What Is It?: Holistic Health
What do you think of when people talk about holistic health? Many might think of alternative medicine or naturopathy. Others may consider herbal supplements, massage, or energy healing. If "holistic health" brings any of these to mind for you, you're on the right track - but you might want to think a bit broader.
While holistic health often includes at least some of the things mentioned above, the main idea is not limited to them. Holistic health fundamentally honors the mind-spirit-body connection by utilizing a variety of holistic practices and clinically proven therapies. Resembling many forms of alternative medicine, holistic health focuses on prevention and overall well-being - not just treating symptoms. Holistic health is a different, more comprehensive way of thinking about and facilitating healthy living for every part of a person. It covers physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
According to the American Holistic Health Association (AHHA): "Rather than focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this ancient health approach views the whole person and how they interact with their environment. It emphasizes the connection between mind, body, and spirit. The goal is to achieve maximum well-being, where everything is functioning the best that is possible."
Holistic Health Focuses on You Holistic health is based on the understanding that all four areas (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) affect your overall health and well-being. Advocates of holistic health would likely say that each area can influence the others. Stress is one of the primary examples of how the others can be affected. Feeling stressed is a psychological response to what's happening in your life, but it can lead to very real physical symptoms such as insomnia, changes in appetite, stomach upset, dry mouth, and muscle pain. Have you ever felt anxious, sad, disconnected, or even angry along with physical illness?
There are other examples of how different areas can affect each other. If you feel emotionally down, it can physically affect you in various ways. You might not sleep well, feel tired, or even experience physical discomfort. If you feel spiritually disconnected, it can affect your emotional state, and so on.
These examples are clearly less desirable. However, the reverse can also be true. For example, research shows that spirituality can enhance both your mental and physical well-being, particularly including lower hypertension (or high blood pressure) and reduced stress.
When you visit a holistic doctor, some of the reasons they ask about not just your physical symptoms are these. They may also care about your overall well-being, emotional or mental state, and quality of life. Having all this information helps the holistic health practitioner make recommendations that treat all these areas for more rounded outcomes.
Holistic Health and Your Mental State
Potential Mental Benefits of Holistic Health
When it comes to mental well-being, a holistic approach often considers not just medical and psychiatric issues but also spiritual and emotional concerns. For example, achieving mental balance with a holistic approach might include training your thoughts to reframe situations in a more positive or productive viewpoint. You might choose to focus on excluding negativity or finding the silver lining in a tough experience.
Another example is making changes in physical activity, diet, or stress reduction to improve your mental state. Walking outside every day can significantly improve your mood and help you cope with stress. Cutting out junk food can make you feel physically more energetic, which in turn can make you feel mentally more positive. Practicing meditation to reduce stress can be key to avoiding a downward spiral of disappointment and sadness.
Benefits of Holistic Living
Holistic health care is more of a lifestyle than a one-time event. Holistic living shouldn't start when you enter a practitioner’s office and end when you leave. For better or worse, your daily habits and activities affect how your mind, body, and spirit individually and as a whole function.
While only a few "alternative" methods of holistic health services are well-researched and studied, most are generally accepted as safe. To minimize any personal risk, consider talking to your healthcare provider before starting holistic practices. For example, herbal products and other supplements can interact with medications you are currently taking.
Nevertheless, many people turn to holistic health services because they help them feel more proactive and empowered about their daily health. Rather than waiting for something to go wrong and then relying on medications or surgery to fix these issues, people thinking holistically prefer to take preventive measures to improve their well-being by bettering their eating, moving, thinking, and believing habits. With this proactive approach to wellness, they often experience fewer health issues because they adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Holistic Health Care Practices
Holistic health practitioners use a variety of methods to address different health concerns including nutritional or dietary changes, certain medications, exercise, spiritual and psychological counseling, energy therapy, and evidence-based alternative practices like yoga, acupuncture, massage, and more. If you have a physical injury, a holistic doctor might recommend necessary surgery or prescribe pain relief, but they might also suggest including exercises to support your recovery. They might talk about your diet and anti-inflammatory foods. Mindful meditation or counseling might be suggested to help you manage your stress and emotional health. Massage therapy or acupuncture might be prescribed to help you cope with discomfort.
A holistic doctor will try to treat you as a whole, rather than just addressing a condition. Every tool at hand can be recommended as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Although some appropriate treatments used by mainstream health services are included in holistic health care, medications and surgery are generally not the default. Some core methods used in holistic medicine are:
Dietary changes
Nutritional supplements and/or herbal supplements
Exercises like yoga
Environmental measures (like eliminating potential toxins or chemicals)
Changes in attitude and behavior
Relationship and spiritual counseling
Energy healing practices like Spirit B Sessions
Holistic health care typically focuses on lifestyle changes, non-invasive treatments, and enhancing energy flow. All aim to help the body improve its self-healing as it is designed to do.
Are you ready to incorporate holistic health practices into your daily life? Read 20 tips to help you start a holistic lifestyle.
There are also many practices under the umbrella of holistic health that come from ancient traditions around the world. While some of these practices require a trained practitioner, others can be learned on your own. Here are a few examples of holistic health practices you might encounter:
Ayurveda: This ancient form of medicine from India has evolved over thousands of years and is used worldwide today. As a medical system that involves physical, psychological, philosophical, ethical, and spiritual health, Ayurveda supports the body's self-healing by using herbal medicines to soothe specific ailments and conditions.
Chiropractic Care: Using controlled pressure and specialized training, a chiropractor uses joint and soft tissue manipulation, physical rehabilitation, and home care and activities to reduce discomfort, inflammation, and joint pressure. Nerve function can also be improved through chiropractic care. If you experience discomfort in your back, neck, or limbs, you might see a chiropractor. Chiropractors often also recommend other changes related to diet, supplements, exercise, and stress management.
Aromatherapy: As a holistic health practice, aromatherapy uses natural plant extracts in the form of oils distributed via diffusers or applied topically to enhance well-being, improve mood, reduce stress, and more. Specific aromatics from these oils are used for various physical, emotional, or spiritual purposes. For instance, thyme oil is considered to support immunity, while chamomile oil is used topically to reduce stress.
Breath Work: Have you noticed that you hold your breath or breathe shallowly when you are sad or stressed? Doing this can prevent sufficient oxygen from reaching your brain and affect your functioning and thinking. Try taking deliberate, deep breaths especially during stressful or anxious moments. Don't stop at one or two deep breaths - do 5 or 10. Inhale slowly for about 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and release for 5 seconds.
Meditation: Mindful meditation is one of the most commonly used holistic health practices. You can easily practice it on your own, in the comfort of your own home, whether guided by a recording or a personal guide. There are many different types of meditation for spiritual growth, progressive relaxation, stress management, focus, and more. Many people adopt meditation as an approach to mind-body holistic health. Research indicates meditation can have a positive effect on issues like high blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and inflammation.
Energy Healing: The term energy healing is used to describe a variety of holistic healing techniques that use the natural connection between mind and body to promote emotional and physical well-being. By accessing, channeling, balancing, and manipulating the body's natural energy centers, energy healing processes can help support health.
Energy healing is based on connecting the subconscious and conscious, involving the whole person to promote health and well-being. Unlike traditional medicine's prescription drugs and invasive surgeries, energy healing combines powerful physical, mental, and spiritual aspects to activate the body's natural healing abilities.
Spirit B Sessions are excellent examples of energy healing designed to be accessible for anyone to try!
