Complementary Medicine Systems: Comparison and Integration

Book Description:

For almost all of us the question of health and illness is essential but although a considerable amount of relevant literature is available, the confusion concerning this subject matter still seems to grow. In general people tend to trust no less than their own personal approach, while alternate positions find themselves either ignored or opposed. This book chooses a different path as it investigates not only the potentiality of communication among the various disciplines but also considers four basic views or perspectives as interpretations of reality. In the process it becomes apparent that classical science and more recent developments, like chaos theory, no longer speak the same language. Furthermore, several well-known modes of healing are compared (like orthodox medicine and homoeopathy from the West, as well as Indian, Tibetan and Chinese medicine from the East). Apart from the expected differences, surprising parallels are emerging, above all the assertions concerning fundamental reactions of the human organism. This comparison leads to an integration of common results regarding the various medicine systems, which can be illustrated using a geometrical model (health disc, life spiral). Thus, the basis for the translation of insights and findings from one medicine system to another has successfully been established; therefore the utilisation of the (ancient) knowledge of one method of healing in other therapeutic systems proves to be possible.

Authors: Karl W. Kratky (Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Austria)

Table of Contents:

Prologue
Introduction: Navigating the Book
Summary of Chapters

Part I: Facets of Complementary Medicine

1. Field of Tension between Orthodox and Complementary Medicine
2. Understanding between Ages and Cultures
3. Systemic View I: Chaos and Fractals
4. Systemic View II: Self-Organisation and Chaos Control
5. Homoeopathy and Related Methods
6. Feedback Diagnoses and Feedback Therapies
7. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Its Roots

Part II: Integration into a Complete Picture

8. Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine
9. Advancement of the Cross-Cultural Model
10. Western Type Assignments
11. Chronobiology and Chronomedicine
12. Recent Developments around Homoeopathy
13. A Deeper Understanding of Falling Ill and Recovering
14. Unity in Diversity: Ethnological and Spiritual Aspects

References
Index
About the Book
A Short Biography of the Author