FAQ
Here is a listing of frequently asked questions about Swiss
Biological Medicine.
How does a practitioner of biological medicine diagnose disease or other ailments?
Biological medicine takes a holistic view of the human body and does not isolate or reduce the body into separate systems. Thus, an assessment of the functioning of each of the body’s system is essential to diagnosis. Based upon this information, treatments are designed to help revitalize organs and systems so that the individual can resist disease and prevent recurrences.
Isn’t this the same thing that conventional and holistic practitioners do?
To an extent, yes, but biological medicine is different. Conventional medicine is designed to identify disease and treat symptoms. Rarely, however, do conventional physicians – and even practitioners of holistic medicine – attempt to detect subtle systemic imbalances that can predict major illness. Most practitioners of biological medicine take the time to do this.
What diagnostic techniques does the practitioner use to identify these subtle imbalances?
The practitioner usually begins with a comprehensive interview, a physical examination, and selected medical tests. Tests may include pulse reading, analyses of blood,urine, and saliva; dental and skin examinations; hearing and vision tests; cardiovascular tests; kinesthetic evaluation; and others. (Kinesthetics refes to the science of movement. In biological medicine, a practitioner often assesses the ways in which a patient perceives movement, weight, position, etc. The purpose is to identify changes in the angles of joints, which may be indicative of disease.)
Together, the interview, exam, and tests enable the practitioner to customize a treatment program that matches your individual needs.
Generally, you can expect a biological medicine practitioner to conduct what is sometimes called a “biological terrain assessment” during diagnosis.
A terrain assessment evaluates the health status of an individual through analysis of the blood, urine and saliva.
What are some of the specific diagnostic measures used in the ‘terrain assessment’?
A terrain assessment evaluates the health status of an individual through blood, urine and saliva. Prior to the tests, a patient is asked to fast for twelve hours – avoiding even toothpaste and the use of cosmetics before the tests are administered.
Practitioners use the results of these tests to determine how well the body absorbs nutrients and produces energy. While these tests do not identify specific diseases, they can provide an excellent profile of overall health. Blood tests can determine the presence of environmental toxins in the body. Analysis of saliva reveals information about liver function. Urinalysis reveals the level of kidney function and the ability of the kidneys to filter toxins from the body.
Other diagnostic measures might include computerized thermography and darkfield microscopy.
How does biological medicine attempt to restore health?
For the practitioner of biological medicine, helping to restore a patient’s health is a threefold process:
• The practitioner performs an appropriate combination of diagnostic tests to identify blockages, imbalances, and potential toxins.
• The practitioner works with the patient to develop treatments that systematically remove stored toxins that may be obstructing energy flow and the balance among systems and organs.
• The practitioner recommends treatments, dietary changes, lifestyle alterations, etc, that will help stimulate the responsiveness of all the body’s systems or calm and balance overactive systems.
Can you provide an example?
Here’s an excellent example provided by a patient who suffered from chronic asthma.
A PATIENT’S STORY: I was in capacitated by my asthma for nearly six years. I slept twenty hours a day and took six different medications three times a day, all to no avail. Finally, I went to a biological medicine practitioner.
When you go to a biological practitioner, you talk about everything that’s affecting you. My doctor spent hours talking with me, not just minutes like other doctors. For me, the doctor ordered a computerized thermography to assess how well my immune, digestive, autonomic nervous, and circulatory systems were functioning. A technician measured about 100 points on my body, first at normal room temperature, then in a cooler room, to determine how my skin, nervous system, and corresponding organs were functioning. These responses reflected where my body’s functions were impaired, and, in my cae, my liver and adrenal functions registered as weak.
Next, the doctor looked at my blood through a darkfield microscope, a remarkable German invention that shows live blood cells against a dark background, which allows a close look at cell activity. He noticed that my white blood cells were sluggish, suggesting an impaired immune system.
The diagnosis? Food allergies.
The doctor advised me to eliminate wheat and dairy products from my diet and to apply castor oil packs to my liver – a naturopathic treatment – at home. He also prescribed naturopathic remedies to help detoxify my liver and revitalize my adrenal glands.
