Allopathic medicine was a term coined by homeopathy founder Samuel Hahnemann to describe early 19th-century medical treatments that treated symptoms in potentially harmful ways. Today, the term is used by some alternative practitioners to describe modern Western medicine, although it has a derogatory connotation. Modern medicine focuses on diagnosing and treating the disease itself, while also treating symptoms. There are still some elements of allopathic medicine used today, but the balance between treating symptoms and the disease has made medical care much safer.
Allopathic medicine, which roughly means “other than disease” in Greek, is a term coined by homeopathy practitioner and founder Samuel Hahnemann. It is intended to describe early 19th-century medical treatments, such as cupping, leeches, and bloodletting, which treated the symptoms of the disease in potentially harmful ways. Despite the historical context, the term is still used today by some homeopathic practitioners to describe modern or conventional medicine.
In the early 19th century, traditional medical treatments focused more on treating symptoms than understanding and treating the actual disease. This started what was known as “heroic” or allopathic medicine. Instead of understanding the cause of the symptoms, doctors have typically tried to counteract the symptoms. For example a fever, which often causes facial flushing, has been treated with bloodletting to reduce the amount of blood in the body, therefore reducing the flushing.
Hahnemann took issue with this practice, describing the medicine of his era as allopathic medicine and accusing traditional doctors of curing everything but disease, as they seemed to focus only on the symptoms. Since then, the term allopathic medicine has taken on a derogatory connotation. It is most often used by homeopathic or alternative practitioners to generically describe today’s practice of Western medicine.
Although Western medicine has moved far beyond the treatment philosophy of the 19th century, the term allopathic medicine can still be used to describe many modern treatments. In the case of constipation, for example, treatment is usually started with laxatives, thus addressing the symptom rather than the root cause. Modern medicine is more focused on diagnosing and treating the disease itself, although allopathic medicine is still used alongside this to treat symptoms.
Modern day scientists and researchers generally understand that most of the symptoms associated with a certain disease are the result of the body fighting off a disease. Again, in the case of fever, it is now known that a high temperature is the result of the body fighting off a bacteria or virus; as long as the fever isn’t too high, it should generally be allowed to run its course. While modern medicine usually acknowledges the fact that symptoms are often the body’s way of healing itself, it also realizes that symptoms can often cause great discomfort and potentially harm a patient. Therefore, steps are often taken to relieve symptoms and to allow specific treatment of the disease. Thus, the term allopathic medicine can still be used today, although most Western physicians do not describe the type of medicine they practice as allopathic.
As with most things, moderation tends to be key in the medical field. While modern technology and research have moved the practice of medicine away from true allopathy, there are still some elements of the practice used today. This balance between diagnosing and treating a disease, along with treating symptoms, has generally made medical care much safer than ever before.
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