| Dear Friends,
Today, I wish to touch upon a subject which I believe has never
been raised before in an editorial - the increasing number of homeopaths
vying for a piece of the pie, called 'International Seminars'.
In
the last couple of years there has seen a huge surge in the number
of seminars being organized annually and there has been an equally
huge rush from many 'unknown' homeopaths to become 'international
speakers'. Various organizations, study-groups, schools/colleges,
seminar organizers, software companies, pharmacies and journals
keep organizing seminars and there is an ever increasing demand
for good speakers to fill the spots. The problem is that there is
a dearth of good and genuine speakers and many times it happens
that people who do not have the necessary credentials and experience
end up filling the gaps.
But what will a person speak about if he does not have enough experience
or skills? He will present more theory than practice and he will
present fake, fabricated or even altered cases. For some of you
this might come as a shock but those who have attended many seminars
and know the ins and outs of the seminar business, will be able
to identify with what I am saying. I know of people who have presented
uncured cases as 'cured' cases; I have come across people who treat
the patients with multiple remedies or combinations but when it's
time to present the case in a seminar, they present the case as
a single remedy, single dose cure; I have seen people presenting
miracle cures like dissolving a 30mm gall bladder stone, reviving
a dead shrunken gall bladder, passing an 18 mm renal calculi (even
a staghorn calculus!) without rupturing the urethra, curing multi-drug
resistant tuberculosis cases with just one single dose of Sulphur
30 - no case management required!
In this 'business' of seminars, the organizer gets the moolah or
the goodwill, the speaker 'becomes' an 'international teacher' and
gets recognized as an international doctor among the local
patients and colleagues. Plus if he is enterprising enough, he gets
a share of the moolah too. So it's a win-win situation for both
the speaker and the organizer. And who is the looser? The audience,
who often shells hundreds of dollars for a two day seminar. The
most gullible are the young students who can not judge the worth
of the cases being presented. The homeopaths in the western hemisphere,
who are often not trained in conventional medicine and don't know
much about the human anatomy, physiology, pathology and diseases
in general, can be deceived easily. I find this an alarming trend
and that's why I have dared to stick my neck out.
I am not saying that everyone (speaker/organizer) is fake, but
there is an ever increasing number of such people and it's high
time we spill the beans in the open. So what is the solution? I
will give you my two cents:
- Don't rush to attend every seminar being organized in the vicinity.
Before signing up, ask yourself, 'Am I am going to get something
of practical value out of this?'.
- Before signing up for a seminar, please check the credentials
of the speaker.
- Find out if he has got something original to say or if he has
contributed to the system in any way before becoming a 'speaker'.
- Find out if the speaker is known in international circles. If
he is really good, most likely, he will not be unknown.
- Find out if he has published any cases or articles in any journal
of repute. Most academically oriented people leave some traces
in journals before they move on to become 'speakers'.
- If it is possible, cross check about the size and type of the
person's practice through a local contact. If he is really a good
clinician, he will have a good reputation locally too.
- Check the track record of the organizer too. If the organizer
is genuine, he will usually not bring in people who are not genuine.
- If the seminar is too costly, it's usually for business.
I know that this editorial is going to hurt some people, but I
cannot help talking about this dangerous trend as I come across
it fairly often. There are lot of good people out there, who are
willing to share their knowledge and experiences at a very nominal
fee. Invest your money wisely in your education. And if you have
the experience and skill, come forward and start sharing your knowledge
with others. The more experienced and good people come forward to
aid the growth of our young students and practitioners, the less
will be the chance that a young homeopath will get duped of his
money and time by a wannabe 'international speaker'!
You can share your own experiences and thoughts with me at editor@hpathy.com
Yours Sincerely,

-- Chief Editor --
Homeopathy 4 Everyone |