Over the next six months, I was able to reduce and finally eliminate my asthma medications. Today, I have enough energy to work full days in my restaurant business, babysit my grandchildren in the evening, and bake wheat-free breads and rolls for my on-line business.
What if I were diagnosed with another disease, say, diabetes, or cancer?
The principles are the same, although the practitioner will develop specific diagnostic procedures and treatments that match the unique needs of each patient.
What if I have a relatively simple ailment, such as the common cold, a seasonal flu, or an upper respiratory infection? Is biological medicine appropriate?
Biological medicine can help reduce the frequency of these events or help prevent them altogether. Biological medicine remedies can help alleviate the symptoms of many acute and chronic ailments.
Keep in mind, however, that certain common ailments, such as the common cold, represent a natural way to rid the body of harmful organisms and strengthen the immune system. In these cases, most biological medicine practitioners will take a longer-term view by addressing symptoms while allowing the body’s natural healing process to take its own course.
What treatment methods are used by practitioners of biological medicine?
Let’s take a closer look at some of the treatment methods commonly used in biological medicine:
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is an inexpensive, nontoxic system of medicine used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is especially effective for treating chronic illnesses that fail to respond to conventional treatment. Homeopathic methods are well suited for self-care for conditions such as the common cold and flue.
Homeopathy is a method of healing based on the idea that “like cures like”. In other words, an agent that might cause certain symptoms of illness in a healthy person can cure the same symptoms in someone who is sick.
Homeopathic remedies are derived from plant, mineral, and animal extracts that are highly diluted using precise methods that eliminate toxicity while increasing a substance’s potential to relieve symptoms or cure disease.
Homeopathic remedies are most effective in the treatment of ailments that have not yet caused severe damage to body organs and systems and for conditions that require the chronic use of conventional pharmaceuticals. Allergies and arthritis are two examples of these conditions.
In the United States, homeopathic remedies are acknowledged and regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Many remedies are available over the counter at retail pharmacies, while some must be prescribed by a license practitioner.
Ayurvedic medicine
The primary focus of ayurvedic medicine is preventive health care, although ayurvedic methods can provide relief for many chronic ailments. Medical researchers are currently studying the effects of ayurvedic treatments for arthritis, cancer, high cholesterol, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and chemical addictions.
Chiropractic
Like other aspects of biological medicine, chiropractic care assumes that the body has an innate self-healing ability and always seeks homeostasis. Chiropractic theory holds that the central nervous system plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis, but that certain misalignments of the joints or irregularities of motion can interfere with nervous system inactivity, causing pain and possible deterioration of general health. By manipulating muscles and joints – especially the spine – chiropractors readjust these irregularities, enhancing neuromuscular function and restoring homeostasis.
Until recently, chiropractic was considered a form of alternative medicine. In recent years, chiropractic has gained wide acceptance in the United State Chiropractic services are now covered by Medicare and most major insurance and managed care plans.
Chiropractic care is considered beneficial in the treatment of arthritis, asthma, back pain, repetitive motion disorder (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome), chronic fatigue syndrome, headache, tendonitis, and many other common ailments.
Neural therapy
Neural therapy involves the injection of homeopathic remedies into the body’s acupuncture points. The remedies are introduced into the body’s autonomic nervous system, which regulates all involuntary bodily functions (such as heartbeat and respiration). The autonomic nervous system features sensors throughout the skin, and thus provides pathways for the delivery of medicine to the body’s key organs and systems.
In biological medicine, practitioners use a mild anesthetic (e.g. lidocaine or procaine) as the basic ingredient in an injection, adding one or more homeopathic or other natural remedies, selected by the practitioner, according to the diagnosis.
The injection points are carefully identified according to sources of blockage or disturbance diagnosed by the practitioner. For example, injecting lung points can help address asthma or lung disorders, while injecting certain bladder or kidney points can help enhance adrenal output and improve kidney function.What role does dentistry play in biological medicine?
