Allopaths, Naturopaths, and Integrative Medicine

A Lesson in Technology, Diagnostics, and Bullshit Detection



Allopaths are clinical health professionals–physicians, psychiatrists, pharmacists, nurses—the backbone of the great American resource of Western Medicine. They practice allopathy, a therapeutic system in which a disease is treated by conventional means, i.e. with drugs (usually pharmaceutical) that have effects opposite to the symptoms. Got an itch? Use antihistamines. Got an infection? Use antibiotics.

There is an over reliance on drugs in this system and I question the efficacy of allopathic methods.

Allopaths possess an amazing power to diagnose ailments. As trained clinicians they are taught to function from offices and to surround themselves with technologies like blood pressure cuffs, syringes, bone density scanners, stethoscopes, scales and computers. They perform tests, cross-reference results, and use math-based logic to accurately pinpoint the root cause of symptoms. For some patients this is a comfortable situation. For myself, this system lacks integrity.

In the allopathic system a patient receives a diagnosis for their symptoms and usually the diagnosis is followed by a prescription for a particular medication or ‘treatment’. The treatment process then falls into the hands of the pharmaceutical industry—a very BIG business—and the pharmaceutical companies have an enormous impact on American allopathic diagnostic techniques.

Pharmaceutical companies actually possess the ability to create a new diagnosis, which in turn creates new dis-eases. It’s a form of invention. By embarking on huge marketing and PR campaigns, drug companies, and the allopathic research doctors that work for them, actually define new diseases, attempting to create a marketplace for new drugs.

Drug companies provide clinical doctors and pharmacists with frequent seminars, including fully catered banquets generally involving food and alcohol, where they teach about new diseases and the drugs available for their treatment. Representatives from the drug companies visit doctors’ offices and pharmacies bearing gifts in the form of marketing materials such as pens, pins, pads, posters, coffee mugs, and water bottles, all of which display the name of the new drug. This promotes the ‘brand name.’ The representatives also bring food, usually junk foods such as pizza, donuts and desserts, and sometimes they even cater office lunches, to encourage the office staff while they work to promote their new diseases and treatments.

Please keep in mind that these same drug companies manufacture, market, and sell the medication that treats the new dis-ease PLUS they sell the health-insurance coverage required by the patient to afford the compulsory treatment medicine(s)! So, before running directly to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription—the ‘magic bullet’, the ‘cure in a bottle’—I believe it is an important step to question the allopath’s ability to properly treat symptoms.

Naturopaths are holistic practitioners that treat a wide variety of illnesses and offer alternative medicines which are non-pharmaceutical. Instead of the ‘disease’ they believe in treating the ‘whole person’—the spirit as well as the physical body—and emphasize preventive care. They often recommend changes in diet and lifestyle to enhance the health of their patients. Usually, their treatment methodologies are rooted in ancient Eastern medical philosophies like Chinese Medicine and are founded on the premise that people are naturally healthy and that healing can occur by removing obstacles to a cure and by stimulating the body's natural healing abilities. In naturopathic medicine the foundations of health are diet, nutrition, homeopathy, physical manipulation, stress management, and exercise—obviously, in my opinion, more favorable forms of treatment.

Unfortunately, thus far in my experience, many naturopathic practitioners possess poor diagnostic skills. Improper diagnosis can lead to improper treatment, often prolonging and exaggerating preexisting symptoms. Certain practitioners actually denounce the use of technology and will claim that they can feel blocked energies, or can simply see an illness by examining the face. Occasionally this is effective, but, as in the case of the allopathic practitioner, I again find it important to question the naturopath’s ability to properly diagnose and treat my symptoms.

In the 21^st century, in our modern world, we experience modern illnesses that absolutely require the use of modern diagnostics. A truly ‘whole body’ approach is one in which we admit that technology helps us live in this world and our wellbeing is constantly effected by the use of technology. Therefore, in a very modern way, we must incorporate technology into our diagnosis and treatment methods.

Hypothetically, if a naturopath told you that your liver stopped working because you’ve munched too many mashed potatoes and your only hope is to choke-down some magic cure-all herb grown in Swahili zebra dung, then tell Dr. Houdini to buzz-off and take yourself to a clinician, get an ultrasound, get some blood-work done, and determine what your precious organs are truly experiencing.

Better yet, seek to enlist the services of an Integrative Medicine practitioner. Integrative Medicine is the newest in medical theories and is being taught at universities throughout the world. It combines the functional elements of both allopathy and naturopathy. Its doctors recognize that clinical tactics are great for diagnosis, holistic techniques make great treatments, and they actively employ the strongest methods from all known medical systems.

If integrative medicine is not practiced in your area, use allopaths and naturopaths to your advantage. Obtain a proper clinical diagnosis and work in conjunction with an alternative practitioner to produce the most natural and effective remedy for your condition. Consider using the technology of the Internet to learn more about allopathic, naturopathic, and integrative medicines. Spend time discovering diagnostic and treatment options that appeal to you.

I’m a naturalist. Many people assume this translates to a personal longing for the simple ways of the past. They are mistaken. I live in the present. I embrace the modern, the technology, and the idea that the Buddha exists in everything. I am vigilant when seeking answers in this modern world—with so many healing methodologies available, true health is earned through scrupulous questioning and stringent bullshit detection.