The Society of Homeopaths Code of Ethics and Practice - Essay Example

Evaluate the Society of Homeopaths of Ethics and Practice and discuss its value within the profession and Section # of course> Evaluate the Society of Homeopaths Code of Ethics and Practice and discuss its value within the profession Homeopathy is a practice which is based on centuries of observation and experimentation and takes its root from the philosophical ideologies which brought it about. These ideologies state that there is a system of laws which govern the state of both man and his environment. It is within these laws that the practice of homeopathy works to establish the health of individuals and to prevent the occurrence of acute and chronic diseases. Rather than work with methods which are typically used by medical science homeopaths indulge in alternative therapies. In turn in order to treat patients they employ the use of five different models with the homeopath discerning which model will bring the most benefit to the patient (Owen 2007 p.1-12). In order to morally appraise the employment of such alternative techniques, questions both scientific and philosophical are raised. It is only through such discussion and debate that we come to a set of moral rules and guidelines which can define when and how the practice of homeopathy can be pursued. They not only preserve the reputation, dignity and integrity of the practice but also allow the practitioners to take responsibility for their actions. These are the Society of Homeopaths Code of Ethics and Practice and this paper will provide an assessment of its value within the profession (Owen 2007 p.1-12). As mentioned before these guidelines are of course based upon philosophical principles. It is through these principles that these procedures are decided and debated upon. Two of the parameters which have been used to decide whether or not the guidelines are ethical or unethical are the principles of moral relativism and utilitarianism. Moral relativism works on the principle that in a society most of its members consider certain actions to be either morally conscionable or unconscionable. Given that each society holds a different moral value for each action it stands to reason that each member of the society will have a different moral standard for each action. This brings us to the second philosophical tenant known as utilitarianism. According to this principle the result of taking an action defines its morality. Thus in this principles value is given to the consequences of the action taken rather than individual opinion of the action taken. Thus the true purpose of this principle is to maximize the advantage of the action taken (Driver 2006 p.11-21 & p.40-60). The reason why these parameters are mentioned above is because the ethical guidelines rather than being rigid and structured have to bend and sway under the provision of adequate reasoning or a differing perspective. They have to bend under the weight of logic, reasoning towards what’s best for the patient, consistency and the use of the basic tenants of the practice (Hope & Hope 2004 p.58-66). The problem of course comes into play because of the very nature of the practice itself. Since the practice of homeopathy is based upon philosophical guidelines and observations, rather than scientific methodology there is a disparity between the level of care the profession provides and the level of care which is ethically considered to be positive in terms of the legal system. This is exacerbated when it is considered that even though these ethical guidelines have been created to protect the doctors, the patients and the profession itself there is no legal or obligatory requirement for the practitioners to use them (Stone (LLB.) and Matthews 1996 p. 204-219). What is worse is that legal action seems to be untenable in those cases where homeopaths seemingly have a duty to advise their patients to seek more conventional medical treatment. The core of the problem exists within the conceptual teaching of the practice itself. Rather than being based on a rigid framework which can be quantified and analyzed, homeopathy is a skill based practiced which allows experience to be gained over several years. Because patients themselves choose to exercise a biomedical option rather than one which can be successfully treated with conventional medicine, the practitioners are not required to make conventional diagnosis and may intentionally or unintentionally manipulate or misrepresent the patient’s symptoms (Stone (LLB.) and Matthews 1996 p. 204-219). Perhaps it should be noted that the only facet of this practice that actually does come under the scope of the law is the fact that conventional homeopathic remedies by law are required to be sold at nontoxic doses meaning they are incapable of causing conventional toxic effects. Though it must be mentioned that despite these laws these remedies are not legally regulated according to any elaborate side effects they may have (Stone (LLB.) and Matthews 1996 p. 204-219). Another part of this to be discussed which rather than focusing on the ethics behind the practice, concerns the ethics behind the relationship between the patient and practitioner. Because conventional medicine today has worked to make its patients more knowledgeable by becoming institutionalized in the media, on television programming and on the internet, it has created a situation where the patients are far more educated about their options than they ever have been before. But because of the relative obscurity regarding the methods used in homeopathy, patients are far more likely to be uninformed of the level of information they require to make a decision from an ethical perspective. It must also be considered that due to the inherent emotional dependency of patients their judgment in this matter may be compromised. Because homeopaths do not have to contend with dangerous therapies in their practice they contend that their profession is far more ethical than conventional medicine. They do not see that due to the fact that they are not scrutinized under the same level of rules and regulations as regular practitioners and they can see patients in a more private setting and there is no formal regulatory body to test their technical skills, homeopaths are far more likely to abuse their patient’s trust (Lee-Treweek and Heller 2005 p.86-91). Perhaps the only fact which actually keeps practitioners in line and serves as an incentive to follow these professional guidelines is the opportunity to be part of a professional body and being recognized as legitimate practitioners within the profession because of it. Of course disciplinary action can be taken against those who go against the ethical guidelines of this practice, but with the lack of public knowledge and legal ramifications detailed above such conditions make homeopaths practically autonomous to any form of repercussion whether they follow the guidelines or not (Stone 2002 p.78-86). Though the application of ethical guidelines and the ethical guidelines themselves are both sound in the practice of Homeopathy. It cannot be denied that there is a severe lack of disciplinary action for those who abuse this process. The value of such ethics is not up to the society or the practice itself but the doctors which practice both moral relativism and utilitarianism to either bring benefit to themselves or those under their care. List of References Driver, J. (2006). Ethics: the fundamentals p.11-21, 40-60. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. Hope, R. A., & Hope, T. (2004). Medical ethics: a very short introduction p. 58-66. London: Oxford University Press. Lee-Treweek, G. and Heller, T. (2005). Perspectives on Complementary and Alternative Medicine p.86-91. Abingdon: Routledge. Owen, D. (2007). Principles and Practice of Homeopathy: The Therapeutic and Healing Process p.1-12. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences. Stone, J. (2002). An ethical framework for complementary and alternative therapists p.78-86. Abingdon: Routledge. Stone, J., (LLB.), J. M. and Matthews, J. (1996). Complementary medicine and the law p. 204-219. London: Oxford University Press. Read More