Conventional medicine has arbitrarily separated dentistry from medicine – an unusual distinction, since the mouth and teeth are essential parts of the body. Consequently, conventional physicians rarely consider the mouth and teeth when attempting to diagnose a problem.
On the other hand, practitioners of biological medicine emphasize that the mouth and teeth can have a profound impact on what occurs in other parts of the body. Because of the meridian system, each tooth connects to a specific organ or system in the body. Accordingly, an unhealthy tooth on the heart meridian could, along with other factors (such as age or poor diet), contribute to heart disease.
Consider root canals, which are widely used in modern dentistry. A completed root canal may harbor a hidden infection than can undermine the immune system by forcing it to fight a chronic, low-grade infection. The same root canal may also weaken corresponding meridian organs. Conversely, weakened organs can affect the health of a corresponding tooth, sometimes causing decay.
Consider, too, the presence of mercury, widely used in amalgam fillings. Mercury is a known poison that in many circumstances must be disposed of according to stringent requirements. Small amounts of mercury may leak from fillings and circulate throughout the body, where toxicity can cause chronic fatigue, depression, and joint pain.
Biological medicine can identify mercury toxicity through a variety of tests. Mercury can then be removed, according to strict guidelines by a dentist trained in the procedure. IN addition, biological practitioners often recommend oral supplements that can help remove mercury from the organs and systems of the body.
The Paracelsus Klink features dentists on staff whose services in the diagnosis and treatment of disease complement those of physicians.
What can I do on my own to promote the healing process?
To optimize the value of your biological medicine treatment, it is important to follow dietary guidelines, take appropriate supplements, follow an exercise or bodywork routine, and perform other activities recommended by your practitioner.
Because biological medicine assumes the integration of mind and body, identifying and addressing core emotional issues are also essential for successful treatment. Biological medicine can call upon a wide range of healing therapies that target the emotions, including homeopathy, imagery, meditation, and psychotherapy.
Gaining familiarity with the underlying theories supporting biological medicine will help enhance your understanding of how and why its diagnostic and treatment techniques work.
How does a practitioner of biological medicine diagnose disease or other ailments?
Biological medicine takes a holistic view of the human body and does not isolate or reduce the body into separate systems. Thus, an assessment of the functioning of each of the body’s system is essential to diagnosis. Based upon this information, treatments are designed to help revitalize organs and systems so that the individual can resist disease and prevent recurrences.
Isn’t this the same thing that conventional and holistic practitioners do?
To an extent, yes, but biological medicine is different. Conventional medicine is designed to identify disease and treat symptoms. Rarely, however, do conventional physicians – and even practitioners of holistic medicine – attempt to detect subtle systemic imbalances that can predict major illness. Most practitioners of biological medicine take the time to do this.
What diagnostic techniques does the practitioner use to identify these subtle imbalances?
The practitioner usually begins with a comprehensive interview, a physical examination, and selected medical tests. Tests may include pulse reading, analyses of blood,urine, and saliva; dental and skin examinations; hearing and vision tests; cardiovascular tests; kinesthetic evaluation; and others. (Kinesthetics refes to the science of movement. In biological medicine, a practitioner often assesses the ways in which a patient perceives movement, weight, position, etc. The purpose is to identify changes in the angles of joints, which may be indicative of disease.)
Together, the interview, exam, and tests enable the practitioner to customize a treatment program that matches your individual needs.
Generally, you can expect a biological medicine practitioner to conduct what is sometimes called a “biological terrain assessment” during diagnosis.
A terrain assessment evaluates the health status of an individual through analysis of the blood, urine and saliva.
What are some of the specific diagnostic measures used in the ‘terrain assessment’?
A terrain assessment evaluates the health status of an individual through blood, urine and saliva. Prior to the tests, a patient is asked to fast for twelve hours – avoiding even toothpaste and the use of cosmetics before the tests are administered.
Practitioners use the results of these tests to determine how well the body absorbs nutrients and produces energy. While these tests do not identify specific diseases, they can provide an excellent profile of overall health. Blood tests can determine the presence of environmental toxins in the body. Analysis of saliva reveals information about liver function. Urinalysis reveals the level of kidney function and the ability of the kidneys to filter toxins from the body.
Other diagnostic measures might include computerized thermography and darkfield microscopy.
How does biological medicine attempt to restore health?
For the practitioner of biological medicine, helping to restore a patient’s health is a threefold process:
• The practitioner performs an appropriate combination of diagnostic tests to identify blockages, imbalances, and potential toxins.
• The practitioner works with the patient to develop treatments that systematically remove stored toxins that may be obstructing energy flow and the balance among systems and organs.
• The practitioner recommends treatments, dietary changes, lifestyle alterations, etc, that will help stimulate the responsiveness of all the body’s systems or calm and balance overactive systems.
Can you provide an example?
Here’s an excellent example provided by a patient who suffered from chronic asthma.
A PATIENT’S STORY: I was in capacitated by my asthma for nearly six years. I slept twenty hours a day and took six different medications three times a day, all to no avail. Finally, I went to a biological medicine practitioner.
When you go to a biological practitioner, you talk about everything that’s affecting you. My doctor spent hours talking with me, not just minutes like other doctors. For me, the doctor ordered a computerized thermography to assess how well my immune, digestive, autonomic nervous, and circulatory systems were functioning. A technician measured about 100 points on my body, first at normal room temperature, then in a cooler room, to determine how my skin, nervous system, and corresponding organs were functioning. These responses reflected where my body’s functions were impaired, and, in my cae, my liver and adrenal functions registered as weak.
Next, the doctor looked at my blood through a darkfield microscope, a remarkable German invention that shows live blood cells against a dark background, which allows a close look at cell activity. He noticed that my white blood cells were sluggish, suggesting an impaired immune system.
The diagnosis? Food allergies.
The doctor advised me to eliminate wheat and dairy products from my diet and to apply castor oil packs to my liver – a naturopathic treatment – at home. He also prescribed naturopathic remedies to help detoxify my liver and revitalize my adrenal glands.
Over the next six months, I was able to reduce and finally eliminate my asthma medications. Today, I have enough energy to work full days in my restaurant business, babysit my grandchildren in the evening, and bake wheat-free breads and rolls for my on-line business.
What if I were diagnosed with another disease, say, diabetes, or cancer?
The principles are the same, although the practitioner will develop specific diagnostic procedures and treatments that match the unique needs of each patient.
What if I have a relatively simple ailment, such as the common cold, a seasonal flu, or an upper respiratory infection? Is biological medicine appropriate?
Biological medicine can help reduce the frequency of these events or help prevent them altogether. Biological medicine remedies can help alleviate the symptoms of many acute and chronic ailments.
Keep in mind, however, that certain common ailments, such as the common cold, represent a natural way to rid the body of harmful organisms and strengthen the immune system. In these cases, most biological medicine practitioners will take a longer-term view by addressing symptoms while allowing the body’s natural healing process to take its own course.
What treatment methods are used by practitioners of biological medicine?
Let’s take a closer look at some of the treatment methods commonly used in biological medicine:
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is an inexpensive, nontoxic system of medicine used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is especially effective for treating chronic illnesses that fail to respond to conventional treatment. Homeopathic methods are well suited for self-care for conditions such as the common cold and flue.
Homeopathy is a method of healing based on the idea that “like cures like”. In other words, an agent that might cause certain symptoms of illness in a healthy person can cure the same symptoms in someone who is sick.
Homeopathic remedies are derived from plant, mineral, and animal extracts that are highly diluted using precise methods that eliminate toxicity while increasing a substance’s potential to relieve symptoms or cure disease.
Homeopathic remedies are most effective in the treatment of ailments that have not yet caused severe damage to body organs and systems and for conditions that require the chronic use of conventional pharmaceuticals. Allergies and arthritis are two examples of these conditions.
In the United States, homeopathic remedies are acknowledged and regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Many remedies are available over the counter at retail pharmacies, while some must be prescribed by a license practitioner.
