In most part of the world, Homeopathic medicines are allowed for self medication. Do you take it as an advantage or disadvantage? Non of the other conventional can be used without the consultation of medical doctors. Recently UAE has announed license policy for the import of homeopathic specialities (combinations).

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<b>With warmest regards<br />Q.T</b>

Definitely not true. Most of the over the counter antihistimines, sinus remedies, cold remedies and many of the pain killers, amoung others, were originally by prescription only.

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Shirley Reischman

Yes, agree with Shirley. For self-care with homeopathic remedies, it's definitely an advantage for acute and self-limited problems. When people try to self-prescribe for a chronic problems or most emergencies, that's when they often run into problems. But most homeopathic first-aid/acute care books point out that fact.

This is in the minds of people that the homeopathic medicines are safe and without dangerous side effects. Mild side effects are there (called aggrevation). This leads to an advantage for people to purchase medicines without prescription. I think this a great disadvantage for homeopath and homeopathy. The advantage is the people saving consultation charges.

I'm a bit astonished that we found a subject with which we can agree with an LPH.

And for the second time I'm astonished by the synchronicity at work here, for I just posted on this question at Herscu's Letter.

The first time this happened to me here was about Melanie, for I was about to post it at Sixth-Edition ORGANON when I discovered discussion going on about her.

I attribute this to a purported higher-plane law involved in human consciousness called the Law of Sympathetic Attraction or Attunement of Vibration.

I don't like this subject because it has the kinds of dichotomies and convolutions that validify both perspectives.

I find the best answer is in the fact that this situation should not exist if there were simply sufficient numbers of legitimate homeopaths to meet the health needs of humanity.

India is showing in its rural areas how OTC availability is absolutely essential.

And of course, OTC availability to me affords me the ability to precipitate these little miracles when I hit the simillimum in cases.

But it is ultimately a highly skilled activity best left to learned professionals.

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Albert, also<br />Hahnemannian444<br />#5904

I occasionally work behind the counter at a health food shop which also sells homeopathic remedies. The people coming in usually want a 'quick fix' for their problem. Various UK pharmacies have supplied first aid type books to allow them to look up symptoms and select a remedy themselves.

Sometimes I say to these people 'you should see a homeopath' and there is plenty of availability in town at the moment. Mostly they don't want to spend the time to sit down and talk things through with anyone and they say 'no'. Or take a leaflet and don't call. Or say 'I want something now!'.

I think it's partly because of cost but not totally. Sometimes I think these people are denying that there is anything 'chronically' wrong with them. To make an appointment to see a homeopath and pay would mean that they had to accept they are chronically ill and they are not willing to do that. Also as conventional medicine is 'free' to them on the NHS, they have to accept that it is not going to solve their problem before they go to see a homeopath. Also there is fear that the homeopath is just 'after their money' and ignorance about what is homeopathy. Also their friends may be sceptical etc etc.

So, there are a lot of things to be overcome before they make an appointment with a homeopath. Personally, I think if they buy an acute remedy 'off the shelf' on the basis of what they read in a first aid book and have good results with the remedy, then they are MORE LIKELY to want to see a homeopath. BEcause they have got some confidence in homeopathy.

My only problem is the direction on the boxes of remedies don't make it clear that you should only take a small amount of the remedy and then stop. Some people think they have to 'finish the course' (like when they are on antibiotics). I saw someone who was taking Arnica 30 3 times a day after a fall. It was helping a bit but not getting rid of the problem but after a week on Arnica she was feeling a bit 'spacey'. She stopped the Arnica, took a few doses of Ruta and her problems went away. Left alone, maybe she would have taken all the Arnica in the bottle and done a proving!

So, it's not the availability of the remedies that is wrong in my opinion. It's the lack of advice on how to use them.

Best wishes
Therese

therese, if the people who run the pharmacies have read the organon they must know how much harm a person could come to if they were to follow the instructions in the packs to take a tablet three times a day.
this constitutes moneygrubbing at the expense of people's health, in the full knowledge of such.
for this reason i use only pharmacies who do not produce such ranges - namely freemans and helios.

Anna
Helios produce a clickpak range don't they? Do you mean that they are not available in supermarkets etc? Weleda I just checked their instructions tell people to stop after 2 weeks if they have noticed no difference in symptoms!

I just know that for me it was a big step to pay to go to see a homeopath. Nobody in my family had ever been to one. The fact that the remedies were on sale in the health food shop probably gave me confidence because I really disliked the idea of having any medication!

I am just trying to put the other side of the story. Of course I don't think it's wonderful that people can come in, pick a remedy, take it for a month and then say 'homeopathy doesn't work for me!' Actually, in the health food shop I am in, I am amazed by how few people are interested in homeopathy. Normally they are looking for vitamins or herbal remedies. These are usually recommended by other staff because it is easier to link 'disease' to 'remedy'.

If the general feeling is that it is detrimental to sell homeopathic remedies 'over the counter', how come nobody has tried to stop it?
Just wondering
Therese

dear therese, i didn't know about the helios clickpak range! thank you for the information. that leaves me with just freemans, who are ethical and definitely don't do otc.

like you i've worked in a natural remedy shop [i loved it] and had similar experiences with customer requests etc. i so very much know how it is.

my view now is that it's human nature to want something for nothing, or failing that, something of value, cheaply.
commerce being what it is, this does not generally happen, and the natural remedy shop is not there to provide it, yet such shops do somewhat trade off the public's hope of it.

hahnemann warns against the possible dangers of even a single dose of 6c in his book of Chronic Diseases.

when people pay for homoeopathic treatment, they pay for safe dosing advice as much as for accurate remedy selection.

regarding your question about why no one has tried to have otc homoeopathic remedies banned - it would be because you can't prove there is anything in them materially. for the same reason homoeopaths are never be prosecuted for anything other than failing to advise their patients to see a doctor.

I don't think homeopathy is so unforgiving. Who can say they have never given the 'wrong' remedy, yet how many disasters are there? These companies would not be able to make a profit if there were really such dire consequences, surely. There is a saying in my culture 'the man who never made a mistake never made anything' and I think the homeopath who never made a mistake never prescribed anything either. I'm not a risk taker by nature but I don't want to become paralysed by fear of giving any remedy. Surely, we have to look for a balanced position?
Therese