What is the holistic approach?
We treat individuals using a holistic approach to medicine. Holistic medicine means you are being treated in a way which is unique to who you are and what you need.
Each individual is seen as a whole with many interrelated parts. Treating any one part, as separate from the whole, will make is less likely for the complete resolution of symptoms. Instead, you are treated in such a way that all of your symptoms are observed as part of a larger pattern, which is directly connected to who you are.
At this time in history, words like ‘holistic’ get thrown around everywhere we turn. As natural medicine has become more culturally popular, words that have had specific meanings in the past have come to mean an array of things far from their original intent. ‘Holistic’ is derived from the word ‘holos’ which means whole. This means all parts of you, including your mind, your emotions, and your body, are not separated in the cause and resolution of disease.
A holistic practitioner does not treat symptoms of disease but treats the person with those symptoms.
Ten people may come in with migraines and a holistic practitioner may give 10 different kinds of treatments or remedies. A practitioner using a holistic approach will not give an “herb which is good for the liver” or “a supplement for joint pain”. It is important to remember that just because a product or service is ‘natural’ does not mean it is holistic in nature. What determines a holistic approach is how these products and services are used. The holistic practitioner will ask themselves, “Why is there joint pain?” Or, “Why is there a problem with the liver?” The practitioner will then craft treatments and offer remedies which are designed specifically for the entirety of the person, not just for the symptom.
Service Engine Soon
Let’s consider the following example: You’re driving along and all of a sudden your check engine light goes on. You pretty much have two options at this point in time:
1) Find the electrical wire going to the check engine light and take it out. You can do this with either a high-tech mechanical device or you can use a ‘natural’ approach and just pull it out using your hands. Either way, this will most certainly extinguish that annoying little light. That nagging little reminder that something is amiss.
2) The other option is to look deeper into the car, as a whole, and determine what the cause is for the check engine light going on in the first place. If you’re not a mechanic, maybe you solicit the help of a professional to diagnose and treat my problem from the inside-out. This would help to guarantee that when the light goes off, it goes off for the right reasons and it goes off for good.
In this example, the holistic approach would be the latter.
Disease as a Gift and an Invitation to Change
In our culture today we are taught that symptoms are nagging things which should be made to go away as soon as possible. We learn that we just need to keep on going in life and do whatever we can to make things which cause pain and suffering go away. The holistic perspective differs from this way of looking at disease.
Most diseases do not appear over night. They often take years of poor dietary and lifestyle habits to acquire. As we live day to day, our body, which is very concerned with our survival will try to take the poor quality foods we eat, the negative thoughts, and unhealthy lifestyle choices we make and store these so it doesn’t hurt the most important parts of our being.
For example, if we have a diet of Twinkies and Burger King, our lymphatic system will try and hold on to these toxins as a way to protect the blood and important organs. At some point our body and mind becomes overloaded with the way we have chosen to live and think. It is now that we get our first symptoms of disease. Often these first symptoms are very minor and simply go unnoticed. Then as we continue to ignore these early warning signs the symptoms become more pronounced and newer, more annoying ones appear.
The ‘disease’ is actually a healthy expression from our body alerting us to the face that we must make necessary changes in our lives. Symptoms are the check engine light. We can take western medications or natural medications to subdue the problem and hide it from our awareness. This process is often the cause of chronic disease. Our other option is to ask, “What are these symptoms trying to tell me? How do I need to change my life to heed what my body is communicating to me?” The problem’s are most often due to the choices we have made and the symptoms moves us to a place of inquiry. This inquiry leads to learning and growth as we try to resolve the symptoms which nag at us. So rather than viewing disease and discomfort as an evil to be destroyed, we invite you to consider looking at disease as a cause of human evolution and a great motivator to push us toward greater vitality and health.
This is a huge paradigm shift from our modern culture and very often a holistic practitioner can be quite helpful in assisting you to reclaim your health and vibrancy.
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