Ayurvedic medicine
The primary focus of ayurvedic medicine is preventive health care, although ayurvedic methods can provide relief for many chronic ailments. Medical researchers are currently studying the effects of ayurvedic treatments for arthritis, cancer, high cholesterol, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and chemical addictions.
Chiropractic
Like other aspects of biological medicine, chiropractic care assumes that the body has an innate self-healing ability and always seeks homeostasis. Chiropractic theory holds that the central nervous system plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis, but that certain misalignments of the joints or irregularities of motion can interfere with nervous system inactivity, causing pain and possible deterioration of general health. By manipulating muscles and joints – especially the spine – chiropractors readjust these irregularities, enhancing neuromuscular function and restoring homeostasis.
Until recently, chiropractic was considered a form of alternative medicine. In recent years, chiropractic has gained wide acceptance in the United State Chiropractic services are now covered by Medicare and most major insurance and managed care plans.
Chiropractic care is considered beneficial in the treatment of arthritis, asthma, back pain, repetitive motion disorder (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome), chronic fatigue syndrome, headache, tendonitis, and many other common ailments.
Neural therapy
Neural therapy involves the injection of homeopathic remedies into the body’s acupuncture points. The remedies are introduced into the body’s autonomic nervous system, which regulates all involuntary bodily functions (such as heartbeat and respiration). The autonomic nervous system features sensors throughout the skin, and thus provides pathways for the delivery of medicine to the body’s key organs and systems.
In biological medicine, practitioners use a mild anesthetic (e.g. lidocaine or procaine) as the basic ingredient in an injection, adding one or more homeopathic or other natural remedies, selected by the practitioner, according to the diagnosis.
The injection points are carefully identified according to sources of blockage or disturbance diagnosed by the practitioner. For example, injecting lung points can help address asthma or lung disorders, while injecting certain bladder or kidney points can help enhance adrenal output and improve kidney function.What role does dentistry play in biological medicine?
Conventional medicine has arbitrarily separated dentistry from medicine – an unusual distinction, since the mouth and teeth are essential parts of the body. Consequently, conventional physicians rarely consider the mouth and teeth when attempting to diagnose a problem.
On the other hand, practitioners of biological medicine emphasize that the mouth and teeth can have a profound impact on what occurs in other parts of the body. Because of the meridian system, each tooth connects to a specific organ or system in the body. Accordingly, an unhealthy tooth on the heart meridian could, along with other factors (such as age or poor diet), contribute to heart disease.
Consider root canals, which are widely used in modern dentistry. A completed root canal may harbor a hidden infection than can undermine the immune system by forcing it to fight a chronic, low-grade infection. The same root canal may also weaken corresponding meridian organs. Conversely, weakened organs can affect the health of a corresponding tooth, sometimes causing decay.
Consider, too, the presence of mercury, widely used in amalgam fillings. Mercury is a known poison that in many circumstances must be disposed of according to stringent requirements. Small amounts of mercury may leak from fillings and circulate throughout the body, where toxicity can cause chronic fatigue, depression, and joint pain.
Biological medicine can identify mercury toxicity through a variety of tests. Mercury can then be removed, according to strict guidelines by a dentist trained in the procedure. IN addition, biological practitioners often recommend oral supplements that can help remove mercury from the organs and systems of the body.
The Paracelsus Klink features dentists on staff whose services in the diagnosis and treatment of disease complement those of physicians.
What can I do on my own to promote the healing process?
To optimize the value of your biological medicine treatment, it is important to follow dietary guidelines, take appropriate supplements, follow an exercise or bodywork routine, and perform other activities recommended by your practitioner.
Because biological medicine assumes the integration of mind and body, identifying and addressing core emotional issues are also essential for successful treatment. Biological medicine can call upon a wide range of healing therapies that target the emotions, including homeopathy, imagery, meditation, and psychotherapy.
Gaining familiarity with the underlying theories supporting biological medicine will help enhance your understanding of how and why its diagnostic and treatment techniques work.