A holistic approach to health is one that englobes multidimensional aspects of wellness. Basically, holistic health considers every part of the human being: the mental, the physical, the emotional, the social, the intellectual, and the spiritual. This approach has been more and more used by people all over the world as it is the way to not only cure or treat diseases but also help the individuals feel better about themselves.
Another part of holistic health is that it includes the patient in the health decisions made by both the physician and the patient. These choices are always made with the patient’s overall wellness in mind, which will have a bigger positive impact on their life.
Holistic health is characterized by combining conventional medicine with other techniques in biological-based therapies and the connection of mind, body, and spirit. This translates to the use of acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic health, meditation, yoga, and more. Motherhood Community has guides on improving your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. They also have various meditation and yoga guides. Be sure to check them out. By choosing to take a holistic approach to your health, you and your healthcare provider can make decisions that will let you live a healthier and happier life.
Why should you consider holistic health?
Your health is one the of the most important things you’ll ever have in your life, so keeping it strong and well is key to ensuring an active, happy life with your loved ones. You should consider a holistic approach when taking care of yourself because the impact it offers your body, soul and mind is greater than if you only focus on your body.
Consider discussing with your healthcare provider and inform yourself about their practices. Most physicians are now also looking into helping their patients with a holistic view in mind. In fact, the MSN-FNP program at TWU teaches registered nurses how to focus on their patients beyond the treatment of disease. They know it’s important to have someone with you who will guide you in making the best decisions that impact your health and wellbeing.
Our body is like a car in some ways. The way we treat it could be described similarly. For example, if your car has a problem, you take it to the mechanics or may even try to figure out yourself what the issue is. When the technician is looking for what’s wrong, they may have a clue, but they will check different parts of the car, they’ll test it, and see if it works fine then, and they’ll retry if their first solution wasn’t successful. They usually have the whole car in mind. You cannot fix a problem temporarily, almost like putting a band-aid over it, to later have to deal with another issue that wasn’t even there in the first place.
That is what holistic health helps you to do. It looks at your health as a whole. It doesn’t treat a physical problem in a way that you will later develop mental health issues, for example. Your healthcare provider should help you to make healthy decisions that are helpful overall.
The inside and out
By guiding you and listening to your concerns, your physician or nurse practitioner can come up with different options for treatment that you feel comfortable with. The dialogue must be open and honest, and the most important part is that you’re involved in that decision too. Holistic health believes that the patient must have a saying in how they are treated.
Taking charge of your health is a liberating feeling that can also feel a little overwhelming. It’s not completely up to you to decide what medication is the best or will work for your problem. However, the holistic approach looks inside and out. Will this have an impact on your mental health? Will this medication cause skin problems you don’t currently have? Will you feel lethargic and unable to work efficiently?
These questions should be discussed when choosing a treatment because they will impact the inside of your body and outside too. Therefore, the holistic approach to health is the safest out there that promotes overall health. You cannot just work on one problem at a time, not with our bodies and minds, not with our livelihood.
Considering a holistic approach should be a no-brainer. This approach considers every single aspect of the individual, their age, gender, culture, even social background, faith, and beliefs. It looks at you as a completely multifaceted person, and it makes you feel better and more confident about talking about your health with your provider, but even more so, it makes you feel more comfortable about the decisions being made.
Many have already adopted the holistic approach; do you think you will too?