Anarchist Doctors?

You might try a lefty organization like Doctors Without Borders and see if you can't find anarchists there. I don't know of any specific anarchist groups of doctors (unlike with librarians, lawyers, and other professions) but I imagine there might be some on the edges of the liberal stuff.

Refused or Pingtiao might be able to tell ye.

well, i would imagine there's a fair few shrinks. and also nurses

I know there are some anarchoid doctors affiliated with the "street medic" movem... er... scene. Maybe that's where to look in the US.

If this is because your Doctor laughed at you before shoving the homeopathy vials up your arse then fair fucks to him.

I read that more and more health trusts are making formal bans on paying for homeopathy, which gave me something to smile about.

I hope they weren't going to practice homeopathy, handing out pretentious water would be rubbing salt in the wounds.

The Man tries to ban "crack-pot medicine"

there is fuck all hollistic about homeopathy, they just have to be nicer otherwise you'd be more likely to cop onto the fact your being done.

I mean if a homeopathist chucked his water at you the same way a GP hands over a prescription and say's 'take two a day for the next two weeks' you'd not be best pleased.

I am resident doctor in a hospital of Athens, Greece. I am not anarchist, i put myself in social autonomy current(Socialism or barbarism, etc). For many years i deal with the problem of health. There is a very interesting struggle in a region of North Greece, in relation with this question, the last three years. Doctors, nurses and other workers of a public medical center together the inhabitants of this region, organise an autonomous struggle, demand better health conditions. I am in a support team, which want to circulate this struggle in hospitals and other workplaces. There is a blog in net of this support team(www.prwtov-zagkliv.blogspot.com). Unfortunatelly in greek...If you want more information you can tell me. Also there are some usefull books(but old, about 60s) about same experiences. The 'spk"(socialistic commune of patients). A book of Vincent Navarro(i don't remember its name, but you can find easily in a search machine). And of course, the more critical book about capitalist health is Nemesis, of Ivan Illits.
I wish i help you.

Well, aren't complementary and alternative just code words for a wider range of fake medicine that homeopathy is part of?

Isn't it like "complementary" to real medicine / "alternative" to real medicine?

Well, what "alternative"/"complementary" medicines aren't just snake oil?

Seriously, surely if they were of scientific value, then they'd cease to be "alternative"?

Well the placebo-effect is a pretty well-documented phenomenon that probably isn't exploited enough - lots of those hippy bollocks potions probably work the odd time on people's colds or tummy-ache's by some sort of placebo effect.
Unfortunately if they acknowledged this then it would defeat for the purpose, cos for the placebo effect to work, people have got to think they're taking proper medicine, which magic water obviously isn't.

Hey r

Thank you for this - this is all really interesting and helpful. Good luck with your struggles - shame i can't read Greek! - but it is great you are wanting to spread info on what you are doing locally to wider regions. I may well get in touch with you later.

Thank you.

Love

LW X

Good link Saii - these peeps sound cool and i would consider joining one day when my own health is stronger..

Good to see not everyone has gone off topic and is rambling on about homoepathy...(Christ we have done that so many times and this topic is MUCH more interesting, relevant etc )

Love

LW X

Nah that is not the point i was making! I am not talking about necessarily finding alternatives to allopathic medicines when they are genuinely helpful - i am talking about improving the provision and that provision no longer being abused as it is now - for example in an anarcho society without a profit motive the pharma providers would not neglect to mention that Seroxat is unsuitable for teens in order to flog its wares...without a profit motive dangerous drugs and those unproven to work in certain groups i.e. Seroxat in young teens, which can heighten suicidal rates - just what you want from an anti-depressant! would not be sold ...Of course in a post-rev society we would like to think kids would not suffer from depression.. but when it comes to eg provison of anti-cancer drugs - yeah - we would still need these tho hopefully to a lesser extent... It is just that drugs - in general - would only be provided if medically necessary, if useful and if not likely to kill/injure more than cure none of which is happening now across the board as it should anyways (Hippocratic Oath anyone...?? ) I am interested in this provision of necessary conventional medication and how this will be managed and when i tried to discuss this before - noone "bit" and revol and co went on about the sugar water again... [sighs deeply]

Love

LW X

PS Conor

Not wanting to scare monger but i am afraid you cannot assume across the boards that if someone goes to the Doctor with symptoms indicative of cancer that being offered the appropriate tests to confirm or deny this worying possibility and referral to an appropriate expert is by any means necessarily a speedy, efficient or reassuring process - unless you have the money and can go private - money again - kerching! So - as above in my comments to Jack - my concern is providing proper, speedy, secure, across the boards medical provision which is NOT happening now. And is not - by definition! - likely to happen under capital..