Endobiogeny comes from the words “endo” meaning internal, “bio” meaning life and “genic” meaning of the body. It essentially describes the theory of “terrain” and how the constantly shifting internal environment of the body is managed by the endocrine system.
Endobiogeny was first developed in the early 1980s by French medical doctors Jean-Claude Lapraz, MD and Christian Duraffourd, MD and has continued to evolve since.
It is a global systems approach to medicine based on systems biology. This means that it is a synthetic, fundamental, comprehensive approach which explains how the human organism comes into being, functions normally, adapts and how and why it comes into states of dis-adaptation and “dis-ease”. It’s essence is expressed in this quote from Prof. Fritjof Capra where he describes how human life functions: “Living systems are organised in such a way that they form multi-level structures. Each level consisting of subsystems which are wholes in regards to the parts and the parts in respect to the larger whole.“
When we talk about systems, we mean each organ is a system in and of itself, the tissues in an organ are a system and each cell within a tissue is a system, all interacting and relating to each other continually. According to Endobiogenic Medicine, the complex interrelations between all the body systems, its organs, tissues and cells are managed by the endocrine system because it has the following three essential qualities which are not found in other systems like the nervous system or the immune system.
- It is consistently present from the moment of conception and guides the development of the organism before there is an immune system, or a heart. Before there is blood, there are hormones ensuring the very crystalisation of structure.
- It has independence and interdependence at the same time. It interacts with each structural element and is able to touch every element and go inside each cell and nucleus.
- It is self-regulating and self-managing.
Endobiogeny encompasses both the specific reductionist understanding of how different parts function and it looks at the context and meaning of this function within the whole organism. In practice this means we look at what level of dysfunction a human being is suffering. We look at everything that enters and leaves the system. We look at emotional, physical and physiological relationships and come to a rational conclusion in regards to what level of dysfunction is most important to address in a particular situation and with what particular treatment.
It is looking at the function of X relative to Y. i.e estrogen relative to androgen, cortisol relative to global renal function, liver activity in relationship to the pancreas.
The human body as a living system is very complex. It is in a continuous state of flux and adaptation. Understanding and working with the dynamic interaction of the four different hormonal axis in the body (Corticotropic, Gonadotropic, Thyrotropic, and Somatotropic axis) forms the basis of endobiogenic diagnosis, treatment and restoration of optimal conditions for health.
Metabolism begins with catabolism and ends with anabolism. The various axes alternate in their metabolic effects and complement each other by starting or ending the activity of the axis that precedes an axis in a continuous loop of metabolic activity.
Endobiogenic medicine uses mainly plant based medicines. The choice of plant extracts is based on correction of the underlying “terrain” which is very different from trying to alleviate symptoms. Orthodox drugs are sometimes necessary for this purpose and there are an increasing number of conventionally trained doctors studying and practising Endobiogenic Medicine around the world.
We always look at the patient and look at what their ability to heal is or to re-stimulate their own body’s ability to heal. Our goal is to get patients to a place where they might come to an endobiogenic practitioner for preventative medicine.
So one of the main differences is that where other medical models (including more integrative or functional models), might use conventional drugs, enzymes, minerals, or vitamins to substitute for the body’s ability to manufacture what it needs, in endobiogenic medicine we use primarily whole plant extracts with not only their active chemical compounds but also their own vitamins and minerals, to help the body regulate itself at a global level.
This means that the intervention is often much simpler than some of the other models’ interventions, no matter the number of associated conditions or comorbidities because we take advantage of plant medicines’ complex and synergistic compounds to offer a more global treatment targeting both symptoms and underlying causes. Furthermore, since the model itself is designed firstly to help the practitioner understand at the level of human physiology how specific hormones manage the terrain and the adaptation of the body, it can really help the practitioner get to the underlying causes. This is all the more important that in many other models, the causes are actually often really other symptoms.
That being said, endobiogenic medicine does not exclude working with conventional interventions, supplements, psycho-emotional therapies as well as diet and lifestyle changes.Though endobiogenic medicine, which was developed by conventional medical doctors, believes that there is no inappropriate treatment, there is only an inappropriate use of a treatment for a particular person.
