astrologic medicine (astral healing, astrological healing, astromedicine, medical astrology, medicinal astrology)

System based on cosmobiology--an alleged science whose postulate is that specific mental and physical conditions correspond to the relative positions of celestial bodies. Astrologic medicine involves horoscopic astrology and the "zodiacal man" doctrine. The postulate of horoscopic astrology--also called "genethliacal astrology," "horoscopy," "natal astrology," "popular astrology," and "sun sign astrology"--is that the relationship between the positions of planets and stars and the moment of one's birth determines lifelong personality. According to the "zodiacal man" doctrine, each of the twelve signs ("houses") of the zodiac--constellations named Aries, Taurus, etc.--governs a different part of the human body. Proponents associate these zodiacal signs ("sun signs") with bodily parts (e.g., organs) and systems and with predisposition to disease in different bodily parts. Certain "planetary configurations" supposedly can trigger disease in susceptible persons. Some proponents further posit a correlation of (a) sun signs and particular herbs, and (b) sun signs and the twelve "cell salts" of the Schuessler biochemic system of medicine. Astrologic medicine includes astrodiagnosis (see "astrological diagnosis"), prognosis, selection and timing of treatments (especially homeopathic "remedies"), and alleged preventive medicine.