Super Duper Specialists

Even with a double digit growth of our economy, India is mainly rural based with >75% of population residing in villages. Ironically, 90% of qualified doctors are in the urban areas. It is not a wonder that most of the rural
people have to depend upon unqualified persons for their immediate medical
needs. Though we call them unqualified “quacks”, it is a fact that without
their services, the rural folk will not have any access to medicare esp in
Emergencies and for minor medical problems. This is okay provided the
limitations are recognized.

More dangerous is the trend among qualified doctors to decorate themselves with dubious degrees and pass off as “Super duper specialists”. Spending a
few months as an ‘observer’ in a big hospital does not make them qualified in
any speciality. This malady is found all over India, esp in our parts of AP.It is
unfortunate that these doctors are allowed to practice and thrive. This is one
of those things which “happens only in India!!”.

The Perils of Modern Medicine!

We are all very proud that we practice "scientific" Medicine. But 99% of all medical practitioners agree that what we teach or preach, we never practice and what we practice, we never care to teach.

The practice of Medicine has advanced technologically by leaps and bounds, pari passu with the latest discoveries and inventions of Modern Science like Angiography, CT Scan, MRI, PET scan, stem cells etc. But from the patient's point of view, modern medicine has become "sour grapes" beyond the reach of the common man. For example, a visit to an Interventional Cardiologist will lighten his purse by around INR 50000.00. No wonder that patients are more inclined to try alternative systems of Medicine like Homeopathy, Ayurveda and Pranic healing.

Another problem with the practitioners of Modern Medicine, especially with those belonging to the present generation, is the decreased importance of clinical medicine. Our ancestors treated people effectively by using just their five senses, augmented perhaps by the stethoscope. Today's modern doctor cannot diagnose any illness unless he sees a CT Angio or an MRI scan. The pathetic clinical knowledge of the average medical student bears testimony to this fact. Unlike this, a Homeopath records all the patient's symptoms according to the principles of HOmeopathy and by this very act, the patient feels close to the Homeopath. Hence the massive adoration to this system even when it is proved time and again that Homeopathy has no scientific basis.

We have ourselves to blame if more and more people are attracted to unscientific systems. It is high time the practitioners of "Evidence Based Medicine" (dubbed as Allopathy by Dr Hahnemann) wake up to the realities of the ground situation and place clinical medicine back on top. It is also a duty of every one of us to open up the hoax that Homeopathy is.

When I just mentioned my experience in my previous blog about Homeopathy, I got an avalanche of comments defending their system. This goes to show that "Jaroor, Daal mein kuch kala hai." Raise all EBM practitioners, the time to raise our collective voice is NOW or NEVER.

healthiswealth: Homeopathy or Hoaxopathy?

www.doctorshangout.com

healthiswealth: Homeopathy or Hoaxopathy?

healthiswealth: Homeopathy or Hoaxopathy?

www.doctorshangout.com

healthiswealth: Homeopathy or Hoaxopathy?

Homeopathy or Hoaxopathy?

"You cant fool all the people all the time", is an old saying. But Dr Hahnemann has been fooling all the people all along when he introduced his "Homeopathy concept". In fact, it is nothing new and it has already been mentioned in our Ayurveda: "Ushnam ushnesha sheethalam". This concept was extended to ludicrous extremes and now we find one homeopath at every street corner doling out sugar pills for umpteen number of diseases promising a distant cure. If the patients get relief, it is not due to the sugar pills but because of the kind words and empathy the patient gets from the doctor.

Dr Christian F Samuel Hahneman was born in 1755 and proposed his theory of "Like cures Like" in late 18th century only because scientific medicine was not so advanced and the existing chemotherapy at that time was causing "more harm than good", which is understandable. But simply because he had the symptoms of "malaria" on eating Cinchona bark and proposing that Cinchona can cure malaria is utterly ridiculous.

One grand theory proposed by Hahneman in 1803 was that Coffee was responsible for most of the diseases. When it was disproved, he had to abandon this theory and this Coffee Theory is a good example of his tendency to make up a grand theory from scant evidence.

It is strange that Homeopathy is still being practiced despite scientific evidence that it is no better than a placebo in treatment of any illness and absolutely useless in acute conditions especially requiring surgery.

Of late, there is a resurgence of Homeopathy and there are now Corporate Homeo hospitals catering to different sections of the society. I dont understand why we doctors practicing Evidence based Medicine do not see through the "Emperor's clothes" and protest against such blatantly unscientific practice.

My opinion is that Homeopathy is no different from Aroma therapy, Pyramid therapy etc, which have no basis in the day to day management of patients. Government should ban the false advertisements of the homeopaths and the publicity given to chains of homeo clinics.

Censoring blogs

I feel you should not censor blogs.

MCI: Maximum Corruption of India?

It is a well known fact that Medical Education in India has become a farce today. With mushrooming of Medical Colleges without proper infrastructure and increase in management Quota, one can imagine the quality of the students coming out. This is mainly due to improper functioning of the MCI (Medical Council of India), which is an autonomous body meant to maintain standards in Medical Education and Medical practice.

So when the chief of MCI for 4yrs, Mr Ketan Desai was arrested, it came as no surprise. But what surprised everyone was the unheard of amount the CBI unearthed from his residence….cash of Rs 1500 crores and about 250kg of gold. And we know that this is only the tip of the tree of corruption, the roots of which have gone deep into the entire medical education system.

Let us hope that this Government has the will and tenacity to catch more big fish and rid the system of the malaise of Management Quota-MCI permit and License-to-kill Raj.