[Holistic medicine : alternatives or complements to traditional medicine.].

Official médecine, as we know it now, is about one hundred and fifty years old. By the same token, the origins of the real traditional médecine are lost in far away times. More than a century ago, we have seen doctors trained in a university setting involved in serious power games of allopathic orientation so that restrictive laws would sanction their control and their near total monopoly in the dispensation of health-care. It is therefore normal to be surprised at the emergence of other types of médecine which also appear effective in the treatment of disease and in the preservation of health. First of all, certain key words need to be clarified: , , , . There are seven main ideas behind the holistic approach and five therapeutic currents linked to it: Chinese energetics, homeopathy, osteopathy, energetic strategies and psychological strategies. Beyond the basic data, some guidance is provided as to their scientific value and validity. Finally, the application of these in the hospitals is reviewed, taking into account the needs of the population, legal and legislative aspects and the competence of the professionnals involved.