Are Allopathic and Holistic Medicine Incommensurable?

Abstract

The shift from the Aristotelian to the Newtonian scientific paradigm gave birth to progresses in the natural, hard sciences and contributed to the emergence of modernity. Allopathic medicine gradually implemented those progresses, transforming itself into contemporary biomedicine. In the early 20th century, replacement of Newtonian physics by quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of relativity resulted in a new paradigm shift in the natural, hard sciences. This shift gave birth to post-modern perceptions, which attempt to put those changes in context. Within this new context, holistic therapeutic approaches are considered more compatible with the new paradigm. Different paradigms in the natural, hard sciences are considered to be incommensurable (in the Kuhnian sense). This incommensurability is also transferred to the different societal contexts, the different «Weltanschauungen» that rely on different scientific paradigms. However, drawing on arguments that range from historical and philosophical to practical and sociological ones, we argue that, although based on different scientific paradigms, allopathic and holistic medicine are not incommensurable, but rather complementary. This may be related to the inherent attributes of medicine, a fact that reinforces the debate on its epistemological status.

Holism

“…We can call this weak holism . For instance, holistic medicine is often conceived as ‘whole‐person medicine’ (Evangelatos & Eliadi, 2016, p. 39), that is, medicine that takes the whole person (and not only the physical state of the body) into account. A holistic approach to business management is said to be one that is wide enough to include and integrate ‘the key components of customers, services and products, work activities, people and competences’ (Wolfenden & Welch, 2000, p. 98).…”

Die Integration von Homöopathie und Psychiatrie in der Behandlung schwerer psychischer Störungen

“…Die Frage nach der Vereinbarkeit von homöopathischer und biomedizinischer Behandlung begleitet die Homöopathie seit ihrer Entstehung und ist oft nicht nur durch den Erfolg als praktische Wissenschaft [27], sondern durch paradigmatische und ideologische Divergenzen gekennzeichnet [8]. So fand Hahnemann, der sich neben Johann Christian Reil (1759 -1813) als einer der ersten Reformatoren im ärztlichen Umgang mit psychisch Kranken in Deutschland positionierte, ausgerechnet in dem ersten Lehrstuhlinhaber für Psychiatrie, Johann Christian August Heinroth (1773 -1843), einen vehementen Widersacher.…”