|
||
Definition:
The term "allopathy" was coined by Samuel Christian Hahnemann to refer to mainstream
medicine and to differentiate it from his own creation, homeopathy. Allopathy is supposed
to be characterized by an effort to counteract the symptoms of a disease by administering
treatments which have the "opposite" effect, in contrast to homeopathy which treats
symptoms by administering a treatment which has the "same" effect.
Today, adherents of various forms of alternative medicine use the term allopathy to refer to modern, scientific medicine in a negative manner. According to them, allopathic treatments only go after the symptoms of a disease and fail to treat the "whole person." Because of this, they often refer to their own methodology as "holistic" in nature. Such criticism are, however mistaken.
It is true that modern medicine has often worked on the symptoms of a disease without enough regard for the social and psychological condition of the patient, but that has changed a great deal over the years. Science-based medicine is much more "holistic" than philosophy-based alternative medicines would like to believe. Moreover, science-based medicine may treat the symptoms of a disease, but it does not end there. Rather, it is greatly conerned with finding the root cause of a disease and eliminating that.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Alternative Medicine?
There's an awful lot in the news and in society about "alternative medicines" these days. By some estimates, it's an industry doing between $15 and $20 billion annually - and growing! But what is alternative medicine - how does it differ from scientific medicine and why do people use it?Skepticism & Critical Thinking
This is the main index for issues dealing with skepticism, critical thinking, logic and arguments. The first section is Critical Thinking itself - how to think about claims and arguments you hear, how to critique arguments, and how to formulate your own arguments such that they are more likely to be sound and valid. The second section is about Skeptical Investigations - the practical application of the critical thinking skills covered in the first section. Here you will find critiques of things like astrology, alternative medicine, parapsychology, the New Age and more.
