Two Terms That Create Misperception and Confusion
James Odell, OMD, ND, LAc
In 1941, Josef Schier, M.D. defined Biological Regulatory Medicine as
Those natural methods that support the attempts of the body to heal itself.
Simply, bioregulation is the regulation of biological processes (Greek: bios=life)
The central word regulatory in this system of medicine is all important and specifies the intention and purpose to assist in the regulation of the body’s allostasis and biological processes. Regulation here also entails the intention not to interfere with, block, or inhibit the many biological regulatory processes of the body.
Biological Regulatory Medicine is the Art and Science of Healing
Biological Regulatory Medicine is an art and science of healing which is, in its diagnostic and therapeutic efforts and approaches, oriented to living processes. It employs therapeutic measures to work in harmony with the natural capabilities of the organism for its own regulation, regeneration, adaptation, and self-healing. The primary guiding principle in biological regulatory medicine is the preservation and support of the integrity of the human being.
Bioregulatory Medicine is a Holistic Approach to Medicine
Biological Regulatory Medicine is often referred to and simplified as “Bioregulatory Medicine”. In short, Bioregulatory Medicine encompasses diagnostic and therapeutic measures which utilize all the material, bioenergetic and informative possibilities of regulation and reaction of the human organism, in the attempt to mobilize its powers of regeneration and self-healing. The goal of Biological Regulatory Medicine is the support or the restoration of the teleological forces of development and revitalization. Since structural, functional, bioenergetic, psychoemotional, and spiritual components all play critical roles here, Biological Regulatory Medicine is viewed as holistic medicine in the strict sense of the term.
A Terminology Problem
In Europe, Biological Regulatory Medicine flourished and many of its diagnostics and therapies were incorporated into conventional medicine arenas. Unfortunately, some stopped using the whole term Biological Regulatory Medicine and instead of shortening it to Bioregulatory Medicine, they used “Biological Medicine.” Many “Biological Medicine” clinics appeared throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and elsewhere in Europe. The term caught on, and most understood that “Biological Medicine” meant “Biological Regulatory Medicine”.
However, within the last few decades, the pharmaceutical industry began marketing drugs, such as vaccines, blood components, cells - somatic cells, tissues, viral gene therapy, recombinant proteins, and certain immune-suppressing chemotherapeutic drugs, as “Biologicals”. The pharmaceutical industry commandeered and redefined “Biological Medicine,” as any “pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semi-synthesized from biological sources.” More specifically, these drugs should be labeled as “Biopharmaceutical.”
Thus, a terminology problem developed as two terms “Biological Medicine” as used in Europe and “Biological Medicine” as used by the pharmaceutical industry meant totally different things.
The Bioregulatory Medicine Institute since its inception in 2017, has strongly advised practitioners of Biological Regulatory Medicine, no longer to use the term “Biological Medicine” in referring to Biological Regulatory Medicine. This creates terminology confusion. The pharmaceutical industry now owns this term, as well as internet search engines. Thus, a search of the two terms Biological Medicine and Biological Regulatory Medicine or Bioregulatory Medicine will lead to different sites.
Conventional Medicine - A Departure From the Realm of Nature
What has been termed “conventional medicine based on mechanistic science, and rooted in chemical compounds” has long since departed from the realm of nature. Efforts in conventional, mechanistic medicine are now engaged in a struggle – primarily using unnatural, often toxic agents - against isolated symptoms. This symptom suppression has been expanded in developing pharmaceutical agents against fever, against inflammation, against coughs, against high blood pressure, against insomnia, against, depression, against diarrhea, etc., etc. As a result, conventional therapy has chiefly become symptomatic suppressive therapy, restricted to the elimination of individual symptoms of an insurance-codified condition or disease. Thus, this system of medicine focuses on the suppression of symptoms which are the final link in a pathologic chain, ignoring the initial causes.
ApproachingHealing by Looking at the Root Causes
Bioregulatory Medicine attempts to approach healing by treating the initial or intermediate causes of a pathological chain. Effective causal therapy must be administered towards the locus and unique individual pattern of disharmony from which the structural, functional, bioenergetic, and psychoemotional disorder arises. The natural agents and therapies used should not block or dysregulate the body’s ability to respond to stressors in order to regain homeostasis. Thus, “anti” types of pharmaceuticals- antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, etc., are avoided, when possible, as the focus is on the treatment of causes. It is all about supporting the body’s regulation of allostasis. The chief emphasis is on therapeutic attempts in support of the self-healing reactions of the vital organism to pathologic disturbances. Thus, the Bioregulatory Medicine approach is for the organism not simply against symptoms.
Preserving and Cultivating the Biological Regulatory Traditional Medical Systems
It is evident that the future of medicine will be increasingly characterized by holistic efforts in accordance with the principles of prophylaxis and causal therapy. The development will of course have drastic inhibiting effects on the current dominating Big Pharma’s commercial interests dedicated to the superficial elimination of disease symptoms. Bioregulatory therapy is clearly superior to conventional medicine in the treatment of chronic disease. Our responsibility is the preservation and further cultivation of traditional medical systems – Chinese, Ayurvedic, Homeopathic, and Anthroposophic – which are biological regulatory in design and have offered self-healing therapies for hundreds if not thousands of years.
It is important to realize that the pharmaceutical industry now “owns” the term Biological Medicine. As Biological Regulatory Medicine (Bioregulatory Medicine) practitioners and clinics, we must not continue the use of different terms, as this will confuse the public and weaken our efforts to inform and educate others of our core principles of practice.