SHIFT OF ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE TO TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

 ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE:  Generally, allopathic medicine refers to

"the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called Western medicine, biomedicine, scientific medicine, or modern medicine[citation needed] with varying degrees of acceptance by medical professionals in different locales. In the United States the term "allopathic" has been used by persons not related to homeopathy.

Allopathic medicine and allopathy (from Greek , llos, other, llos, different + ,pthos, suffering) are terms coined by Samuel pthos, Hahnemann, Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy homeopathy

Allopathic medicine: The system of medical practice which treats disease by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the disease under treatment. Also called conventional medicine

ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE:
The term "Allopath" comes from the Greek roots meaning "opposite" and "disease"-- the form "allopathy" "disease"-"allopathy" being formed by false analogy. . However, many alternative treatments could be termed "allopathic" as well, eg. whether eg. using a pharmaceutical drug or an herbal preparation as a laxative, both are treating by allopathic principles.

Allopathic medicine - History of Allopathy

Practitioners of alternative medicine have used the term "allopathic medicine" to refer to the practice of conventional medicine in both Europe and the United States since the 19th century. . In the U.S., this was also referred to as regular medicine-medicine-that is, medicine that was practiced by the regulars. . The practice of "conventional" medicine in both Europe and America during the 19th century is sometimes referred to as the age of 'heroic medicine. . Heroic medicine is a term for aggressive medical practices or methods of treatment which were later overcome by scientific advances.

Allopathic Methods of Treatment :

HISTORY OF ALLOPATHY

. Allopaths used bleeding, leeching, cupping, blistering, purging, puking, poulticing and rubbing with toxic ointments to treat their patients. All of these allopathic treatment methods were thought to be cleansing, purifying, and balancing treatments. . Bleeding -- "Bleeding was usually the initial treatment."There were a few treatment."There different methods of bleeding a person. Bleeding was said to reduce the patient. It was believed that the use of bleeding released bad blood which contained disease from a person's body. . Blood-Letting -- A patient's vein was directly cut with a lancet (venesection). Blood(venesection). . Leeching -- Leeching is a method of bleeding with leeches. "A leech was placed in a thin tube while the patient's skin was washed and shaved. To encourage the leech to bite, a drop of blood or milk was placed on the area of a vein. Then the tube with the leech in it was inverted over the spot, and the leech sucked blood from the vein. When it was felt that the leech had taken enough blood, salt was sprinkled on the leech, causing the leech to stop sucking and to let go of the skin."

Cupping -- A treatment in which evacuated glass cups are applied to cut skin in order to draw blood. Cupping was usually used in combination with blood-letting. Special cups were heated and placed over the cuts, creating a vacuum, allowing the blood to freely flow from the vein. Blistering -- It was believed that the pain of blistering caused the patient to focus on a new pain, taking their minds away from the more serious pain from which they suffered. "Blistering was a common method of treating the following diseases: congestion of the brain, inflammation of the brain, sore eyes, sore throat, inflammation of the stomach and lungs, of the liver, of the spleen, spinal irritation, bilious, typhus and typhoid fevers, and a great many other diseases too numerous to mention.

Plastering -- Plasters were paste-like mixtures, made from a variety of ingredients, including even substances such as cow manure. They were applied to the chest or back of a person suffering from a chest cold, or an internal pain--even pneumonia. Poulticing -- Poultices were made from bread and milk, and sometimes other ingredients were added such as potatoes, onions, herbs, and linseed oil. Poultices were applied to cuts, wounds, bites, and boils.

Puking -- Puking consisted of dosing a patient with emetics in order to produce vomiting. The practice of puking was believed to relieve tension on arteries and to expel poisons from the body. Sweating -- Sweating is a treatment where patients were made to sweat out the poisons that caused their disease. Fumigations -- The practice of fumigating was one of drugging the breathing apparatus with everything that could be smoked, solvented, pulverized and gasified.

Purging -- Purging is a treatment that induces evacuation of the patient's bowels or intestines with powerful laxatives. Purging, which was done to cleanse the body of toxins or irritants. "The most commonly used purgative was calomel, a form of mercuric chloride. Ointments -- Ointments containing mercury were topically used against venereal diseases. Sulfur was quitted commonly used to treat itching.

 Dehydration --

"During most of the last century, it was standard medical practice to with hold water from the acutely ill and thousands of patients literally died of dehydration. ... It was contrary to the teachings of the allopathic school of medicine to give water, inside or out, to a fever patient. Often the dying, when being granted their 'last wish,' were given the previously denied water and recovered. The sick body called for water, which was needed, and would have received it with gratitude and benefited from it, but the physicians denied it.

