Holistic Health

Holism as a health concept has long existed outside of academic circles, but only relatively recently has the modern medical establishment begun to integrate it into the mainstream health care system. In the United States, the first National Conference on Holistic Health was conducted by the Health Optimizing Institute and The Mandala Society with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in June 1975. This continued there for ten years with about three thousand health professionals participating each year. After the second year it was not under the Medical School.

The recording of these Conferences that was the emerging of Holistic Health in American is in the nine volumes of The Journal Of Holistic Health provided by the Mandala Society. Over 150 authorities in aspects of Holistic Health participated and are recorded in the Journals.

The Mandala Society Conferences and work supported the creation of the Association For Holistic Health in 1976, the Holistic Medical Association in 1978 and The American Holistic Nurses Association,1979.

Many regional Holistic Health Associations followed with the American Holistic Health Association being established in 1989.

Historically, Holistic health has not been widely practiced in North America. According to Robbie Davis-Floyd in “Medical Anthropology- Modern Midwives, Issue 20”, she states that there are “links between tradition, ancestry, home remedies, the earth and the biomedical systems”.


[edit] Philosophy
Holistic health is not itself a method of treatment, but is an approach to how treatment should be applied. Holistic concepts of health and fitness view achieving and maintaining good health as requiring more than just taking care of the various singular components that make up the physical body, additionally incorporating aspects such as emotional and spiritual well-being. The goal is a wellness that encompasses the entire person, rather than just the lack of physical pain or disease. This means that not feeling sick, does not necessarily mean you are well, just that you are between Well and Sick. When symptoms develop, it is often long after the cause of the symptoms occurred. It is often used in contrast to the medical model that focuses on treating symptoms and syndromes without attempting to address functioning beyond the absence of disease, the Holistic approach focuses on the cause.

The holistic process offers individuals the opportunity to be the creators of their own reality of health, through an understanding of all levels of health and a balanced lifestyle.


[edit] Treatment of patients
Holistic Health is now moving more into the medical mainstream as seen in the work of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Veterans Medical Centers provide a comprehensive patient manual Healthwise for life, VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network, Fourth Edition 2000

This comprehensive 450-page VA Medical Self Care manual has a section on Mind-Body Wellness and a section on Complementary Medicine, including sections on: Acupuncture, High-Dose Vitamin and Mineral Therapy, Homeopathy, Magnetic Field Therapy, Herbal Medicine, Naturopathy, Tai Chi, Qui Gong, Yoga and Chiropractic Treatment.

In the Complementary Medicine section under the heading Benefits the manual states: “Holistic Approach: When you see your conventional provider, your visit generally lasts 10 to 15 minutes. People who provide alternative treatments often take one hour or more to find out all about you. Many health problems, especially chronic diseases, are more likely to respond to treatment when the whole person is taken into consideration.”

This section also gives advice about how to avoid health fraud and quackery.

Under the heading “Healing”: The VA manual mentions Spiritual Healing and Therapeutic Touch stating: “Nurses may use therapeutic touch in conventional medical settings to help heal and comfort their patients.”

The American Holistic Nurses Association is playing a significant role in moving Holistic Health into the mainstream for responsible health care.

Holistic Health Care is simply about responsible health care. Responsible health care is working fully with the whole persons Spirit, Mind and Body.

“Dimensions of Holistic healing- New frontiers in the treatment of the whole person”, the authors define Holistic health as “treating the whole person, helping the person to bring the mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of his or her being into greater harmony, using the basic principles and elements of holistic healing and, as much as possible, placing reliance on treatment modalities that foster the self regenerative and self reparatory processes of natural healing,”