Holistic Health Benefits that You Should Know

Holistic health benefits are enormous, caring for the whole person — providing for your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs. It’s rooted in the consciousness that all these aspects affect your overall health, and being ill in one aspect affects your whole body.

It includes exercise, diet, psychotherapy, relationship and spiritual counseling, and more. Alternatively, therapies include acupuncture, chiropractic care, homeopathy, massage therapy, and naturopathy.

For the fact that its focus is on finding and eliminating the root cause of the disease, holistic therapies help avoid the need for repeated, expensive treatments.

Holistic treatment may not have as many side effects as many medications, although this may not always be true depending on a patient’s condition.

At a watch, a holistic approach is to provide support that looks at the whole person, not just their mental health needs. The support should also consider their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.

Easy Ways of Living a Holistic Lifestyle

1. Build habits and routines.

2. Eat foods that make you feel your best.

3. Find a movement you love.

4. Get outside.

5. Get some sleep.

6. Identify your values and goals.

7. Make time for quiet and reflection.

8. Prioritize relationships.

Principles of Holistic Medicine

• A person is not defined by their condition.

• All people have an innate ability to heal and are responsible for their well-being.

• Health is a combination of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social wellness.

• Holistic practitioners work with the patient to understand the patient as a whole and provide appropriate treatment for them.

• Prevention is primary and treatment is secondary.

• The goal of treatment is to fix the underlying cause of the disease or condition, instead of just treating symptoms.

• Treatment involves addressing the person as a whole rather than a specific illness.

• Treatment outcome is determined by the relationship between a doctor and the person being treated.

What are the Benefits of Holistic Medicine?

Holistic treatments focus on improving overall health and healing a person’s:

• Natural methods: Holistic doctors mostly use natural medicines, herbs, and noninvasive methods in their treatment plans. Keep in mind, however, that this does not mean these medicines are 100% safe.

• Personalized care: Holistic practitioners usually provide more consultation time and give more attention to their patients, since they are treating patients as individuals and not just a list of symptoms.

• Emphasis on prevention: Treatment focuses on preventing diseases before symptoms show up, in addition to regular treatment of illnesses. Because of its focus on finding and eliminating the root cause of the disease, holistic therapies help avoid the need for repeated, expensive treatments.

• Fewer side effects: Holistic treatment may not have as many side effects as many medications, although this may not always be true depending on a patient’s condition.

• Empowers patients: Holistic medicine helps patients understand their innate ability to heal. It allows people to take control of their health and wellness through self-care, lifestyle changes, eating healthier, and exercising more.

• Chemical-free: Patients may be able to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical products they are taking or eliminate them from their treatment plan.

• Easier on finances: Treatments may be less expensive than other treatments.

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthcare practitioners from nurses to physicians find that the traditional medical model practiced throughout the Western world has gaps that holistic medicine can bridge. Holistic health studies offer healthcare providers the tools to integrate holistic health into various healthcare practices.

However, mental health providers with training in holistic health interpret that many clients need more than talk therapy and medication to heal from trauma and cope with life’s hardships.

Practitioners with the cultural capability that holistic health gives may be better able to connect with clients and support them through hard times.

Bottom Line

While there are many benefits to holistic medicine, be conscious that it is not automatically a replacement for orthodox medical care. 

Certain holistic therapies can interfere with modern medications and do more harm than good. Make sure to talk to your doctor before trying holistic treatments.