ALLOPATHIC MEDICINES

  

ALLOPATHIC MEDICINES

Allopathic medicine is another term for conventional or modern Western medicine. It is an evidence-based system in which doctors and other healthcare professionals treat symptoms using conventional medications.

The terms "allopathic medicine" and "allopathy" are derived from the Greek prefix ????? (állos), meaning "other," "different," and the suffix ????? (páthos), meaning "suffering."

[11] Hahnemann and other early homoeopaths used the term allopath to highlight the difference they perceived between homoeopathy and the "conventional." With the term allopathy (meaning "other than the disease"), Hahnemann intended to point out how physicians employed therapeutic approaches] 

Hahnemann used "allopathy" to refer to what he saw as a system of medicine that combats disease by using remedies that produce effects in a healthy subject. The distinction comes from the use in homoeopathy of substances that are meant to cause similar effects as the symptoms of a disease to treat patients (homeo - meaning "similar").

As used by homoeopaths, the term allopathy has always referred to the principle of treating disease by administering substances that produce other symptoms. For example, part of an allopathic treatment for fever may include the use of a drug that reduces the fever while also including a drug (such as an antibiotic) that attacks the cause of the fever (such as a bacterial infection). A homeopathic treatment for fever, by contrast, uses a diluted dosage of a substance that, in an undiluted form, would induce fever in a healthy person. These preparations are typically diluted so heavily that they no longer contain any actual molecules of the original substance. Hahnemann used this term to distinguish medicine as practised in his time from his use of infinitesimally small doses of substances to treat the spiritual causes of illness.

World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001 defined "allopathic medicine" as "the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called Western medicine, biomedicine, evidence-based medicine, or modern medicine."

Homeopathy  Medicine

"A system of therapeutics founded by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), based on the Law of Similars where "like cures like." Diseases are treated by highly diluted substances that cause, in healthy persons, symptoms like those of the disease to be treated."      "The art and science of studying, performing research on, preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease, as well as the maintenance of health"

"A system of complementary medicine in which ailments are treated by minute doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the ailment"               "The science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

"A system of medical practice that aims to combat disease by use of remedies (as drugs or surgery) producing effects different from or incompatible with those produced by the disease being treated" "The science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease"

Allopathic medicine is another term for conventional Western medicine. Allopathy uses mainstream medical practices like diagnostic blood work, prescription drugs, and surgery.1

An allopathic doctor is typically an MD, while osteopaths (DO), chiropractors (DC), and Asian medical doctors (OMD) usually fall under the complementary medicine umbrella.

Modern medicine grew largely from the discoveries made since the scientific revolution and the ongoing linkage of medical knowledge to rigorous research methods. The coupling of expert knowledge to compassionate delivery of care in modern medicine is often held out as one of the most tangible examples of human progress. It produced a dynamic, self-correcting system that evolves and makes use of discoveries to deliver the best patient care possible.

But not everybody came along for the ride. The progress of scientific medicine continues in stark contrast with other sectarian, cultural, and overtly religious belief systems related to human health. These remained static, and there needs to be more to distinguish between belief systems like naturopathy, homoeopathy, chiropractic, traditional Chinese medicine, and so on today from the practices as they were originally constituted.

In the early 1800s, a schism developed between medical practitioners who espoused the beliefs of Hahnemann, the inventor of homoeopathy (where infinitely dilute preparations of toxic substances are purported to cure illness), and those who felt such ideas were inadequate.

Hahnemann himself coined the term allopath. The term was intended to indicate, in a derogatory way, that conventional practitioners of the early 19th century only treated disease by opposing symptoms and offered nothing in terms of preventing illness or addressing the root causes of disease.

The term allopath was rejected by mainstream medicine but has continued to be used by homoeopaths and other unconventional practitioners when referring to medical doctors. While physicians of the early 1800s had much less to offer patients than they do today, a knowledge of anatomy, the natural history of many diseases, and the early appreciation of the microbial causes of infectious diseases had begun to allow physicians to do far more.

