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Explained: Holistic vs Modern Western Medicine

When it comes to holistic medicine and approaches to health, confusion abounds. The word “holistic” is scattered across the internet, business storefronts, and packaging, but similar to the terms “natural” or “grass-fed,” its true meaning still eludes us... This approach tends to fall outside the paradigm of modern Western healthcare, as it involves whole body support and slow healing, with an emphasis on natural therapies. The term “holistic” casts a wide net—health philosophies and approaches to healing vary depending on the field or system of medicine, as well as the individual’s education and personal experiences.

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Featured

 Holistic Psychology Could Be the Key to Good Mental Health

While it’s important to use proper mental health diagnoses to treat any disorder/illness appropriately, it’s just as important to consider the entire person when developing treatment plans. “The philosopher, Aristotle, summed [holistic psychology] up best with his phrase: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Plecas continued. “And Holistic Psychology is an approach that integrates all aspects of an individual, including the brain, body, mind and spirit.”

 What is Holistic Medicine?

Holistic medicine is any healing practice that uses alternative methods to address health issues through natural, non-invasive means from a whole-person perspective. Popular forms of holistic medicine include acupuncture, acupressure, massage therapy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), body movement therapy, and naturopathic medicine.

Articles of Interest

Holistic Medicine and the Western Medical Tradition

The Western medical tradition spans millennia, extending from the prehistoric use of plants and herbs to heal wounds through the technological advances of the present day. Over that long history, the practice of medicine shifted from prescientific holistic approaches to modern, scientifically supported explanations of pathology. As the practice of medicine became more thoroughly grounded in science, which seeks unified explanations for diseases, many feared the loss of individuality, both for the patient and the physician.

Holistic Medicine vs. Homeopathy…Is There a Difference?

Holistic medicine is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of therapies that attempt to treat the patient as a whole person. That is, instead of treating an illness, as you would in traditional Western medicine, holistic medicine looks at an individual’s overall physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being before recommending treatment.

Holistic Medicine: Advances and Shortcomings

Holistic medicine is an attitudinal approach to health care rather than a particular set of techniques. It addresses the psychological, familial, societal, ethical and spiritual as well as biological dimensions of health and illness. The holistic approach emphasizes the uniqueness of each patient, the mutuality of the doctor-patient relationship, each person's responsibility for his or her own health care and society's responsibility for the promotion of health.

The Healing Benefits Of African Holistic Medicine

More Americans are turning to alternate medicine than ever before. We're talking about acupuncture, homeopathy, or herbs. China has a long history of generating this medical wisdom, but what about African nations? Do their traditions have something to offer in the modern day search for health?

The Hole in Holistic Medicine

But what does holistic medicine have to offer instead? Among its unifying tenets are that mind and body are interdependent, and that everything may affect one's health. This is probably true, but supplies little help in treating specific maladies.

With Medicinal Plant Index, Travis Gumbs Wants to Make Holistic Healing More Approachable

Husband-and-wife duo Travis Gumbs and Cynthia Cervantes have officially entered the wellness space with a new brand targeting holistic healing. Medicinal Plant Index, founded this year by Gumbs with the consistent help of Cervantes, is an online space that provides a user-friendly beginner’s guide to understanding medicinal herbs and plants—all of which have well-researched health benefits. After creating MPI’s digital catalog, Gumbs developed the brand’s first official formula, a supplement he is calling Uplift. This supplement is the first of six still to come, each one intended to target a specific need, ranging from lethargy and depression to libido and beauty concerns.

Resources

American Holistic Health Association

The free, impartial wellness resource connecting you to the power of choice.

American Holistic Medical Association

Founded in 1978, the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA)(link is external) remains true to its original mission, serving as the leading advocate for the use of holistic and integrative medicine by all licensed healthcare providers. They embrace integrative, complementary and alternative medicine techniques; they hold onto what is helpful in allopathic medicine; and they understand that healing includes your body, your mind, your emotions, and your spirit.

American Holistic Nurses Association

Our mission is to illuminate holism in nursing practice, community, advocacy, research, and education. Our vision is that Every Nurse Is a Holistic Nurse.

American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation

AHNCC advances holistic nursing and nurse coaching through certification. Holistic nurses and nurse coaches promote health, wellness, and wellbeing as they facilitate their client’s growth and healing. AHNCC certifications offer nurses a way to distinguish themselves as experts in nursing practice, education, and research.

British Association for Holistic Medicine & Health Care

The BHMA, a membership charity since April 1984, is a front runner for the practice and promotion of compassionate, holistic medicine & healthcare.