Allopathy is a term used by homeopaths, naturopaths, chiropractors and other advocates of alternative health practices to refer to traditional medicine. My Random House Dictionary of the English Language (unabridged edition) defines allopathy as “the method of treating disease by the use of agents that produce effects different from those of the disease treated (opposed to homeopathy).” The word was invented by homeopath Samuel Hahnemann as a term for those who are other than homeopaths. In America, the term has not caught on and is used mainly by “alternative” practitioners and some osteopaths.
Allopathy, as it turns out, was another invention of homeopath Samuel Hahnemann, being his term for all medical theories and practices which didn’t fit into his like cures like superstition. (whereas “homeo” means “same, “allo” means “other”) Today, allopathy is sometimes applied to the kind of medicine learned and practiced by M.D. degree physicians, although many of them may not know it
Medical Terms and Treatments-Allopathy
On May - 14 - 2010