Page 8 - Spring 19

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The positive reception to homeopathy among a group of academic veterinarians between the ages of 30-60 can be credited, in my opinion, to my approach. Homeopathy was presented as a single alternative for treating animals. It was important for me to focus on the goal of treatment, not merely to promote homeopathy as something trendy or as a fad. It needed to appeal to the inquisitive minds of the audience and provoke questions, even if I couldn’t answer them. If they become part of the discussion, there can be no opposition as we are all seeking the same thing – how to best treat our patients.
The most common questions concerned potency. How a positive treatment result was achieved, if there is no trace of material? And, how often does homeopathy fail? The truth of the matter is: no treatment, whether conventional or non- conventional, is always 100% effective for every patient. As vets, it is our responsibility to respond to the individual needs of the patient all the time. And, I credit this goal-oriented approach with opening minds to the possibility of welcoming homeopathy as a valid treatment approach in Japan, because it does not need to be a competition.
Due to a general lack of awareness of homeopathy in Japan, it is important to make a good first impression within the Japanese culturural landscape. A lot of resources tend to be in English or German so require translation in order to be understood. Even then, the translation of fundamental texts may not be accurate as is the case with Hahnemann’s “Organon”.
Such language and culture gaps contribute to a general lack of confidence with homeopathy among practitioners, because we do not have access to a cohesive training system in Japanese. The only comprehensive course I have taken myself was over ten years ago, when I attended a five-day course with Dr. Chris Day in Dorset, UK. This course was
only made possible due to the efforts of Dr. Peter Gregory and Dr. Jane Keogh, as well as the ten other Japanese vets, who traveled to the UK with a translator. This took place, when homeopathy was just starting to emerge in Japan and served as a pivotal training time in my own career. Our newer members have not had such an opportunity.
Currently, one of the biggest challenges in Japan is acquiring knowledge about homeopathy in a work culture that can demand some vets working 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Bringing people together requires a great deal of planning and a lot of preparation for organizers and attendees. In the future, if we hope to attract more vet talent to homeopathy in Japan, this is a huge obstacle we need to overcome.
Another obstacle is the import of homeopathic remedies into Japan. Although the Japanese government does not recognize homeopathy as “medicine”, the import process is the same. We also have to factor in the costs of shipping and customs. It is far easier to simply buy conventional medicines from a domestic pharmaceutical company. This means it requires a great deal of time, effort and money to simply practice homeopathy. This can deter many vets, as the demand for homeopathy is not that high in Japan and it may not be economically feasible.
I would like to be optimistic about the future of homeopathy in Japan, because it is my passion, but for any Japanese it must be a passion due to the sacrifices required to incorporate it into one’s veterinary practice. So, although our physical members may still be quite small, our passion is great.
獣医学ホメオパシー
(veterinary homeopathy in Japanese)
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