Allopathic
medicine is a term for scientific, research-based orthodox medicine. The
term is widely used to identify conventional, modern, regular medicine.
The Oxford English Dictionary narrows the term to "the
present prevailing system of medicine".
Without going into the early history of
Allopathy, and the misuse and application of this term, the discussion
here will be focused on today's practice. There are heated debates
whether modern medicine's mission is to actually eliminate disease, or
just out to make a profit. Some have coined modern medicine as "sick
care", opposed to "health care", and for good reasons.
In business, money makes the world
go-around... not love. The modern health care system is a big
business, turning over billions and billions of dollars in
profits. As with all corporations, they embrace only one goal, to
create profits for its shareholders.
And... it's about making money, big
money.... for example:
October 2002
FDA Consumer
magazine
July-August 2002
New Use Approved for Vioxx
The FDA has approved the use of
Vioxx (rofecoxib) for rheumatoid arthritis. Vioxx previously
had been approved for osteoarthritis and pain.
The agency also approved new label text and precautions that
are based on the results of a one-year study. The study
demonstrated that Vioxx was associated with a lower
incidence of serious upper gastrointestinal (GI) adverse
events, including major bleeding, perforation, and
obstruction.
However, the study also found that Vioxx was associated with
a higher rate of heart attacks and other adverse
cardiovascular events, compared with other medications
approved for the same uses.
Vioxx approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration
Is US Health Really the Best in the World?
Barbara Starfield JAMA. 2000;284:483-485.
EXTRACT |
FULL
TEXT |
PDF
Highlights of the article....
According to the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) report "To Err Is Human", an estimated
44,000 to 98,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical
errors.
Out of 13 countries, USA ranks 12th, based on
16 health indictors. The best being first are...
Japan
Sweden
Canada
France
Australia
Spain
Finland
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Denmark
Belgium
United States
Germany
The evidence indicate that American's "bad
behavior", such as smoking, drinking, violence, car accidents,
eating habits, etc... does not account for the low
health indictors.
Iatrogenic damage results in the following...
12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery
7,000 deaths/year from medication errors in
hospitals
20,000 deaths/year from other errors in
hospitals
80,000 deaths/year from nosocomial infections
in hospitals
106,000 deaths/year from nonerror, adverse
effects of medications
These total to 225,000 deaths per year from
iatrogenic causes. "225,000 deaths per year constitutes to the
third leading cause of death in the United States, after deaths from
heart disease and cancer."
Cause of deaths in the United States for 2004...
Heart
disease: 652,486
Cancer:
553,888
Iatrogenic/doctor related causes; 225,000
Stroke
(cerebrovascular diseases): 150,074
Chronic
lower respiratory diseases:121,987
Accidents
(unintentional injuries): 112,012
Diabetes:
73,138
Alzheimer's
disease: 65,965
Influenza/Pneumonia:
59,664
Nephritis,
nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 42,480
Official
Australian government reports reveal that preventable medical
error in hospitals is responsible for 11% of all deaths in
Australia, which is about 1 of every 9 deaths. (British
Medical Journal November 11, 2000; 321: 1178A)
Medication Errors
WASHINGTON
(CNN) -- More people die each year in the United States from
medical errors than from highway accidents, breast cancer or AIDS,
a federal advisory panel reported Monday.
(CNN)
-- Deaths caused by medication mistakes more than doubled between
1983 and 1993, according to findings published in the British medical
journal The Lancet on Saturday.
Pharmaceutical
Facts
According to
industry estimates, drug companies spent $15.7 billion dollars on
promotion in 2000, up from $13.9 billion in 1999. (IMS
Health)
The
"Research-based" pharmaceutical industry spends more on promotion
and administration than it does on research and development. (Families
USA)
Two and
one-half billion dollars were spent on advertising to consumers in
2000, a 35% increase from 1999; $468 million dollars were spent on
journal ads. (NIHCM)
Drug Reactions
CHICAGO (CNN)
-- Adverse reactions to prescription and over-the-counter
medicines kill more than 100,000 Americans and seriously injure an
additional 2.1 million each year, researchers say.
In 1994, an
estimated 2,216,000 (1,721,000 to 2,711,000) hospitalized patients
had serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and 106,000 (76,000 to
137,000) had fatal ADRs, making these reactions between the fourth
and sixth leading cause of death. Fatal ADRs accounted for
0.32 percent (95 percent confidence interval (CI), 0.23 percent to
0.41 percent) of hospitalized patients. JAMA April 15,
1998;279(15):1200-5 BMC Nephrol. December 22, 2003
A
Florida medical examiner's report shows that more people in
Florida died last year from prescription drug overdoses than from
illegal drugs, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported June 6,
2003
Definitions
Allopathy is "the method
of treating disease by the use of agents that produce effects
different from those of the disease treated (opposed to
homeopathy)."
"Drug" is a vague term,
defined by intent: "for example, foods consumed for normal
metabolism are not generally considered "drugs", but the same foods
consumed for a more specific purpose (such as the use of alcohol as
a depressant or caffeine as a stimulant) may be. Depending on the
definition used, the same substance may even be considered both a
food and a drug at the same time."
Homopathy is "the method
of treating disease by drugs, given in minute doses, that would
produce in a healthy person symptoms similar to those of the disease
(opposed to allopathy)."
Naturopathy is "a system
or method of treating disease that employs no surgery or synthetic
drugs but uses special diets, herbs, vitamins, massage, etc., to
assist the natural healing processes."
