The Conventional medicine includes all diagnostic and therapeutic measures that correspond to the conceptual approach of cause and effect and that take place using recognized scientific methods.
On the other hand, there is alternative medicine and naturopathy, which subordinate conventional medicine to established thinking and working structures and reject a purely scientific method. The term “conventional medicine” is also often used when doctors want to differentiate their methods from conventional ones or when they want to present unconventional forms of treatment.
What is conventional medicine?
Conventional medicine is initially the generally recognized classical medicine, taught and applied at universities, which has meanwhile been expanded to include various areas, e.g. B. by taking up occupational medicine, psychosomatic medicine, sociology or psychology. Basically, the term is hardly very precise these days and is used more colloquially.
In addition, conventional medicine is often viewed as a fixation on tried and tested thought structures, which, however, always uses scientific methods. It is based on primary diseases and isolated factors as the cause of the disease. Man is a networked system, his body functions through biological and biochemical processes, on the basis of which modern research methods can even take place. Soul and spirit or the overall concept of body, soul and spirit, to which naturopathy attaches importance, play an insignificant role.
Alternative forms of treatment are based on the thesis that people are always considered healthy first and fight with illnesses as soon as the inner balance is disturbed, i.e. body and mind are no longer adequately connected. In order to restore inner harmony through trust, faith and the intake of various natural products, the self-healing powers are to be stimulated and diseases are prevented in this way. Compared to conventional medicine, the areas are diverse and rely on different methods and care.
Conventional medicine directs its attention more to well-known pharmaceutical and technical achievements, including increasingly to the effect of drugs and certain procedures which, with probability and repetition, lead to certain results and thus to a comprehensive treatment of diseases. Risks and side effects are also included in the research and require clarification in this area. However, the proven effective processes say nothing about the fact that healing variants in the field of alternative medicine are not successful. Conventional medicine is basically based on evidence and is therefore medical care that enables treatment on the basis of all scientifically available sources and data.
Treatments & therapies
Conventional medicine goes back to the early 10th century and is derived from the designation of medical schools. One of the oldest is the School of Salerno, which initially belonged to a monastery and was used specifically for the healing of sick monks, but then over time developed into one of the first medical universities in Europe. There was z. B. compared the anatomy of a pig with that of humans and found to be similar.
Paracelsus first criticized it in the 16th century. He denounced the practice of such high schools to train doctors when they only appeared to be. In the 19th century the term “conventional medicine” was already being used derogatory, for example by the homeopathic doctor Franz Fischer.
At the beginning of the 20th century, alternative medicine and naturopathy were replaced by conventional medicine. This was based in particular on the new pharmaceutical and technical advances in the field of science and medicine, which were backed by facts and a scientific method, while alternative medicine could not provide clear results, some assumptions were also considered extremely controversial.
From the middle of the 20th century, however, medicine experienced a new reorientation. The professional world increasingly recognized an alternative to conventional medicine and the benefits of naturopathic healing options. This was also based on the numerous healing successes in the field of homeopathy, while the scientific explanatory models played an extremely minor role. The influence of the psyche on the body was an important factor. The body's own self-healing powers should lead to the healing of various diseases.
Equally important was belief, trust, and certain effective rituals and practices that played an essential role in the interplay of psychological and physical components in healing. Conventional medicine, on the other hand, warned of healing processes that would not last due to a placebo effect.
Nevertheless, more and more areas were gradually created that linked both directions for the well-being of the patient in order to enable optimal treatment. The importance of the naturopathic field is also evident in the new fields of study at universities.
Diagnosis & examination methods
The patient himself is rather indifferent to the conflict between the two directions, since the individual treatment experience and healing are more important to him than the methodical approaches. Conventional medicine is overwhelmed, especially in the area of severe and incurable diseases, and cannot always provide convincing solutions, so that an alternative towards naturopathy is necessary. The same can be seen in the field of psychosomatic disorders, where different areas have opened up to explore and apply alternative healing methods.
The interaction of body and mind in particular enables the healing process in the field of alternative medicine. If this is not the case or if the patient is too weak to fight the disease through hope and faith, naturopathy can hardly help. Conventional medicine is based on scientifically researched methods and drugs, the effects of which are based on statistical evidence. Omitting such drugs can be fatal, as can ineffective, scientifically-based treatment.
