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Side Effects of Allopathy

The term allopathy refers to a practice of medicine considered old school, although it is currently the dominant form of health care. The name itself was given by Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, to describe medical treatments of disease in which the causes of illness are all deemed material. Allopathy proposes a material basis for disease, a "thing' caused the problem; a bug, virus, or germ. It means allos, different, other + pathos, disease, suffering. Allopathic medicine uses treatments and medicines which produce symptoms that are different from symptoms of the disease.

  1. The Method

    • The underlying approach in allopathic medicine is the concept of "other", "against" or surgery. If an individual has a health problem, tests are run. If physical problems are not identified, the person is often told to wait while the condition is monitored. Other factors as causes, i.e. diet, nutrition, lifestyle, emotional mismanagement or family problems tend to be de-emphasized or wholly ignored.

      Over time the real problem never may continue to worsen. If this continues the end result is a failed organ and the need for surgical intervention.

    Never Meant to Cure?

    • There are many drugs on the market for headache, learning problems, asthma, ulcers, cholesterol and anxiety, listing just a few categories, all ostensibly to manage medical conditions. It doesn't require penetrating insight to see they are virtually helpless to heal disease.

      The purpose of taking allopathic medicine is to suppress the symptoms one is experiencing, not necessarily to cure, or heal the condition. Long term life regimens of drug taking are encouraged, which often leads to higher incidence of side effects.

      Medication misadventures are a broad categorical group; including adverse drug events (ADEs), adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medication errors.

    Identifying Side Effects

    • Side effects of allopathic medications vary wildly from mild to severe and there are many. They include insomnia, vomiting, fatigue, dry mouth, diarrhea, constipation, dizziness, suicidal thoughts, hostility, difficulty sitting still, depression, mania, seizures, coma, anemia, hair loss, high blood sugar, shoplifting, swelling, impotency, panic attacks, confusion, fainting and death.

      It is often difficult for seniors to keep track of multiple medications which further increase likelihood of side effects due to allopathic medicines.

    Effects

    • Allopathic thinking fosters the concept of "against." We must kill germs, kill viruses and kill bacteria. The reason these micro-organisms exist and our mutual relationship is ignored.

    Drug Safety

    • Drug safety remains a problem. According to the Institute of Medicine, in-hospital adverse drug reactions occur at a rate of 400,000 per year and incur $3.5 billion of extra hospital expense.

      PBS Frontline report, Dangerous Prescriptions (2003), provides piercing insight on twelve prescription drugs recalled for dangerous side effects.

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