The Holistic Approach To Wellness & Benefits

You will probably have heard of holistic health before reading this article today.

Essentially, holistic health takes an alternative approach to medicine. Instead of focusing directly on a particular malady or ailment, the holistic approach to health focuses on the whole person.

The holistic approach doesn’t just concentrate on the physical and concrete, either. Social and psychological facets of the person’s life are also taken into consideration.

Practitioners of holistic medicine believe that the body, mind and spirit are closely intertwined. Thus they consider that if a person suffers from a mental health issue, their physical health will also decline, and vice versa.

Recommended: The Mind Body Connection

A holistic medicine practitioner will offer their clients various treatment methods that will help them to take accountability for their own health and well-being. The treatments offered depend on the practitioner’s training and personal beliefs pertaining to medicine.

Most holistic medicine practitioners will attempt to educate their patient on beneficial lifestyle amendments that will support wellness. They may advise their patient to amend their diet to eliminate processed food and watch their calories.

The practitioner might counsel the client to exercise more to help promote fat loss and muscle gain, or simply to keep them more mobile so that pain from joint and bone issues is reduced. The holistic practitioner may also suggest counseling or psychotherapy to help with mental health problems or relationship issues.

Holistic practitioners might also offer clients various alternative therapies to help them feel well once again. Alternative therapies include things like acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage therapy, chiropractic care, energy medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and even Christian faith healing.

The holistic approach also relies on Western medications and surgical procedures that are used by regular GPs, surgeons and specialists. A practitioner of holistic medicine is not going to suggest healing a broken leg by swallowing Chinese medicine, because it simply isn’t practical.

There are instances where the solution is surgery or a medication which is approved and recommended by the FDA. Essentially, a practitioner of holistic medicine will use everything in their arsenal to try and help a patient. They don’t limit themselves to what is approved by western medicine to treat patients.

Holistic Benefits

The potential benefits associated with seeing a holistic medicine practitioner as opposed to a traditional GP are myriad. Nevertheless, you still need to use common sense when choosing one to help you.

Do not just choose the first practitioner you find. As with all professions, you will find that there are both good and bad holistic medicine practitioners. Therefore it is wise to contact a legitimate health organization and ask for a recommendation. Alternatively, you could go with a recommendation given by a trusted friend, relative, or work colleague.

It is also important to research any holistic medicine provider you consider hiring. You should find out all you can about the practitioner before you let them help you.

• What experience have they had?
• How much training did they go through before becoming a practitioner? What do they specialize in?
• Which professional organizations and hospitals are they associated with?
• Are they certified by a professional medical board?
• What is their treatment philosophy, and does it align with your own views?

For instance, there is little point working with a holistic health practitioner that advocates Christian faith healing if you yourself are an atheist. Make sure you ask all pertinent questions before making a choice. That way, you increase the chances of hiring a holistic practitioner that will be of use to you.

Once you meet with the holistic health practitioner, you will need to consider how they make you feel. There is little point trying to work with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable. Having a rapport with the practitioner is important, since they will need to work with you as a team to provide the help you require.

You will also need to determine how good the practitioner is. Having a rapport with the practitioner will not be enough if they don’t ask the right questions and approach you as an individual rather than an ailment or disease.

They should ask you a lot of questions about your diet, sleep habits, exercise, religious beliefs, relationships, etc. They should examine every facet of your lifestyle before offering different treatment options.

Holistic health treatment is not for everybody. Some are more comfortable sticking with their regular general practitioner.

However, thousands of people have seen an improvement in their physical, spiritual and mental health after working with a holistic medicine practitioner. You are more likely to enjoy beneficial results if you take the time to find the practitioner best suited to working with you.