Indeed, as time went on, conventional medicine began to develop and deploy discoveries such as vaccines, insulin, new medicines and surgeries, cancer therapies, and public health campaigns that not only treated symptoms but effectively eliminated a large number of diseases and prevented many others.

It is all the more ironic, then, that the term allopath has become more commonly and effectively levelled by adherents of complementary/alternative/integrative therapies in the medical profession. Perhaps unknowingly, some physicians apply the term to their trade, not understanding that the term connotes a practitioner very different from themselves.

The word is derived from the Greek alloys (against) and pathos (suffering) and really denotes a process of diminishing symptoms. Notably, modern medicine has done more to understand, treat, cure, and prevent disease than any other entity in the history of humankind.

More interestingly, depicting scientific medicine as allopathic medicine is often used as a device to define debate at an administrative level when unconventional practitioners wish to position themselves as equal partners on the healthcare playing field.

The BCMA has heard this from the mouths of government officials in the discussions around the scope of practice, and it appears with some regularity in the submissions of unconventional practitioners to health ministries when extra status is being sought.

When advocating for scarce government health dollars, it sounds so much better to offer naive administrators a choice between naturopathic, homoeopathic, allopathic, Native healing, and Eastern medicine than it does, to tell the truth: that you can choose between a medicine that's consistent with the best information available, or things that aren’t. -Lloyd Oppel, MD Chair, Allied Health and Alternative Therapies Committee.

What Is an Allopathic Doctor?

"             What Does an Allopathic Doctor Do?

"             Education and Training

"             Reasons to See an Allopathic Doctor

Maybe an allopathic doctor has helped you or treated you at some point during your lifetime. These medical professionals treat conditions, symptoms, or diseases using a range of drugs, surgery, or therapies.

Simply put, an allopathic doctor practices modern medicine. Other terms for allopathic medicine include Western, orthodox, mainstream, or conventional medicine.

"Allo," which comes from the Greek word for "opposite," means to treat the symptom with its opposite. Allopathic doctors may specialize in a number of areas of clinical practice and have the title of medical doctor or MD.

What Does an Allopathic Doctor Do?

An allopathic doctor uses allopathic treatments to help people with a variety of conditions or diseases.

They may choose to focus on research or teaching throughout their career, in addition to choosing a field in which to specialize. They can be found in private practice, hospitals, medical centres, or clinics.

Medical doctors practice allopathic medicine rather than osteopathic medicine. More than 90% of doctors currently practising in the United States have the title MD.

The other 10% are doctors of osteopathic medicine or osteopaths. They're similar to allopathic doctors in that they use a variety of modern medicine, technology, and drugs to treat people. However, they also incorporate holistic care and philosophy into their practice.

An allopathic doctor is certified to diagnose and treat illnesses in addition to performing surgery and prescribing medications. An allopathic doctor can get licensed to perform their duties in any of the 50 states of the United States.

Education and Training

All doctors who practice allopathy follow a similar path. First, they complete an undergraduate degree in a related field. Next, the candidate receives a satisfactory score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and completes four years of medical school.

After medical school, an allopathic doctor completes a residency program to get hands-on training alongside medical professionals. Depending on the speciality, a residency program can last from 3 to 7 years.

Some specialities in allopathy include:

"             Cardiovascular medicine

"             Neurology

"             Oncology

"             Pediatrics

"             Surgery

"             Family medicine

"             Dermatology

"             Orthopedics

"             Internal medicine

The American Board of Medical Specialties recognizes 24 board-certified areas of speciality in allopathy. Within these specialities are many other subspecialties that an allopathic doctor may choose to focus on.

Reasons to See an Allopathic Doctor

You may visit an allopathic doctor for several reasons. You might go when you have symptoms that interfere with your daily life or well-being.

You should also seek out allopathic care if you have any of the following ongoing symptoms. While many are common in the short term, these symptoms may be signs of a larger problem if they don't go away.

