Homeopathy users wouldn't switch to conventional medicine

According to WHO, homeopathy is the 2nd largest system of medicine in the world and is experiencing an annual growth of around 20-25%. It is estimated that by 2017, the world homeopathy market would be equivalent to the current alternative healthcare market which is Rs.52,000 crore.

The research was conducted to gauge the potential of the industry through market study and a patient behaviour analysis. It also highlighted the contribution of Dr. Batra’s Positive Health Clinics towards homeopathy. Observing the potential in the industry, this initiative was taken to conduct the first-of-its-kind patient perspective study of the homeopathy sector in India. The objectives of the research were to understand the patient psychographics regarding chronic ailments, to determine the psychographics of conventional treatments vs. homeopathy and to evaluate the brand perception of Dr. Batra’s ®. For the research, AC Nielsen conducted 650 interviews across 7 cities among a mix of people with certain specific characteristics. 222 interviewees were regular allopathy users, 215 non-Dr. Batra’s® homeopathy users and 213 Dr. Batra’s ® homeopathy users between November, 2006 and April, 2007.

Homeopathy is an effective means of treating chronic ailments. These ailments include hair & skin problems, respiratory problems, arthritis and other miscellaneous treatments like thyroid, bed-wetting, diabetes, and obesity. According to the research, 51% of the people suffering from chronic ailments try home remedies and 30% prefer to leave it unattended. Recurrent use of self-medication and ignorance of proper treatment could lead to severe consequences. 26% of the people resort to medical intervention, of which 47% people visit their family doctor or a GP (general practitioner), 18% resort to conventional treatments and 34% visit a homeopath if their ailment is chronic. Commenting on this, Dr. Mukesh Batra, Chairman cum Managing Director, Dr. Batra’s Positive Health Clinics Pvt. Ltd., said, “81% of people suffering from chronic ailments either self medicate or do nothing at all. This is a disturbing trend throughout the country. Homeopathy is often approached as a last resort when all other treatments have failed. Due to this, the duration of the treatment increases since the ailment reaches an advanced stage. In fact, 73% of homeopathy as well as conventional medicine users believe that we provide the best solution in homeopathy. 52% people in Mumbai believe that homeopathy is safe. ”

The research threw light on the friction between conventional medicine and homeopathy. It highlighted that while people opt for conventional medicine because it enjoys top-of-mind recall (59%) and has immediate results (56%), they choose homeopathy because it is safe (53%) or is recommended by friends and relatives (50%). Also, 20% of the population who had never tried allopathy would opt for it because it provides quick relief, and solutions for all problems. An important aspect to be considered is that while 62% of the current homeopathy users have never tried allopathy, 82% of homoeopathy users would not switch to conventional treatments. Also, if a person enrolls for homeopathic treatment in the early stages of his problem, it is less likely that he would want to switch to conventional treatments.

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