Causal models in conventional and non-conventional medicines.
The author describes the possible causal models in both conventional and non-conventional therapies. Ontological determinism is used as a metaphysical assumption and linear causalism as a reference model. The linear causalism is here based on the following properties: sufficient condition, necessary condition, specificity, dose-response relationship, unidirectionality and externality. A subdivision of the therapy into two categories is then proposed: strong activity therapies, with strict causation, are close to linear causalism, and correspond to the therapeutic model of conventional medicine; weak activity therapies, with a much weaker type of causation, apparently tending towards indeterminacy, correspond to non-conventional medicines. Considering the internal state of a human being as a causal factor of therapeutic response, the difficulty in interpreting weak activity therapies is in part resolved and the differences with the strong activity therapies are also less pronounced.
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Istituto di Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, Cattedra di Metodologia Epidemiologica e Igiene, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, II Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
D015984:Causality; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013812:Therapeutics