Holistic Health Care

Mark Twain said, "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not."

I begin this article with the above quote because it reminds me of the many times I did not eat what my mother so lovingly prepared for me just because it did not look "nice and spicy." Often these tantrums of mine resulted in headaches and so I popped a pill every time I got one. Soon I had to change the medicines because it stooped having any effect on my headache. It took years for me to realize how important it is to look after my body, today, I have learnt from my mistakes and am here to tell you about holistic health care - a natural way to a new you!

Holistic Health Care - History

The roots of holistic health care can be traced back 5,000 years ago to China and India where great stress was laid on living a health way of life which was in harmony with nature. In the 4th century BC, it was Socrates who warned against treating only one part of the body.

The term "holism" was introduced by Jan Christiaan Smuts in 1926 but, it was only in the 1970’s that "holistic" became a word that came to be used in the modern vocabulary. Unfortunately, it was in the 20th century that holistic concepts fell out of favor in the Western societies. However things changed and people began turning back to the holistic approach. This approach is gaining popularity every year as this principle offers practical options that helps enjoy a high level of well-being and vitality.

Holistic Health Care - What is it?

Basically holistic health care is an approach to life which focuses on the whole person and how he/she interacts with his/her environment. This ancient approach emphasizes the connection of body, mind and spirit with a goal to achieve maximum well-being, where everything functions in the very best way possible. It is with holistic health care that people accept responsibility for their own level of well-being.

What are the basic principles of holistic health care?

Holistic health care is built upon the law of nature which states that a whole is made up of interdependent parts. It states that like the Earth is made of systems, such as air, land, plants and animals so is an individual made up of interdependent parts, which comprise of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Thus when one part is not working at its best, other parts of that individual are affected too! This principle also states that everything in the environment is constantly interacting with everything else in the surrounding environment, for e.g. anxiousness over an exam may result in a physical reaction.

Holistic health care views wellness as a whole along a line in which the line represents all possible degrees of health. The far left hand side of the line represents premature death while the far right hand side is the highest possible level of wellness of maximum well-being. The center of the line represents lack of apparent disease. All levels of illness are then placed on the left half of the wellness series while the right half shows that even when there is no illness there is still plenty of space for improvement. Basically holistic health care is an ongoing process which includes a personal commitment, in which people can improve their level of well-being, no matter what their current status of health maybe.

How is holistic health care practiced?

Holistic health care focuses on reaching higher levels of wellness by inviting people to constantly explore which everyday actions work for them and thereby discovering what is appropriate to move them toward maximum well-being. Most of the people who practice holistic health care are motivated by how good it feels to have lots of energy and enthusiasm for life, knowing that what habits they adopt that day will eventually allow them to continue feeling like this in the years to come.

Holistic medicine is applied when the disease and chronic conditions occur. In this case, healthcare professionals using the holistic approach work in partnership with their patients. The treatments that they recommend support the body’s natural healing system and consider the whole situation and the whole person.

In holistic health care, symptoms are considered as a message that something needs attention. It is thus used as a guide to look below the surface for the root cause, so that what need attention can be addressed.

What are some of the systems and methods used in the holistic health care field?

Some of the systems and methods include:

• Chiropractic
• Naturopathy
• Herbs
• Acupuncture
• Acupressure
• Homeopathy
• Ayurveda
• Osteopathy
• Aromatherapy
• Reiki
• Yoga
• Ti Chi
• Pilates
• Meditation
• Hypnotherapy

What are the benefits of holistic health care?

Holistic health care believes in helping an individual reach higher levels of wellness as well as preventing disease. People who have adopted this approach enjoy the vitality and well-being that results because of the positive changes in their lifestyle, and are thus motivated to continue this approach throughout their life.