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 \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Yours Sincerely,