subject: What Is Holistic Medicine And How Can It Help You? [print this page] The practice of medicine is never as precise as most physicians would like us to think it is. I've learned that the hard way by cycling through a wide variety of medications to help me in my struggle against fibromyalgia. I've experienced side-effects as harmless as acne and as trying as sleeplessness.
That is why so many Americans--along with many others around the world--are turning to holistic medicine for help. The holistic paradigm of wellness is about taking into account every aspect of a person's well-being--social, psychological, physical, emotional, and so on--in order to heal them. The point is to care for yourself as a "whole" in order to live your best life.
This approach is becoming accepted more and more widely in the medical community at large, but quite a few professionals in the field find it too imprecise, as some of it is rooted in metaphysics because it urges the need to focus on spiritual needs in addition to the others I mentioned.
In essence, the philosophy is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts--but those parts are ALL important in equal measure. In general, the fields that adopt the approach of holistic healing include chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, and herbal supplements, among others.
I can tell you from personal experience that even when you are not injured or ill, all of these methods can improve overall wellness and increase positive feelings. You can do this by exploring new factors of your whole self through alternate forms of exercise and relaxation techniques.
Yoga and meditation encourage you to concentrate on the condition of your body while also increasing mental function and allowing you to consider your spiritual needs, no matter what your actual beliefs are.
If you are suffering from some sort of ailment or injury, you may benefit from the services of a chiropractor, who will not only form a treatment plan that will include spinal decompression, s/he will also suggest and perhaps administer other holistic suggestions to improve your health and well-being.
To help improve my condition, my chiropractic professional prescribed and administered spinal adjustments as well as acupuncture, both of which diminished my pain and eased my stress.
In general, the holistic approach does not encourage treatment through prescription medications, but there are certainly some health issues that should and must be treated that way, so before you try any herbal remedies or kick your medicines to the curb, discuss it with your physician. After all, you need to have a well-rounded approach to being wholly healthy.
