The more intelligent among the humans were quick to find preparations made from things of biological and mineral origin which could cure many problems. The proverbial "Medicine-man"with his real medicines coupled with sorcery and mumbo-jumbo became the most powerful-and dreaded- figure in the society. However, a number of social changes prompted many to study and record aspects of sickness and cure in a more systematic way.
Thus were born a large number of medical systems worldwide, the oldest ones being codified by 1000 BC at the earliest. The most probable date is perhaps 500 BC. Thus India gave birth to Ayurveda, the Middle East to Unani and the Chinese to Acupuncture systems. These systems did have some occult component in them, but they were much more empirical and objective than the mumbo-jumbo of the medicine-man.
Once the details of medical systems were reduced to writing , they lent themselves to systematic study and investigation by a large number of persons interested in the art and science of healing. These more developed and refined forms of traditional and ancient fields of medicine are now collectively called Alternative or Complimentary Medicine.
Development of Alternative Medicine Concept :Almost all traditional systems of medicines explained their theory as well as practice on the basis of philosophies and world-views. This is the way in which any art or science develops, and their is nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, however, almost all practitioners of these systems held rigidly to their original philosophies even when developments in science revealed those starting assumptions to be false or inadequate. Though people in other fields quickly abandoned or modified their theoretical grounds, those in older systems of medicines did not do so. They did not even care because they did not feel threatened as long as their systems were working. And most of them had no inkling of these things to come.
With the rise of modern science came a new system of medicine (now called Allopathy) that depend on rigorous canons of science. They based their theories upon the most accurate information available, and built a system whereby these foundational theories were modified and upgraded continually with growing scientific information . Consequently, as modern western science grew, modern western system of medicine also grew as an integral part of it. And when science began to dominate every field of knowledge and endeavor, western medicine also became dominant.
Once western science began to conquer the world (mainly through colonization of poorer countries), almost everything non-western (arts, sciences, knowledge)began to be seen as outdated, primitive, and even superstitious. True, there were many things that were definitely primitive and even superstitious, but in their quest for empirical truth they also threw the baby with the bathwater. Thus were the ancient and the traditional systems of machine ignored, rejected, and even suppressed. Once medical colleges sprang up worldwide, and once western medicine became the best source for earning a decent living, the best, the brightest, and the most intelligent young people began to abandon traditional systems so as to migrate to Allopathy. This boosted the presence and prestige of Allopathy further but at the expense of traditional systems of medicines. This, in brief, is the way a large number of useful medical systems were eclipsed or abandoned. But fortunately, all was not lost.
Many people kept traditional medicines alive through family inheritance of these crafts. And worldwide poverty kept them attractive ( or the only option) to the poor. But the aura of the respectability was no longer there. There were however some rays of light when many of the Allopaths began to discover the limitations of their systems and looked around for additional methods of healing. Mesmer and others developed occultic systems that depended upon the play of invisible, non -physical and scientifically obscure"paranormal forces". But they attracted only limited following from people weary of paranormal.
A breach in the monopolistic position of Allopathy was made when Samuel Hahnneman developed his system now called Homeopathy(the treatment with "similars"). He labelled the western system as Allopathy(treatment by "dissimilars" )and these names stuck. Hahnneman was qualified Allopath, and therefore he was able to develop his system to a high level. Today Homeopathy has become a powerful and popular system due to its empirical success, though its theory even today lacks theoretical justification or scientific support. Today Homeopathy courses are offered by accredited Universities worldwide.
The rise of Homeopathy can be called the first major breach in the monopoly of Allopathy,but there was no significant change worldwide in the overall domination of Allopathy. Things began to change again with the rise of West's love for East. Many scholars in the Western countries began taking a deep interest in the cultural, technological, and scientific traditions of more ancient civilizations. Gradually this began to bring popularity in West to systems alien to them.
Meanwhile many people working within traditional medical systems began aggressive drives to revive and popularize these systems. Their success in curing at least some cases, Their cost -effectiveness, and the exponentially rising cost of Allopathic medication and treatment finally convinced a substantial number of policymakers that the goal of "Health For All" can be attained affordably only if traditional systems are also pressed into service. Hundreds of NGOs and tens of thousands of practitioners worldwide also made their voices heard. Terms like Wholistic (now, holistic) and Alternative Medicines came into common usage. Finally World Health Organization and then a large number of organizations worldwide accepted and declared that Alternative Medicines are essential to bring Health To All. And Alternative Medicines finally was revived to stay for long.
A large number of medical organizations also played a significant role in keeping these systems alive, in systematic exploration, and in popularizing them.
Dr. Johnson C. Philip is an acknowledged Guru in Net Based Income, and Christian Studies.
naturopath sydney: sydney naturopath
naturopath sydney: sydney naturopath
Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com
No comments:
Post a Comment