A Holistic Approach to Health

In holistic medicine, the emphasis is placed on healing a person as a whole, rather than treating a specific symptom or problem. When you become sick, it is often the result of some imbalance in your life, and rather than focusing on just one or two symptoms, it is best to view yourself as one whole that is made up of interrelated parts (emotional, social, physical, and spiritual aspects), all of which affect your overall health and depend on one another for your well-being. When one part is disrupted, it affects the other parts.

• "The physical you requires good nutrition, appropriate weight, beneficial exercise and adequate rest.
• The emotional you needs to give and receive forgiveness, love and compassion; needs to laugh and experience happiness; needs joyful relationships with yourself and others.
• The mental you needs self-supportive attitudes, positive thoughts and viewpoints and a positive self-image.
• The spiritual you requires inner calmness, openness to your creativity, and trust in your inner knowing."
                     Wellness from Within: The First Step, 2003, American Holistic Health Association

Of course, a holistic approach to health is most usefully applied when one isn't sick or, more specifically, as a way to avoid getting sick in the first place. Once you already have a sore throat, for instance, you're much more likely to resort to treating that one specific soreness rather than worrying about any other part of your self (and with good reason!). The trick, then, is to think about keeping your whole self in balance when you are healthy, rather than waiting until you are sick to address the problem(s). This, naturally, is much easier said than done, especially in a fast-paced society that values short-term solutions instead of long-term lifestyle changes.

The beauty of a holistic understanding of health is that it gives you so much power over your body and your well-being. You become an active part in your own health and healing process.

The American Holistic Health Association has a really great publication available online for free called Wellness from Within: The First Step that explores how to achieve wellness using a whole-person approach. To read it, follow this link: http://ahha.org/ahhastep.htm.

"We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves."
  -Francis J. Braceland