Why are doctors so scared?

A week ago yesterday I had my left total hip replacement operation at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.  When a student nurse unpacked my bag when I got to the ward she found my supplements and immediately reported this to a Staff Nurse, who had to clear it with the Doctor on duty.  He eventually reluctantly said that I could keep them, but that he would not prescribe them as other doctors would think he had lost it.

Now, I kind of expected this sort of a reaction, but to one of the supplements which they seemed very suspicious about, I have to admit that I was very surprised by this reaction.  The supplement in question is Arnica in homeopathic pillule 30c strength.  True, this was a junior doctor, but I had expected him to have some knowledge about the properties of Arnica.  The next day a pharmacist came round to check my meds and she was indeed suspicious of the other supplements, though this was partly because I had each day's worth in tiny jam pots who get in hotels etc rather than in their original containers (it is just so much easier to do it this way, rather than daily).  The pharmacist's opinion of Arnica - it is amazing stuff.

The properties of Arnica which help to reduce bruising and swelling are very well known, but still they come under the umbrella of 'Alternative' medicine and so conventional western medicine ignores something which is so effective and which has no known interactions with conventional medicine.  THINK people!  If it didn't work, people would not keep on using it in the age of Big Pharma and all their concoctions which are 'proven' to work.  It is used because it works and it is safe when used correctly.  I don't want to take things which give me side effects so I have to take more meds for those side effects, which give me side effects ... and so on round in circles.

http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/arnica-medicinal-uses.html for more info.

Doctors are trained by a system which is totally in thrall to science, and which seems to embue them with the belief that there is only one way to deal with a given illness or situation.  Surely they still practice the art of medicine don't they?  This term indicates to me the ability to think and work from experience; to be able to adapt to a situation and use the treatment which is best suited to the patient, the disease and the situation.  One size does NOT fit all, and a monolithic approach is of no help to anyone when they are trying to deal with something that is complex, and besides, surely they should try a kinder approach first before doing something radical.