Famous People Killed by Allopathy



George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States died on December 14, 1799. Washington was prematurely bleed and poisoned to death. His death has been very well documented right down to the attending physicians responsible for his death. Washington caught cold while riding on his estate and developed pneumonia. As Washington's condition declined, Doctor James Craik called on fellow physicians Elisha Dick and Gustavus Brown for help. Washington's doctors bled, blistered, and purged him. He did not respond to these treatments and died. Today, doctors believe George Washington was dying from an acute streptococchal infection of the larynx, which caused a painful swelling of the interior of the larynx resulting in suffocation.

 William Harrison (1773-1841), was

the 9th President of the United States, and held the shortest term as President. He served only 31 days. He was also the first US President to die in office.  William Harrison (1773-1841), was the 9th President of the United States, and held the shortest term as President. He served only 31 days. He was also the first US President to die in office. And, was 68 years old. Harrison gave a two hour inaugural speech on a cold, wet, and blustery March 4th; he caught a severe cold that developed quickly into pneumonia

TRADITONAL MEDICINE
 

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicine as: "the health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being. Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous or folk medicine) comprises medical knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine. Practices known as traditional medicines include herbal, Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, Unani, ancient Iranian medicine, Islamic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Muti, If, traditional African medicine, and other medical knowledge and practices all over the globe.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE and Folk medicine refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology
health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience. . Folk medicine often coexists with formalized, education-based, and educationinstitutionalized systems of healing such as Western medicine or systems of traditional medicine like Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, but is distinguishable medicine, from formalized or institutionalized healing systems. . Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is based on a set of interventions designed to restore balance to human beings. The therapies usually considered under the heading of classic Chinese medicine include: . Acupunture and moxibustion .Dietary regulation .Herbal remedies .Massage .Therapeutic exercise

HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for thousands of years. Although the first recorded history of TCM dates back over 2,000 years, it is believed that the origins of TCM goes back more than 5,000 years. . China also developed a large body of traditional medicine. Much of the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine derived from empirical observations of disease and illness by Taoist physicians and reflects the classical Chinese belief that individual human experiences express causative principles effective in the environment at all scales. . These causative principles, whether material, essential, or mystical, correlate as the expression of the natural order of the universe.

Who uses
 

traditional medicine?

In some Asian and African countries, 80% of the population depend on traditional medicine for primary health care. In many developed countries, 70% to 80% of the population has used some form of alternative or complementary medicine (e.g. acupuncture). Herbal treatments are the most popular form of traditional medicine, and are highly lucrative in the international marketplace. Annual revenues in Western Europe reached US$ 5 billion in 2003-2004. In China sales of products totaled US$ 14 billion in 2005. Herbal medicine revenue in Brazil was US$ 160 million in 2007.

Challenges :
Traditional medicine has been used in some communities for thousands of years. As traditional medicine practices are adopted by new populations there are challenges.

International diversity:
Traditional medicine practices have been adopted in different cultures and regions without the parallel advance of international standards and methods for evaluation.

 Patient

safety and use:

Many people believe that because medicines are herbal (natural) or traditional they are safe (or carry no risk for harm). However, traditional medicines and practices can cause harmful, adverse reactions if the product or therapy is of poor quality, or it is taken inappropriately or in conjunction with other medicines.

WHO
  

response :

  

WHO and its Member States cooperate to promote the use of traditional medicine for health care. The collaboration aims to: support and integrate traditional medicine into national health systems in combination with national policy and regulation for products, practices and providers to ensure safety and quality; ensure the use of safe, effective and quality products and practices, based on available evidence; acknowledge traditional medicine as part of primary health care, to increase access to care and preserve knowledge and resources; and ensure patient safety by upgrading the skills and knowledge of traditional medicine providers.

      

     

Traditional medicine East Asian Traditional Chinese medicine | Kampo | Traditional Korean medicine | Traditional Mongolian medicine | Traditional Tibetan medicine South & Southeast Asian Ayurveda | Sri Lankan Ayurveda | Jamu | Siddha medicine | Thai traditional medicine | Unani Mediterranean & Near Eastern Byzantine medicine | Ancient Egyptian medicine | Ancient Greek medicine | Medieval Islamic medicine | Ancient Iranian Medicine | Roman medicine African Inyanga | Muti | Nganga | Sangoma | Yoruba medicine Americas Ayahuasca | Aztec | Traditional Brazilian medicine | Maya Australasia & Oceania Bush medicine

Evaluation of hypertension treatment by Traditional Chinese Medicine

Medication : In China, medication is the method of TCM most commonly used for the treatment of hypertension. Chinese scientists, through about 40 years of clinical and experimental studies, have found many medicinal herbs and compound formulae to have the effects of descending hypertension. For example, the researchers of Shanghai Institute of Hypertension have screened 498 medicinal herbs and 103 compound formulae, they found 136 herbs. Acupuncture Therapy : This includes body needling, head needling, ear needling, plum-blossom needle therapy, laser-needle therapy, hydro-acupuncture therapy, and so on. All these therapies are used in China in the treatment of hypertension. Among these methods, body needling is used most commonly. Qigong Therapy : Qigong is a system of traditional knowledge and skill of regulating respiration and concentration of the mind. It is practiced for physical training, for prevention and treatment of diseases.

