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What Is Traditional Holistic Medicine?
by Douglas Christian Larsen
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Overview
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Holism is a philosophy that attempts to view the whole picture, to consider how everything is connected, and especially in medicine that every factor of an individual---spiritual, physical, mental, emotional---is more important than just the consideration of the body by itself.
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Early Origins of Holistic Medicine
In a short history presented on the MedicineWorld.org web site, holistic healing has 5,000-year-old roots in China and India. The philosopher Aristotle, in "Metaphysics" said, "The whole is more than the sum of its parts."
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Holistic and Holism
Jan Christiaan Smuts, a leading statesman in South Africa introduced the terms "holism" and "holistic" in 1926, referring to the manner in which nature creates systems.
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Holistic and Homeopathy
"Holistic medicine" and "Homeopathy" are not necessarily the same thing, but two separate paths that are commonly confused, and often grouped together. Both systems are generally listed as "alternative medicine," but homeopathy is a distinctly different path that is defined as "like cures like," and originated in Germany in the 1800s.
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Wellness Continuum
As AHHA President Suzan Walter states on the AHHA website, "Holistic Health is an ongoing process. As a lifestyle, it includes a personal commitment to be moving toward the right end of the wellness continuum. No matter what their current status of health, people can improve their level of well-being. Even when there are temporary setbacks, movement is always headed toward wellness."
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Traditional Holistic Medicine
Traditional holistic medicines can include or incorporate a wide variety of disciplines, including acupuncture, herbal treatments, massage and chiropractic therapy and extends to dental as well as veterinary medicine.
