Naturopathy: science and art in the service of health and wellness Paul Bernabei
Bioethics, Professor of Philosophy and Bioethics, Director of the Academy of Varese - School of Iridology, Naturopathy, Complementary Medicine and Naturoigienismo, the President authority
National Bioethics Committee (CNB), examining the proposed unified law on medicines and non-conventional practices and then reflect on some methods (traditional Chinese medicine, anthroposophic medicine, etc..) notable exceptions raised about the validity of these therapeutic practices. In summary, the NBC believes very questionable principle of scientific pluralism concerning the same subject. It can not be confused with a pluralism of "world views" (purely cultural factor that did not addentellati technicians). Finally, patient autonomy in treatment decisions (binding values) must be closely related to scientific knowledge and validated. Regarding non-conventional medicines and practices, there are no protocols that have been covered by the appropriate testing. These initiatives are at most personalistic that belong all'infido and magmatic placebo and the field of psychosomatic when it is not a return to the prehistory of unnecessary health.
So you can not take for granted conceptual issues are particularly complex, major bioethical, political solutions to chase out of convenience, without considering the consequences for the future.
This is certainly an authoritative stance that has displaced mainly FNOMCeO (Federation of National Order of Doctors and Dentists), which had claimed a sort of birthright in the administration of non-conventional therapies and away the prospect of professional recognition the figure for non-medical, but we must also admit that the CNB has focused on the real problem resolve in Italy. Needless to say, in these shifting sands is struggling also naturopathy.
With our thoughts we intend to propose some elements which may contribute to a peaceful confrontation, knowing that it is absurd to set up an opposition between "medicine", pointing out particularly the epistemological aspect. It 'clear that a more complete treatment should take into consideration, in addition to the concept of limit, the concept of Nature, sickness, health, medicalization, the healthy and clinical paternalism
• Introduction
The noun "naturopathy," contrary to what one might think and to efforts to reconstruct a path of many original and historic self, is fairly recent. Commonly
the U.S. goes back all'omeopata Dr. Scheel that in 1892, had characterized his therapeutic system, aggregating some natural methods with homeopathy. Hence the term "naturopathy," born of the portmanteau between "natural cures" and "homeopathy". When Benedict Lust (1872-1945) and his wife Louise Lust (1868-1925) planted in the U.S. treatment of Sebastian Kneipp (1824-1897), Scheel gave them his patent. In 1902, Lust changed the head of the magazine he edited, replacing "montly Kneipp Water Cure" with the more immediate "The Naturopath. " It was not a simple restyling of printing, but a marketing operation, because in the meantime, Mr and Mrs Lust - owners of a natural healing center, a college with 400 students, a magazine of large circulation and of an active shop-they were introducing new methods in an attempt to overcome the limitations dell'idrotermofangoterapia according to Kneipp.
were born well as other terms such as "Fisicopatia" or "Naturtherapy" but that imposed by Lust is the most popular. In the face of critics who considered inappropriate to associate the negative nature of the concept of "pathy = disease" was already Lust noted that the suffix "pathy" was related to empathy and that, in English, the suffix "path" is to mean "path, street, line of conduct" for which the semantic meaning could be "path or line of conduct of those who follow Nature "for the person or the therapist," one who follows or practical methods of Nature. "
Today the term has evolved, a strong content and a consecration international compacts, so as to appear in official documents (Health Plans and Health Services) of many European nations / outside Europe and the UN, through the Organization (WHO World Health Organization), which for years has expressed a favorable opinion for the formal recognition of naturopathy and recommends its further scientific study and teaching structure appropriate (See Declaration of Alma Ata and above).
Naturopathy is currently recognized in Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, in all Eastern countries, including Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Mexico, in all the countries of Latina. We tap
especially in Western Naturopathy, considered as governing body, which may constitute a form of professional practice for both physicians and non-medical purposes, after specific training. In Italy, belongs to the category of professions which are not yet regulated, but pending determination by the Parliament. Of course we refer to that figure, according to the tradition of genuine European and WHO, will be part of the health care system, while the regional initiatives in place (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, etc..) Offering a cultural form of Operator Bioenergy (ODB), though appreciable, are located - in our personal opinion - at a level too unskilled compared with traditional skills.
• A problem of location: naturopathy and complementary medicine
With Complementary Medicine or Complementary Medicine is intended to indicate a set of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines, widely held, outside the official institutions. It 'hard to find a connotation that is unique to this "new" branch of medicine. The most popular names are: non-conventional medicine, alternative medicine, natural medicine, integrated medicine, traditional medicine, folk medicine. Being a very diverse field, it is difficult to strike a satisfactory description.
But it is clear that the distinctions, both from a theoretical point of view that in practice, are artificial and forced, if not primarily ideological. Therefore, the terms are actually used interchangeably. Our preference for the term: "Complementary Medicine" both the singular and the plural, refers to that used in Anglo-Saxon literature (SM. Downer, P. Fisher, A. Warton, A. Vickers and others) which came into use when the two worlds have begun to interact with doctors and be profitably used together. Therefore this term to indicate a different way, but not necessarily alternative or conflicting issues related to the welfare and human health, a way that certainly can not fully substitute the medical art or conventional biomedicine, but Full enriches in some of its features. In this sense, Naturopathy is a full member of the Complementary Medicine.
• Naturopathy è scienza?