"Practice of medicine" means
"scientific study of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease."
Conventional medicine is the dominant medical system in the United
States and other developed nations.
Identified with "allopathic" or "orthodox"
medicine.
The term "allopathic" (in Greek "allo" means
other) medicine was coined by Samuel Hahnemann, MD, in the late 18th
century in reference to the concept and method of treating symptoms,
rather than treating the actual cause of the illness.
"Treating symptoms appears to have
developed as one of the guiding treatment principles in orthodox
medicine."
Synonyms for orthodox include
"accepted", "approved", "established", "sanctioned", and
"authoritative."
The use of these synonyms gives "orthodox"
automatic creditability, and automatic absence of alternative
treatments.
Traditional Medicine
"Traditional medicine" is often used
synonymously for orthodox medicine,
"Traditional medicine" is also associated
with cultural indigenous medical systems; i.e., "Traditional Chinese",
"American Medicine."
"Cultural, spiritual and societal beliefs
have largely formed the basis of traditional systems of medicine."
Biomedical Medicine
The term "biomedical" is often refers to
conventional medicine, and suggests credibility and power to
conventional medicine.
Alternative Medicine
The term "alternative medicine" is "used
by many to mean any medical therapy which is not a synthetic drug or
not surgery."
For the purpose of research through the
NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, the definition of complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) is "CAM is a broad domain of healing
resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities, and
practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than
those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a
particular society or culture in a given historical period."
"Alternative medicine has come to mean a
treatment, which is not the standard of care in conventional
medicine."
Natural Medicine
Natural medicine is a system of
medicine within the field of alternative medicine.
Natural medicine is the "science and
art of preventing, curing or alleviating ill health using
treatment modalities in harmony with the laws of nature."
Synonymous of natural medicine is
naturopathic medicine.
Naturopathic Medicine
"Naturopathic medicine began in the
United States in the early 1900's by a German-born healer,
Benedict Lust, and was more formalized and systematized by Henry
Lindlahr, MD in his published volumes on natural therapeutics in
1919. Lust defined naturopathy as the use of nontoxic
healing methods derived from the best traditional healing systems
from around the world. The ideas, theories and practices described
in Lindlahr's first two volumes are so important to understanding
the roots and foundations of natural medicine, that contemporary
naturopathic medical schools still use them as textbooks in
naturopathic medical philosophy courses."
Homeopathic Medicine
System of medicine developed by Samuel
Hahnemann, MD in the late 1800's.
Complementary Medicine
Complementary medicine is a non-standard
treatment given in conjunction with allopathic therapy.
Holistic Medicine
A synonym for natural medicine.
Integrative
The term "integrative medicine" is where a
patient is treated by both allopathic and alternative medicine
practitioners. Integrative medicine is synonymous with complementary
medicine.
Source: Understanding the Differences Between Conventional, Alternative,
Complementary, Integrative and Natural Medicine by Anna
MacIntosh, PhD, ND, Dean of Research, National College of
Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon USA from Townsend Letter,
July 1999.
Alternative Medicine Slips Into the Mainstream
"In medical circles, what was once considered either old-fashioned or
"far out" is getting another look. And sometimes that new look can
bring about different ways to treat diseases and conditions."
Saturday, Sept 25, 2004 HealthDayNews See
Yahoo! News - Alternative Medicine Slips Into the Mainstream
Dr. Wallach shatters today's health
myths using humor and persuasive logic giving hope for those
having health problems. Dr. Wallach exposes the failures of
conventional practices and medicines in the medical community.
Engine Noises & The Mindset of
Today's Healthcare
Taxiing down the
tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to
the gate. After an hour long wait, it finally took off.
A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the
problem?"
"The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine,"
she
explained.
"It took us awhile to find a new pilot."
Symptoms are the
body's way of telling something is wrong, similar to the car's "idiot
light". It alerts the driver of engine problems. Pretty
straightforward and simple, right?
Well... not
really. For instance,
Lawyer's Proverb....
and for health
When you have the facts on your
side, argue the facts.
When you have the law on your
side, argue the law.
When neither is on your side,
change the subject and question the motives of the opposition.
I have discovered
over the years, opponents to health, healthy living, and specific
natural health remedies will not discuss the facts and principles;
rather, they will shout and pound on
tables. Of course. that's after they have assassinated the
character of the messenger; using words like, "nonsense", "ridiculous", "stupid",
etc... But where is the rationale and supporting evidence
behind a claim?
Over
three hundred years ago, the European medical community said it was
ridiculous and absurd that eating citrus fruits. such as limes, will overcome the
scurvy problem. The British thought different, and looked where
it got them-- yea... they coined the term "Limey" and colonized the
entire world!!!
Over a hundred
years ago, the intellectual community said boldly that we have learned
all that can be known. There is no more. Yea right....
Neil Armstrong will differ on that.
The end to any argument is it's "proof of concept."
Things
to Remember
Heart
disease: 652,486
Definitions
Alternative Medicine Slips Into the Mainstream
Over
three hundred years ago, the European medical community said it was
ridiculous and absurd that eating citrus fruits. such as limes, will overcome the
scurvy problem. The British thought different, and looked where
it got them-- yea... they coined the term "Limey" and colonized the
entire world!!!
Over a hundred
years ago, the intellectual community said boldly that we have learned
all that can be known. There is no more. Yea right....
Neil Armstrong will differ on that.
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