Moxibustion Therapy : Moxibustion refers to the therapeutic method of applying an ignited cone or stick of mugwort or other medicinal herbs over certain acupoint of patient's body. This method is sometimes used in the treatment of hypertension. Cupping Therapy : Cupping Therapy refers to the therapeutic method of applying partial vacuum cups onto certain parts of the patient's body. In China, this method is also used in the treatment of hypertension. Magnet Therapy : Magnet Therapy refers to the therapeutic method of applying a magnet over or on certain acupoints of patient's body. In the treatment of hypertension3 the acupoints chosen are the same as those chosen in acupuncture therapy.

Massage therapy


Massage therapy is sometimes used to treat hypertension. It has been observed that massage can drop the elevated blood pressure to some degree. Studies have shown that Moxibustion Therapy, Cupping Therapy, Magnet Therapy, and Massage Therapy mentioned above lower hypertension mainly through physically stimulating the body, reflectively leading to regulation of the central nervous system, and therefore leading to a series of reactions, and the blood pressure is then descended.

The clinical diagnosis and treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine are mainly based on the yin-yang and five elements theories. These theories apply the phenomena and laws of nature to the study of the physiological activities and pathological changes of the human body and its interrelationships. The typical TCM therapies include acupuncture, herbal medicine, and qigong exercises. With acupuncture, treatment is accomplished by stimulating certain areas of the external body. Herbal medicine acts on zang-fu organs internally, while qigong tries to restore the orderly information flow inside the network through the regulation of Qi. These therapies appear very different in approach yet they all share the same underlying sets of assumptions and insights in the nature of the human body and its place in the universe. Some scientists describe the treatment of diseases through herbal medication, acupuncture, and qigong as an "information therapy".

Treatment based on syndrome differentiation and treatment simply against the symptoms of hypertension :

Treatment based on syndrome differentiation is one of the principles, and also one of the characteristics, of TCM, and the therapeutic effects of TMC depend greatly on it. In treatment of hypertension, syndrome differentiation is also very important. As we already known, Chinese medical scientists have found in experimental studies that many medicinal herbs and formulae are effective for the treatment of hypertension. Theoretically speaking, clinical case of hypertension will responds to these medicines or formulae. But in fact, if these medicines are used not according to the principle of syndrome differentiation, the therapeutic effects would be unsatisfactory, or the disease would not respond to these medicines, there would be no effect at all.




About the criterion of the therapeutic effects :

TCM is basically a phenomenal medicine, medical phenomena are very important to TCM. Clinical phenomena are valuable index for TCM to make diagnosis and to evaluate therapeutic effects. These phenomena include patients subjective feelings, i.e. the subjective symptoms. According to TCM, these symptoms should be taken to evaluate the effects of therapeutic methods. Generally speaking, alleviation of some symptoms usually reflects that patient's life quality is improved, and it also reflects that patient's body has returned to a new balance state. It has been observed that the alleviation of the subjective symptoms is usually accompanied by descending of blood pressure. So it is needed and practicable to take patients subjective symptoms as standards for evaluation of therapeutic effects, especially in the treatment by TCM.

REFERENCES


 

Acharya, Deepak and Shrivastava Anshu (2008): Indigenous Herbal Medicines: Tribal Formulations and Traditional Herbal Practices, Aavishkar Publishers Distributor, Jaipur- India. ISBN 9788179102527. pp 440. ^ Davis, Adam Brooke. "A Few Words About Folk Medicine/ ^ a b c "Fact sheet no. 134: Traditional medicine". World Health Organization. 2008-12-01. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs134/en/index.html. Retrieved 2009-05-02. ^ Girish Dwivedi, Shridhar Dwivedi (2007) (PDF). History of Medicine: Sushruta the Clinician Teacher par Excellence. National Informatics Centre. http://medind.nic.in/iae/t07/i4/iaet07i4p243.pdf. Retrieved 200810-08. ^ a b c d e Kay, MA (1996). Healing with plants in the American and Mexican West. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. pp. 1920. ISBN 0816516464.

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