"             Digestive problems like:

o             Constant heartburn

o             Trouble swallowing

o             Severe belly pain

o             Ongoing constipation

o             Diarrhoea that lasts more than three days

o             Blood in your poop

o             Poop that's black and tar-like

o             Back pain that's:

o             Constant and spreads down your legs

o             Accompanied by sweating, fever, swelling, or redness on your back

"             Period problems such as:

o             Severe cramps

o             Irregular cycles

o             Bleeding between cycles

o             No cycle for more than three months

These are a few examples of when it might be time to get allopathic care. An allopathic doctor is committed to helping people and improving their health. They're there to listen, provide care, and help you improve your overall well-being.

What Is Allopathic Medicine?

Allopathic medicine refers to the practice of conventional Western medicine.2 The term allopathic medicine is most often used to contrast conventional medicine with complementary medicine.

Integrative medicine is the term that is being increasingly used to refer to the practice of combining the best of complementary medicine with the best of conventional medicine to manage and reduce the risk of disease.

Allopathic medicine examples include:

"             Antibiotics

"             Blood work and laboratory testing

"             Chemotherapy

"             Hormone replacement therapy

"             Insulin

"             like Paracetamol (acetaminophen) and naproxen

"             Primary care medicine

"             Specialists in cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, and rheumatology

"             Surgery

"             Vaccines

"             Ultrasounds

"             X-rays

History of Allopathy

The term allopathic medicine was coined in the 1800s to differentiate two types of medicine.4 Homeopathy was on one side, based on the theory that "like cures like."5 The thought with homoeopathy is that very small doses of a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease could be used to alleviate that disease.

In contrast, allopathic medicine was defined as the practice of using opposites: using treatments that have the opposite effects of the symptoms of a condition.

At the time, the term allopathic medicine was often used in a derogatory sense. It referred to radical treatments such as bleeding people to relieve fever. Over the years, this meaning has changed, and now the term encompasses most of the modern medicine in developed countries.

Current Allopathic Practices

Today, allopathic medicine is mainstream medicine. The term is no longer derogatory and instead describes current Western medicine. Most physicians are considered allopathic providers.

Medical insurance covers most types of allopathic care, whereas complementary medicine is often an out-of-pocket cost.

Examples of allopathic medicine include everything from primary care physicians to specialists and surgeons.

Other terms used interchangeably with allopathic medicine include:

"             Conventional medicine

"             Traditional Western medicine

"             Orthodox medicine

"             Mainstream medicine

"             Biomedicine

"             Evidence-based medicine

These allopathic monikers are usually contrasted with complementary practices, such as:

"             Ayurveda

"             Traditional Chinese Medicine

"             Folk medicine

"             Homeopathy

"             Natural medicine or naturopathy

"             Bioregulatory medicine

"             Phototherapy

Allopathic vs. Alternative Medicine

In the past, allopathic practitioners tended to look down on alternative medicine practitioners and vice versa. However, that is changing as more physicians find alternative practices that may be beneficial. This is particularly the case when a patient suffers from a chronic medical condition that lacks a "quick fix" with a pill or procedure.

Likewise, many alternative practitioners realize that allopathic medicine clearly has a role.6 For example, if your appendix is inflamed and getting ready to burst, a holistic doctor would send you to a surgeon, which is an allopathic practitioner.

Research shows both sides of medicine can be helpful, depending on the diagnosis.7 A 2017 study found allopathic providers tend to care for people with concrete conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Alternative practitioners, on the other hand, tend to treat symptoms such as pain, congestion, and constipation.7

Today, allopathic and alternative medicine are being combined as a way to both treat conditions and relieve symptoms. This is known as integrative medicine.

What Is Integrative Medicine?

Integrative medicine practices aim to provide the best of both worlds. Conventional medicine is the primary treatment technique, and alternative therapies complement patient care.

Integrative care is commonly seen in many cancer centres. Allopathic medicine treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are used to treat cancer. Alternative methods like acupuncture, meditation, and massage are used to treat the side effects of cancer treatments.8

Examples of alternative methods often used along with allopathic medicine include:

"             Acupuncture

"             Art therapy

"             Massage therapy

"             Meditation

"             Music therapy

"             Pet therapy

"             Qigong

"             Reiki

"             Yoga