I was a fairly robust, risk averse nipper. But, like all kids, I got the odd sniffle and sickness now and then. And, like most parents, my Mum would usually take me to see the doctor when I was poorly.
I have a really vivid memory of going to see the doctor. He was a kindly, soft-spoken chap who, as I recall, had a caring manner. And what I remember more than anything was his large leather case, filled with pastel-coloured vials of what he described as "magic crystals".
Depending on what was wrong with me, I was able to choose from a selection of colours of "magic crystals", which were then administered to me and which, in my head, made me feel a bit better. I think I only got one dose, when I was there in the surgery. Neither my mother nor I have any recollection of me taking home any "magic crystals" or having repeated doses.
Now, here's the thing. At no point did my dear darling mother actually bother to ask what the "magic crystals" were. We now assume (hope!) that they were some sort of homeopathic thing. They definitely looked like coloured sugar crystals and tasted like sugar. Or were they some sort of elaborate placebo designed to soothe children into believing they felt better? Or were they some suspicious hallucinogens? The point is, at no point did my mother think to question the doctor: he was in a position of caring authority and he knew best what would make me better, right? And from my perspective, a nice, caring man who my mother had trust in was letting me pick pink sweet-tasting crystals so YAY GIVE ME THE SUGAR!
Out of interest, my memory is that yes, magic crystals did make me feel
momentarily better. But this is a vague memory, which may well have been
clouded by nostalgia and the many years that have since gone by. why
could this have been? Well, power of suggestion and placebo. As a child I
knew doctors made me better: ergo, I felt better when I was at the
surgery seeing the doctor.
We hear a lot about patient choice in debates about homeopathy. I guess my point here is that this doesn't always come into the conversation with patients or their carers, and that's worrying. Admittedly it was longer ago than I care to admit, but I'm pretty sure similar practices go on today. I really do hope that medical homeopathists do allow their patients more informed consent, and I also sincerely hope that all homeopathists do the same. But they can't offer them full informed consent because the data isn't there to back up their claims, or they have misunderstood the data that is there, and most importantly, the science and theories don't make sense. What sort of benefit vs risk decision can happen for a patient when they simply pick up a pack of arnica 30C from the shelves of Boots? What kind of choice was my mum able to make when it didn't occur to her
to ask any questions, and no explanation was forthcoming?
Health care professionals have a duty of care to their patients. A large part of this is about communication. What homeopathists (and herbalists, and traditional chinese herbalists, and halotherapists, and anyone else who purport to change people's health) need to realise is that, in the eyes of the public, they hold the same amount of trust and duty of care. And even if regulatory bodies aren't in place to take you to court if you harm someone, your personal morals should step in before you sell a remedy made merely of hope for monetary gain.
The air is nice up here on the moral high ground.Of course, it could always be the case that it's actually just the mind-altering effects of whatever mind control agents were in the magic crystals....
H xxx