Since Endobiogenic Medicine is primarily concerned with a person’s “terrain” – (see above for more information on what terrain is) and how the body works and what happens to it that leads it to be in a state of dis-adaptation or dis-ease, it means that rather than focusing on a condition it is primarily focused on understanding what is happening on a physiological level and then optimizing function or returning dysfunction or dis-ease back to optimal function.
It is a true form of personalised medicine which is personalised to the phenome, meaning how a person is expressing a certain part of their genetic potential in real time.
This means that this approach can be helpful for all manners of conditions and everyone can benefit from this approach.
An endobiogenic medicine approach has been able to help people with the following conditions:
● Digestive and gastrointestinal disorders
● Women’s issues: PMT/PMS, peri-menopausal symptoms and menopausal issues, PCOS, endometriosis, other menstrual cycle-related issues and fertility
● Emotional and mental lifestyle issues such as stress, anxiety, low mood, trouble with focus/concentration, insomnia or difficulty sleeping, lack of energy, fear
● Ski conditions including eczema/dermatitis, psoriasis and acne
● Atopic conditions: allergies, food intolerances, hay fever/seasonal rhinitis, asthma
● Auto-immune conditions: sarcoidosis, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, etc.
● Endocrine conditions: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, adrenal fatigue, Metabolic syndrome, insulin-resistance and diabetes, thyroid issues
● Chronic pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia
● Joint pain and arthritic conditions and muscular aches and pains
● Some of the complex infections of our times such as Lyme Disease and co-infections
● High blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol
● Sexual issues and prostate (BPH)
● Coughs and colds (including recurrent conditions): laryngitis, coryza (common cold), bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infections, flus, etc.
● Digestive and gastro-intestinal disorders: GORD/GERD (reflux), “leaky gut syndrome”, dysbiosis, colitis, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) including Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis
● Weight management
● Stress, anxiety, low mood, trouble with focus/concentration, insomnia or difficulty sleeping, lack of energy
● Migraines and headaches
● Women’s issues: PMT/PMS, peri-menopausal symptoms and menopausal issues, PCOS, other menstrual cycle-related issues
● Fertility
● Skin: including eczema/dermatitis, psoriasis and acne
● Atopic conditions: allergies, food intolerances, hay fever/seasonal rhinitis, asthma
● Auto-immune conditions: Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, etc.
● Endocrine conditions: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, adrenal fatigue, Metabolic syndrome, insulin-resistance and diabetes, thyroid issues
● Chronic pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia
● Joint pain and arthritic conditions
● Muscular aches and pains
● Lyme Disease
● High blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol
● Sexual issues and prostate (BPH)
● Coughs and colds (including recurrent conditions): laryngitis, coryza (common cold), bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infections, flus
Because it is a systemic and comprehensive approach it is particularly suited to complex “dis-ease” pictures, especially chronic conditions, auto-immune disorders and associated conditions or co-morbidities.
The endobiogenic analysis is also known as the Biology of Functions (BoF). It is a unique and extremely valuable blood test unlike any other. It shows over 150 markers which are then linked together through their interrelation with one another to build up a picture of what is causing and maintaining ill health. It differs from other blood tests in a number of ways, namely by simulating biological activity through direct and indirect markers, and evaluating quantitative as well as qualitative function in the body. This helps the consultant to understand, prevent and treat “dis-ease” better and tailor the treatment in a way that is specific to the patient.
Endobiogeny is a theory that was conceived and developed in France by Christian Duraffourd, MD, and, with the help of Jean-Claude Lapraz, MD, teaching methods were produced that promoted the expansion of this theory.
Christian Duraffourd MD and Jean-Claude Lapraz MD have been medical practitioners for over 30 years, including the eight years they served as oncobiologists in the Department of General Surgery and Oncology of a leading Paris hospital.
Borne out of a daily practice involving thousands of patients and a large spectrum of pathologies (including degenerative pathologies like cancer), the endobiogenic approach has yielded significant results from the use of medicinal plants and essential oils. In 1980 the two doctors founded the French Society for Phytotherapy and (Medical) Aromatherapy to promote this approach to medical doctors. Clinical training continues in Universities around the world in America, Lithuania, France, Tunisia, Mexico and others.
This advanced use of plant extracts where the choices are based on correction of the underlying “terrain” is very different from trying to alleviate symptoms. Orthodox drugs are sometimes necessary for this purpose. The Endobiogenic model as with the Naturopathic one allows and expects the patient to take some responsibility for their health.