Homeopathic treatment for anxiety on the rise in the UAE

Around 40% of the general population in this region is trying to find alternative ways of treating various ailments, including psychological issues. In the United Arab Emirates, many cases of social anxiety are either undiagnosed or simply ignored, mainly due to the misconception that a person who suffers from that type of anxiety is perceived as being shy or an introvert. Experts believe that homeopathy is in a nascent stage in UAE, and awareness and acceptance of homeopathic medicine to treat anxiety is increasing.

A panel of international and regional experts will highlight the implementation of homeopathic treatment for psychological disorders at the Complementary Medicine Conference taking place at the Arab Health Exhibition & Congress from 28-29 January 2014 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

“The main concern in the UAE with regards social anxiety in general comes in two fold: Primarily, it is about accepting the fact that people suffer from social anxiety. It is generally assumed that the individual acts a certain way because they are shy in nature. Secondly, self-realisation is very poor in UAE due to ignorance or lack of awareness, and people have difficulty finding the right resources that provide homeopathic treatment,” highlights Dr Tabassum Inamdar, Clinic Manager, Sultan Al Olama Medical Center, Dubai, UAE.

Brought about by stress, anxiety is a growing concern within UAE society as it leads to many secondary conditions such as social anxiety, alopecia areata, and depression.

“Alopecia has become very common disease in UAE and it not only affects adults but also many school-aged children. One of the common causes is stress, as well as the combined effects of an unhealthy lifestyle and lack of exercise. Almost all types of Alopecia can be treated with homeopathic medicines with no side effect,” says Dr Madina Khatoon, Homeopathic Physician, Sharjah International Holistic Health Centre, Sharjah, UAE.

“Homeopathy can be used with confidence as an alternative therapy in mood disorders, and conditions that either lead to stress or are caused by stress, anxiety and even depression. Homeopathic medicines are non-habit forming and non-addictive, they do not cause after effects and do not cause withdrawal symptoms, they are also reasonably priced compared to very expensive conventional medicines,” commented Dr Sassan  Behjat, chair of the Complementary Medicine Conference, Founder and Principal Consultant, Medblend Homeopathic Consultancy and Research Services, California, USA.

The registration of homeopathic medicinal products in the UAE is a stringent process, requiring the manufacturer to be a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) approved site, the products to be registered in the country of origin and all the products should pass through a thorough quality control before being registered and be allowed to be put on the pharmacy shelves.