GG294 Study Guide - Allopathic Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Homeopathy
Document Summary
The social construction of scientific and medical knowledge argues for a critical social constructionist perspective on these topics. It demonstrates that what is taken to be true about medical practice has varied historically and across the world and even within north american, european and. The ideas of allopathic medicine are based certain assumptions about the body and potential methods of treatments. Modern allopathic (against the pathogen) medicine is based on the separation of the mind and body, physical reductionism, specific etiology, machine metaphor and regimen and control. These value assumptions are quite different from the assumptions of other types of medicine such as homeopathic. In homeopathic medicine the treatment is not through to be opposed to the pathogen (allo) but similar to the pathogen. A goal of homeopathic medicine is treatment with the goal of enhancing the. Immune system" rather then getting rid of the disease.
