Holistic Health: How To Incorporate It Into Practice?

Holistic health takes the entire body into consideration when treating an illness or disease. These days, there are many holistic health guides offering their services, however, not all of them are certified. This article will examine how holistic practices can be incorporated into daily life in addition to going over the theory and ideas behind holistic health.

What is holistic health?

The concept of holistic health involves treating the patient as a whole, mind, body, and spirit, regardless of the ailment they are experiencing. A holistic approach usually includes complementary medicines that aid in healing in addition to treating the symptoms.

The concept of holistic health acknowledges that all elements are interrelated and have an impact on general health. A disturbance in one aspect can affect other areas of the body.

For example, increased stress, which is a psychological response, can cause physical symptoms like headaches, trouble sleeping, weight gain, and muscle pain. If you only treat the physical symptoms, it doesn't address your psychological and spiritual needs, which stress may also affect.

Holistic health providers inquire about your life, general health, and symptoms in order to provide you with a customized wellness plan.

Concepts of holistic health

The American Holistic Medical Association has identified the following ten principles of holistic medicine:

• Optional health is the primary goal. In order to provide holistic healthcare, harmony must be established between the mental, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual facets of human existence. This produces a condition of well-being by resulting in a dynamic state of being fully alive.
• The healing power of love. To provide holistic healthcare, we must approach patients with love, grace, kindness, acceptance, and an unwavering spirit. Love is the most potent healer in existence.
• The whole person. All individuals are regarded as holistic beings, comprising of their physical, mental, and spiritual aspects as well as the environment they inhabit.
• Prevention and treatment. Holistic health providers promote health, prevent illness, and help raise awareness about diseases in the lives of their clients rather than just managing their symptoms.
• Innate healing power. All people have innate healing powers in their bodies, minds, and spirits. Holistic providers can help patients utilize these powers to promote healing.
• Integration of healing systems. There is a lot to learn about safe and efficient methods of diagnosis and treatment. In addition to conventional medical procedures, the treatment options are customized to meet the individual needs of each patient and may involve lifestyle modifications and complementary therapies.
• Relationship-centered care. In order to promote patient autonomy, a partnership between a patient and a holistic health provider values the needs and perspectives of both parties.
• Individuality. A holistic health plan should prioritize the individual's unique needs over their illness.
• Teaching by example. Holistic health practitioners strive to integrate the principles of holistic health into their personal lives. They constantly work towards achieving this goal.
• Learning opportunities. All experiences in life provide significant learning opportunities for both patients and healthcare providers. The goal of holistic health is to live as healthfully as possible. Individuals take ownership of their health and well-being in order to meet their own set of medical needs. Holistic healthcare professionals encourage and educate their patients to make better decisions.

Types of holistic providers

Certain holistic health practitioners might hold degrees in both alternative and conventional medicine. Holistic providers include:

Osteopath

An osteopath is a licensed physician who uses osteopathic manipulative medicine to treat health problems by physically manipulating the musculoskeletal system, which includes muscles, bones, and nerves.

Integrative physician

An integrative physician is a fully licensed medical doctor who merges traditional medicine with whole-body techniques. This often involves using complementary and alternative medicine in addition to conventional medical treatments. Integrative physicians receive additional training or experience in complementary and alternative medicine and may become board-certified in integrative medicine.

Ayurvedic doctor

Ayurveda is a system of beliefs founded in the philosophical teachings of ancient Hinduism. Its goal is to maintain a dynamic balance between the external and internal environments in order to restore and promote health.

According to Ayurveda, health is achieved when the body, mind, and spirit are balanced, comfortable, and blissful. A person is only deemed healthy when they are happy in their inherent state of inner balance. Complete physical, mental, and social well-being defines health.

An Ayurvedic physician treats patients using Ayurveda, believing that health issues arise from an imbalance of energies. Through alternative therapies like dietary modifications, herbal remedies, and lifestyle adjustments, Ayurveda seeks to restore equilibrium to life energies.

In the United States, Ayurvedic doctors aren’t recognized as medical doctors.

Naturopathic doctor

Naturopathic doctors combine traditional medical sciences, holistic approaches, and natural therapies. After attending four years of naturopathic medical school and completing thousands of hours of training in clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, behavioral medicine, physical medicine, homeopathy, and more, they are skilled in providing comprehensive healthcare.

Acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists

Through the use of ancient Chinese methods, acupuncturists can help you regain equilibrium in your body's energy by carefully placing steel needles into certain points on your skin.

Chinese herbalists use age-old herbal cures to address both acute and long-term illnesses.

Chinese herbalists and acupuncturists need to earn a master's or doctoral degree in Chinese medicine or acupuncture in order to practice.

They also need to hold a license and be board-certified.

Chiropractors

Chiropractors attend four years of chiropractic medical school, studying conventional medical topics like anatomy and physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, and public health. They manipulate joints to reduce pain and correct body alignment.

Ways to incorporate the holistic philosophy

Rather than just treating symptoms, holistic practitioners treat the body as a whole in an effort to find the underlying cause of illness. Incorporating traditional medicine into holistic care may involve a prescription for medication along with other recommendations, such as dietary and lifestyle modifications. Together, they will develop a plan tailored to each person's specific requirements in order to restore their health.

There are many treatments and therapies that a holistic provider may recommend, including the following:

Education

A holistic health provider will educate patients on how to make lifestyle changes, including habits and self-care techniques that will benefit the condition being treated. Treatment may include:

Complementary and alternative therapies

Different therapies a holistic health provider may perform include the following:

Western treatments

Holistic health providers will often combine traditional Western medicine with other holistic therapy. They may make additional recommendations, including:

• Prescribe medications
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Surgery

How to find a qualified holistic provider

If you are thinking about working with a holistic health provider, find out from your friends and family who they would recommend or if they have dealt with any personally. You should also do research to determine the provider's education, licenses, certifications, experience, and associated organizations.

To learn more, get in touch with the office after you have assembled a list of certified holistic providers. You should find out if they take new patients, if your insurance is accepted, what their office hours are, whether they offer evening and weekend appointments, how they work with your current medical team to coordinate care, what their treatment philosophy is, and whether they use evidence-based holistic medicine.

Treating the whole person

As opposed to concentrating only on the illness or its symptoms, holistic health treats the patient as a whole. Different approaches are used by various kinds of holistic health providers to develop customized treatment programs. Holistic health often combines traditional Western medicine with holistic approaches to ensure patients get the care and treatment they need to become healthy again.