αλλος (allos); = other, different
παθος (pathos) = suffering
Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician considered the father of homeopathy, coined the term "allopathy" in the late 18th century, to refer to the common practice of correcting the symptoms of humoral imbalances by applying an "opposite" therapy. If you were feverish and flushed (a sign of too much blood), leeches and bloodletting were used.
Today the term has come to mean the dominant form of Western medicine, often used with disdain by other types of paths, for example naturopaths and homeopaths. Their disdain, however, pales next to venom spewed by many allopaths towards those who suggest that alternative medicine deserves a look.1
Osteopaths (D.O.'s), who practice a Western-style medicine that parallels allopathy, use the term innocuously to distinguish themselves from M.D.'s. (And, as some have told me, you cannot spell "doc" without "DO").
I practice allopathic medicine, which sounds a bit harsh. (Are you a psychopath? Sociopath? Allopath?) I use industrial medicine to treat industrial problems. I am more likely to offend a parent by not offering body-altering chemicals than to let a self-limited benign illness take its course.
When a patient comes to me, a contract is established. I will provide you with the best care available under my scope of practice under the prevailing standards of care in the medical (allopathic) community. Our therapies (well, some anyway) have been studied empirically, and emphasis is placed on risks versus benefits. It is no secret that our therapies can have substantial consequences. The cure can be worse than the disease, especially in a culture that refuses to face mortality.
Our culture, not its doctors, is killing you...
By the time a patient comes to me, the damage has been done. Many emergency room visits are clearly the result of our culture--heart disease, motor vehicle accidents, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, gunshot wounds, and a litany of psychosomatic illnesses induced by stress.
Allopathy does not specifically address the underlying causes of much of our diseased lives. When a patient presents in a diabetic stupor, the family does not want to hear about the benefits of good living, good foods, and exercise. They want their loved one better. So we give insulin. A grandmother comes in to the emergency room with congestive heart failure. The family does not want a lecture on the salt content in a bag of potato chips. Diuretics and inotropes work better than patient education at that moment.
Yes, our culture is killing us. Yes, allopaths make a bundle of money "curing" culturally-induced illness. Yes, pharmaceutical companies gobble up a chunk of the gross domestic product. All true. Physicians (even fat, stressed, overworked, apathetic, cold-hearted ones) did not create the culture. And somebody needs to know how much insulin/fluids/diuretics/inotropes/beta-blockers/bronchodilators/antibiotics to give to get you through your next medical crisis.
Standard allopathic disclaimer:
I would not be alive today had it not been for "modern medicine." I almost died during my infancy from pyloric stenosis, a condition that causes the muscle at the stomach to thicken so much that little food can pass into the intestines, usually fatal if a surgeon does not cut open the infant's belly, and slice through the muscle. As a result, I held a strong faith in technology that would not allow questioning; if not for the technology, I would not be here at all.
I survived tuberculosis because of the chemicals available that, while making me a bit ill, destroyed the tubercular bacilli that were destroying my lungs, leaving cavities in their wake.
Some cheap advice from your local Everythingian allopath:
Eat well. Eat in moderation. Breastfeed your children. Know where your food comes from.
Do not smoke.
Exercise. Minimize stress. Get some sunshine.
If you must travel in a motor vehicle, wear your seatbelt. Look both ways before you cross the street.
Consume alcohol in moderation.
And perhaps get vaccinated for appropriate diseases.
Do these things and you're not likely to need my drugs. Put me out of business. I would rather be a basil farmer.
1 Remember, folks--digoxin is the gift of the foxglove plant, and aspirin can be found in willow bark. Penicillin comes from mold. It is easy to forget this when our medicines come in artificiallly colored pills that come in cute shapes to maximize their brand appeal.