Paracelsus’ Medicine – an Effective Holistic Approach to Contemporary Health and Ecological Issues

Abstract

Paracelsus (1493 – 1541) is mainly known as an alchemist and a “miracle doctor”, the first who challenged the dogma which prevailed in western medicine for around 1300 years. In his comprehensive treaties he included the science about studying the effects of the movement of celestial bodies on nature and humans, as well as astute observations of various life forms. The doctrine of signatures is an associative, artistic method reflecting similitude in aspect, habitat and organoleptic characteristics of the substance and the symptoms addressed. He was also the first to introduce the concept of dose in medical treatment. Paracelsus’ description of pathophysiological processes and their address through something similar to them, not antagonistic methods, was innovative and reflect approaches in other traditional medicine systems. He viewed health as the capacity to resonate with the rhythms of nature and understood disease as disharmony in the person’s relationship to the material and spiritual world. Remedies should prolong the precious life, improve its quality and offer support for self-discovery. Paracelsus was a truth-seeker and truth has no validity date. Studying his legacy is of currently of great relevance and could offer deep insights into solving the conundrums facing humankind, including new disease outbreaks, antibiotic resistance and environmental toxins. His life-style advice and practical application in our daily routine could offer relief for an abundance of dis-eases plaguing modern man. It is also encouraging and refreshing to notice that similar (plant) remedies and ceremonies such as fumigation, bathing, sweating, and sound therapy are practiced as they have always been in different parts of the world, confirming the unity of humanity all over the planet.