Percival wrote: "The feelings and emotions of patients should be known and cared for no less than the symptoms of their diseases."
Holistic medicine - what is it?
Holistic medicine is a holistic approach to the whole person when it comes to treating and preventing disease from a physical, psychological, social and spiritual perspective.
It is based on the concept that there is a connection between our physical health and general well-being.
A holistic approach to medicine means that our well-being depends not only on what is happening in our bodies physically, ie disease or illness, but also on the close interrelationship with our psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental conditions.
These different states can be equally important. They should be managed together to treat the person as a whole.
How does holistic medicine work?
A holistic approach to medicine and health is based on the philosophy of treating the whole person. For example, if you were to see a holistic doctor because you have trouble sleeping, they would not give you sleeping pills.
Instead, it would work with you to find out what your stress levels are, whether you eat foods that keep you up at night, how much time you usually spend on your phone before bed, and other important things. In other words, a holistic doctor wants to get to know you in order to help you better.
Basic principles of holistic medicine:
Holistic medicine doctors and other holistic health professionals can offer their patients any treatment they are qualified to perform or prescribe.
Most holistic doctors, however, prefer diet and lifestyle changes, and only resort to medication and surgery when absolutely necessary. However, their general approach is based more on principles than methods. Basic principles of holistic medicine:
A person is more than just a body
You are more than just a body. Holistic medicine practitioners see their patients as more than just a collection of body parts. They believe in the importance of physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental and spiritual well-being and work with you to achieve healing in all these areas.
Your body is more than the sum of its parts
Your body is more than the sum of its parts. Doctors have traditionally been taught to view the body as a collection of individual organs and systems. But all these parts are connected and work together, so they always influence each other. Understanding this is very important in treatment because an imbalance in one part of the body can actually cause symptoms that manifest in another part of the body.
Love is the greatest healer
Love is the greatest healer. Medicine and healing practices can help you recover from illness. But love, kindness, humor and compassion are the foundations of a healthy and happy life. Holistic healers believe it's important to do everything possible to offer you unconditional love in addition to more tangible care.
Everything is a learning experience
Everything is a learning experience. Health, illness, pain, and even death are opportunities for you and your doctor to learn about life. Seen as such, they can also be healing.
Work with your body, not against it
Work with your body, not against it. Your body wants to be healthy and has an innate ability to heal itself. Treatment should focus on removing anything that is hindering your ability to heal, such as an unhealthy diet, and giving your body the support it needs to heal.
Disease prevention is emphasized
Disease prevention is emphasized. Holistic medicine practitioners understand that it is better to prevent disease than to treat it. In other words, a holistic medicine doctor wants to make sure you don't get sick in the first place. Working with a holistic medicine practitioner while you are healthy can help you stay healthy.
Treatment of the underlying causes
Treatment of the underlying causes. Many conventional treatments only suppress the symptoms of the disease. It may make you feel better, but it does nothing to cure, eliminate, or even affect what is causing your symptoms.
Holistic healers will work with you to relieve your symptoms, but they focus on helping you heal on a deeper level by addressing the root causes of your illness.
Holistic doctors put as much effort into determining what the patient is sick as they are determining what the patient is suffering from.
Disease is an imbalance.
Disease is an imbalance. Holistically, if you have a chronic health condition, it probably doesn't have just one cause, like bad genes or bad luck. Holistic practitioners tend to view illness as a manifestation of a broader health imbalance, likely caused by a number of factors.
It can be what you eat, stress, emotional pain, environmental hazards, marital status, genetics, and anything else that can affect how you feel. All these factors must be taken into account in one way or another in order to restore balance.
The power of the doctor-patient relationship
The power of the doctor-patient relationship. A close relationship with your doctor is one of the most important parts of your treatment. Holistic doctors strive to build good relationships with all their patients. A typical first appointment with a holistic doctor lasts up to 90 minutes, in part to give the doctor time to get to know you.
Holistic practitioners see optimal health as more than freedom from disease. True health is about being in flow, in touch with your highest self, and fully connected to the world around you.
Science and Holistic Medicine
Holistic physicians practice evidence-based medicine and health care according to their professional standards. In other words, a holistic doctor uses science-based treatments. However, it is likely that such a doctor will use a wider range of treatment methods and approach treatment from a different perspective than other doctors.
The benefits of holistic medicine
You can see a holistic medicine doctor for anything you would see any other doctor for. Other holistic health care professionals can also help you with any condition that falls within their scope of practice. However, certain aspects of holistic treatment make it particularly attractive.
For example, holistic doctors are particularly good at treating complex, chronic or otherwise serious medical conditions. Since these conditions almost always have multiple root causes, a holistic approach that looks for these causes in all areas of life is really effective.
A holistic medicine practitioner may notice that there is an emotional component to your illness, or notice how gut health affects your brain health and causes symptoms of depression. If you're dealing with a health problem that you just can't seem to get rid of, seeing a holistic doctor can help.
Also, holistic methods are generally gentler on your body. The main goal of a holistic treatment plan is to nurture your body, usually through eating the right foods, taking supplements, using mind-body practices like meditation, and exercise. It supports your natural ability to heal and can often help reduce the symptoms of the disease or even reverse its effects.
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