Tommaso d’Aquino quando vuole affrontare “breviter ac dilucide” (in sintesi e con estrema chiarezza) il problema epistemologico riguardante la configurazione di una disciplina come scienza, attiva un percorso esemplare per correttezza e precisione: occorre definire se sia necessaria, se abbia un oggetto specifico, se possegga un metodo proprio . Ora:
La Naturopatia è necessaria in quanto è un coefficiente indispensabile per la qualità della vita, dato che ognuno è il primo titolare del proprio benessere e della propria salute. Inoltre consente una migliore distribuzione delle risorse disponibili e del rapporto costi/benefici., per una medicina sostenibile. Oggetto della Naturopatia is the well-being and individual health, social, collective, it follows that it is through education, prevention and with its operating principals. Health and wellness are not and can not be two unlike terms, but they are also related in a functional sense.
Regarding the method, Naturopathy uses natural agents, non-invasive means of investigation in connection with a concept of the person (together body, mind, spirit) as a dynamic whole (holism), capable of self-healing, self-healing In a system of interrelated and interacting energies. So
Naturopathy is a science. It must also be clear that when it comes to science, reference should be made clear that the epistemological content involve the principle of research and the principle of overcoming historical postulates and laws. On the other hand, the generations that follow show the changes that must be taken into account by the health and wellbeing.
As you can see, this is not about to assert a different vision of the world, we have applied the same rules epistemological Claude Bernard, the father acknowledged biomedicine, applied to the traditional medical science. But
towards naturopathy and complementary medicine, on a theoretical level, are entered into two basic impediments to scientific recognition exceptions:
Biomedicine to demonstrate the validity of therapeutic uses its resources to the protocols based on strict criteria to determine the effectiveness of clinical and epidemiological and consequent cost-effectiveness, meaning "costs" not so much the economic dimension, but the price in suffering and in the hope of health, which the patient must incur. It is the "randomiset clinical trial (RCT), which compares, in a population of patients with two different treatment strategies: an experimental one, the other controls. "Randomize" means to entrust the case to the allocation of patients to one of two treatment groups compared. Furthermore, even the doctors know to which group is assigned the drug to be tested. The important thing is whether people with major clinical events (endpoint), so it can be measured not so much the effect of chemical or biological one, but the clinical benefit (effectiveness) that the real effectiveness in the patient population. However, it was found out that the results are often disappointing if, within three years, 70% of the drug is withdrawn from the market due to problems. Furthermore, the strangeness of the physician and the impossible experiment homogeneous clinical population (in short, everyone is still an event in itself) make it unsafe to experimentation. So we moved to the remedy of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). With this practice we no longer rely on a sample test, but takes into account all those who subsequently take the drug or use the therapeutic technique of great importance and the involvement of the individual medical practice, so the health worker becomes an integral part in the evaluation dell'effectiveness.
At this point, however, we can not fail to note the proximity, parallelism, with the experience and the historical practice of naturopathy and complementary medicine. So we wish everyone around a table, without frills and swords, and clarify our ideas? It certainly would gain the health and welfare of the whole community. The second argument
is deducted From the wide literature devoted to placebo. The preparation is a harmless placebo (distilled water or glucose or other, "fresh water" as they used to tell the prof. Silvio Garattini), which is administered in the trial of one of two comparison groups.
It 'clear that in naturopathy and complementary medicine can not exist placebo.
is considered instead of the "placebo effect" that can indicate, for brevity, as the effects that increase or reduce or determine the outcomes or extrafarmacologici extraclinici. The placebo effect has a long history that starts from the very long list of several hundred medical substances which, by the Code of Hammurabi (About 3500 BC), have crossed the centuries, of which only the opium and, perhaps, the bark of willow have a real effect.
We now know that the placebo effect is related to all drugs for a higher percentage at 30% and that the therapeutic alliance coll'operatore health is crucial in therapy. Therefore, it is concluded, naturopathy and complementary medicine get results, which are then emphasized, because they are simply the result of the placebo subjects and you only have psychologically prepared.
Undoubtedly, this claim is thin and has a significant load, so much so that biomedicine has taken many typical aspects of complementary medicine (at least in theory) think of orthomolecular medicine, functional medicine, therapeutic alliance, which replaced the paternalism and compliance.
Yet even here it is a trial that threatens to jeopardize the very roots of biomedicine. It 'hard to deny that the herbal medicine or that idrotermofangoterapia, governed by natural laws are nothing but well-structured mental coordinates. They also made an experiment that beats any law of large numbers we can imagine a practice of EBM. Thus, even in this respect, we believe it is necessary to understand ourselves, to the benefit of all.
• Conclusion
There are five basic concepts of naturopathy:
1. Proper nutrition
2. Regeneration
3. Natural Balance
4. search of the root causes of the malaise
5. Work on the vital energy
The naturopathic consultation is a multidisciplinary inquiry deep global status of the person and his relationship with the environment.
many natural methods are used, tested by centuries of experience, depending on the recovery or maintenance of health and welfare of the living being, seen in relation to the individual constitutional characteristics and influences environment, in balance with the biological laws that govern their existence.
The disease is not considered an enemy to be deleted, but the language of their own existential dimension to understand its personal meaning. Stimulating self-healing potential, without any destructive or invasive, it restores the state of natural balance.
It also stated that Naturopathy has its limits and, therefore, alone is not sufficient to solve all the problems that affect human health.
E 'key, therefore, to establish a dialogue and a comparison with any discipline who will pursue this goal, with the intent to cooperate in rooting a new sensibility to health and also the configuration of a profession in line with what is happening in Europe and the rest of the world
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