
studying this and developing a different persona to present. I maintain that we can control that from
within our boundaries. We need to stop making excuses for our failings and begin to do exactly the
development process that our adversaries use. When the internet proved highly valuable for
promoting the Democratic candidate in 2008, the right wing didn't sit there and boohoo themselves
for not doing the same. They jumped on the bandwagon so fast and began to use the same tactics.
You should see the amount of nonsense they send out --with petitions, books, information, uh, I mean
blatant lies and delusions.
tanya

[Kerry]

If that is him when he is media savvy I would hate to think how bad he
was before! I don't think that it is a case of being charismatic, I
think a degree of pushiness is needed and the ability to speak more
quickly. Also to get the point across rapidly in as few words as
possible. He sounded as though he was having a chat in the pub.

Kerry