History of alternative medicine
History of alternative medicine
History states that alternative medicine goes back 5000 years, to traditional Chinese medicine, Indian (Ayuryedic Medicine) and similar healing traditions in many cultures. The general belief was that the body's energy must stand in harmony with spirit, body and soul. A doctor only made healing easier by identifying and eliminating obstacles that would inevitably lead to healing. The therapy included changes in lifestyle, self -care and preventive measures.
What we know today as a complementary and alternative medicine (cam) has roots that go back to Chinese (traditional Chinese medicine), Indian (Ayurvedic medicine) and similar healing traditions for 5,000 years. For thousands of years, these different medical traditions believed in the energy of the body and the need for harmony between spirit, body and soul. The doctor simply made the healing process easier by identifying and eliminating obstacles.
During most of the 19th century, doctors applied the same skills as today's herbal, osteopaths and nutritionists; They were generous with time and empathy and relied on a good behavior at the bedside. The prayer was important, as was "air change", laxative, bleeding and leeches. By the beginning of the 20th century, sick people relied on the same therapies as their ancestors.
The decades after the Second World War brought significant changes. As the family doctor and journalist James Lefanu found in his book "The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine" written in the 50s, a number of medical breakthroughs demonstrated that previous healing attempts were nothing more than quacks. The new medical breakthroughs included the discovery of penicillin, cortisone (a strong anti -inflammatory drug), streptomycin (a strong antibiotic that is effective in the treatment of tuberculosis), insulin (for the treatment of diabetes) and chlorinepromazine (an antipsychotic, schizophrenia). Operations on the open heart, hip prostheses, kidney transplants, intensive care and successful vaccination programs have saved countless million lives and improved their quality.
It is no surprise that so much power to change human fate would lead to it, as Lefefanu indicates, “that this means that home remedies such as massage, manipulation and nutritional advice are given up in order to only be taken up by alternative practitioners”. This is exactly what happened - with a dramatic explosion of growth of "alternative" therapies in the second half of the 20th century. In addition to modern medicine, CAM began to develop as a completely independent discipline - which despised the achievements of conventional medicine, while at the same time it was dismissed by the established practitioners as ineffective and fraudulent. For most people it was a delicate process to get the best of school and alternative medicine. Those who chose both the general and alternative medical care found that the best strategy was to remain calm to avoid criticism. Those who tried to use both services have learned to avoid criticism.