Note
OK, after typing for an hour I just lost my connection (that stupid timeout) arrggghhhh!
So after much cursing MS, I'm starting all over.
Like e-pinions, MS should allow us to save and hide reviews until they are complete and ready for reading/rating by others (interestingly MS won't allow the name of this competitor so I had to hyphenate it).
Earlier I tried saving in between and immediately got a poor rating as I was in the middle of it!
Its a no win situation for detail oriented writers.
And yes I tried the copy & paste but Ctrl-C Ctrl-V decided to fail me that one time too!
I hope I can remember all the points...
'Its deja-vu all over again!' - Yogi Berra
https://znetsports.com/yogiberra_quotes.asp
I signed up for an annual membership with the Santa Cruz branch since it was closest to work. They were trying hard to push the 2-3 year plans which I'm glad I didn't fall for.
In case you are wondering, you don't need the newspaper ad/coupon they keep running for a free first visit - I had forgotten to bring mine with me.
Cost
The good thing is that they accept credit cards which is surprisingly rare in many places these days.
You get unlimited medicines/visits (in theory since I've never needed to come more than once a month for my regular appointments) for a year which works out to over Rs. 525/month and is tax deductible if your company is setting aside upto the Rs. 15 K limit annually for medical expenses if you are a salaried employee.
This is important since I found out that my company was only setting aside 10 K for last year and I had enough receipts to avail the full 15 K.
Without getting into what I was getting treated, I thought that while the premises and staff were good (met expectations), the medications handed out were not quite ready to use.
There is also very little place for parking your car inside the gates so you might get stuck out on the crowded intersection.
Packaging
In my case, I had to go to another pharmacy to buy an ingredient to mix in the bottle they gave in equal volume.
Why they could not also sell the ingredients right there or better yet, have it all pre-mixed is beyond me.
Also the pills they give in 'blister packs' to control the dosage and exposure to air sounds good in theory unless you have short nails like me which make them very hard to pop open without crushing all the pills in the foil.
Its quite annoying to use on a daily basis.
I've been struggling with them twice a day for the past 2 months and on my next visit plan to put my foot down.
I'll demand a traditional narrow bottle with cork packaging or the balance of my membership back - lets see what happens.
Cons
Also so far I have not seen any positive (its a positive health clinic remember?) results - maybe it'll take a little longer.
The guard insists on you entering the guest book/register each time even though they enter your visit on their PC inside also.
I complied the first time since I was a new patient but refused after that and just walked in!
They did not quite know how to handle that ...
I hate doing unnecessary paper pushing.
I'm sure others would have had better results from them so they must post their reviews so its more balanced in this section.
I'll keep this updated to let you know how its going.
Comment
I still don't quite understand the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of homeopathic treatments in the print media.
There are simple scientific methods available for decades worldwide to accurately judge any such medication.
The double blind test is one of the most powerful ways to find out since neither the patient or the doctor knows (hence the name - both are blind to the knowledge) if they are using the actual medicine or just a placebo.
I think the only reason would be the cost of funding such large scale experiments for so many different ailments.
It would still be worth it to know for sure.
Getting US FDA (Food & Drug Administration) approval would be equal to any such study since they require these tests for all types of medication.
Never underestimate the power of the placebo effect in triggering the mind to catalyse the self healing of the body and pain perception.
There have been a number of studies that show how surprisingly huge this mental effect can be.
The most recent one that I saw was on Discovery Channel about 1-2 months ago.
They were testing ultrasound as a way to reduce pain & swelling in patients after dental surgery.
Over 30% of the placebo group noted significant pain reduction and measurable decrease in gum swelling when compared with the control group who got no treatment!
All this with the instrument switched off but just being moved over the affected area.
I have a strong feeling that at least some of the 'cures' of homeopathy might fall under this category.
Of course I'm no doctor but as a patient/client, perception is reality...
I would love to be proved wrong about how useful homeopathic medicines are (but on purely scientific experiments not opinions or anecdotes) since I have already spent a bunch on them.
;-)
Response
I seem to have struck a nerve with many readers by opening up a Pandora's box (can you say analogy overload?) about Homeopathy.
Once again (since it apparently was not clear to some), I have nothing FOR or AGAINST the approach in principle.
I just want to know if it really is better than a placebo or not.
Most of the feedback (raves & rants) could be grouped into the following three categories:
- 'How dare you ...' / 'Who are you to ...'
(we'll call this the Sacred Cow group since there is a religious fervor involved)
- 'You have no idea ...' / 'Do more research ...'
(this would be the Researchers)
- 'It worked for me/my friends/my family ...'
(these would be the Anecdotals)
Rather than respond to each one individually, I've decided to 'bulk reply' right here and in the comments section.
So here we go starting with the Sacred Cows:
First of all - there should be no sacred cows!
Every topic should be up for debate/discussion in a rational manner.
Last I checked Homeopathy was not a religion or cult so just get over it.
'Sunlight is the best disinfectant' holds especially true in this instance.
Getting carried away by your emotional outbursts only highlights the fact that you have no reasoned argument to give so simmer down.
Next to the Researchers, I (or any other writer) don't need to be a PhD or a Nobel Laureate to be able to give my opinions as a consumer about any product or service.
My 'research' is my experience which is already documented above.
Just consider this my anecdote.
Finally to the Anecdotals, placebos can have exactly the success rates and effects that you talk about.
We need a proper peer reviewed clinical trail to settle the issue once and for all for hundreds of patients.
Selective numbers/examples can be used to prove virtually anything.
'There are 3 kinds of lies in this world:
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics' - Mark Twain
Everything I've said also applies to all the other 'pseudo sciences' that have been around for centuries like Accupressure, Accupuncture, Chiropractice, Astrology, etc.
(Can't wait to get all the flames from the respective 'belivers'!)
None of them have ever passed truly scientific scrutiny ever.
They could still be very helpful for pain/stress reduction and other 'mental/mind' ailments - just not for anything physical that could be externally/objectively measured vs a placebo.
Keep posting and I'll try to respond as best I can ...
