What Does the Term "Dis-ease" Mean in Alternative Medicine?

The word disease comes from old French, then to Middle English, and means "lack of ease." So the choice by members of the alternative medicine community to hyphenate the word is not as unusual as it first seems. 

Individuals and professionals within the alternative healing community choose to hyphenate the word disease in order to reduce the emphasis on the pathology itself and to bring the focus instead to the natural state of ease that they wish to stress through their therapies and outlook.

Proponents of alternative medicine believe that modern traditional medicine tends to empower the disease itself through its naming conventions and obsession with pathology, and they believe that focusing instead on the natural, disease-free condition is a better avenue to overall good health and well-being.

Conventional vs. Alternative Medicine

Dis-ease and many other terms used in alternative medicine—and the practices themselves—are discounted and sometimes ridiculed by professionals in the fields of conventional medicine. Increasingly, however, conventional medicine is recognizing that the alternative focus on prevention rather than cure has an important role in health care. It is alternative medicine, for example, that first focused on healthy eating and a chemical-free lifestyle as being key to preventing disease in the first place, and these principles have now become foundational to modern health care.

Loud critics of terms like "dis-ease" might do well to consider the origins of the word itself. All diseases, in the end, can correctly be considered "lack of ease."

Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen.