Holistic Care Comeback
Contemporary medicine, meaning going to the doctor and getting a prescription to help with an ailment, is relatively new. Only over the past 150 years have we been able to prescribe antibiotics, provide vaccines, and perform life-saving surgery.
However, before contemporary medicine, and with the revival of the new age niche, individuals and practitioners didn’t focus on what to do when someone was sick or ill. That is where holistic, personal health comes in. Rather than treating a dis-ease, holistic health is the study and practice of well-being. If a person is well, they won’t get sick as often. Therefore, the focus is on prevention by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
What is Holistic Health?
Holistic health is an integrated approach to personal health. It combines practices that address mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, nutritional, occupational, and financial aspects to create whole well-being. A person looks at life as a sum of the parts, rather than just looking to lessen one symptom’s pain.
What Kinds of Issues Does Holistic Health Address?
Holistic health is not just a treatment; it is a prevention plan. It addresses many aspects of a person. For example, if a person has persistent headaches, holistic health will examine if they need physical treatment, such as chiropractic or massage care. However, a practitioner will also look at other contributing factors. For example, stress, nutrition, exercise, ability to get fresh air, underlying issues of trauma, or mental health can all contribute to dis-ease. By changing the lifestyle, prevention is in place, so future problems do not emerge.
Is Holistic Health Safe?
Holistic health is exceptionally safe. If a person goes to a doctor, they will explain their symptom, be prescribed medication to alleviate that symptom (while possibly not addressing the problem). Those treatments can have dangerous side effects that can cause future issues, which in turn will need more medications. Practitioners have developed holistic health for thousands of years worldwide, compared to just years or decades of contemporary treatments.
Holistic health utilizes natural remedies, including herbs and nutrition, which work with the body’s system. With synthetic medication, it is unknown how it will react to the body’s biochemistry in the short or long term. However, with medicinal herbs, essential oils, tinctures, nutrition (Ayurvedic primarily), and other modalities, these compounds work with each person, not just one blanket medicine for thousands of different types of bodies.
Is Holistic Health Effective?
If holistic health were not effective, it would not have survived being passed down from generation to generation over thousands of years. Changes in personal lifestyle can have a ripple effect- taking care of your body helps you feel mentally and emotionally better, leading to a better positive attitude in the workplace, family, and finances. All of these can be interchangeable. More doctors are moving towards integrative medicine because numerous studies show that holistic health is more effective than treating one symptom. Holistic practitioners look at the whole person, not just a specialized element such as the digestive, endocrine, or neurological systems.
Am I Too Busy to Live Healthy?
No one is too busy to live healthily. It is a matter of priority. Some people will say they don’t have enough time to exercise but can spend hours in front of a screen. Others say they don’t have the time to learn about holistic health when replacing one small habit at a time. Most of the things that you integrate may save you time and money in the long run. You are not too busy to live healthy, it just has to be more of a priority of your time.
Is it Too Expensive to Live Healthy?
Many people believe that it is too expensive to live healthy. But honestly, it is a matter of priority. Some treatments can be costly. Holistic practitioners do not get the same insurance benefits as those who use current therapies.
As for preventative health, the small investments made in nutritious food, therapy, etc., will end up saving many medical bills down the road. Someone may want to buy a cheap fast-food meal now but later have to deal with extensive medical bills to avoid prioritizing a slightly more expensive organic vegetable. Again, it is a matter of priority, and there are many inexpensive ways to practice holistic health through self-education.
Who is Holistic Health Designed For?
Holistic health can start in prenatal life and extend to geriatric. It doesn’t matter the age, gender, or ethnicity- integrating a healthy lifestyle will benefit everyone. Personal healthy means that you are focusing on well-being versus trying to separate and treat one symptom.
There is a lot to learn when it comes to holistic health. There are so many fascinating avenues to explore. The truth is, the more that people, practitioners, and society as a whole focuses on the whole person and promotes their well-being and illness prevention, the more beneficial it is both economically and environmentally.
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