Holistic Medicine As Compared With Other Medical Practices
Robert Thatcher
Holistic medicine is health care that comprises all the aspects
of one's personality to obtain the optimum state of wellness.
It encompasses the process of looking into the wholeness of the
person including nutritional, physical, environmental,
spiritual, lifestyle and social values. Holistic medicine
includes virtually all treatments and diagnosis known to
achieve balance in personality. It upholds the responsibility
of educating one's self to attain the ideal over-all health and
well being.
Holistic Medicine and Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine is commonly associated with holistic
medicine. By definition, alternative medicine is the medical
techniques that are usually not accepted or practiced by
conventional medical practitioners. Most alternative medicines
are founded to have rooted on unscientific, untested and
untraditional principles. Often, these forms of medicine are
closely associated with metaphysical components and
anti-scientific stands.
Many of these techniques don't normally have pharmaceutical
values like the acupuncture, herbalism, Reiki, homeopathy and
the likes. Yet the alternative medicine may also be used in
experimental non-drug and drug techniques that are not yet
accepted in the medical circles. The future of alternative
medicine holds on the potentiality of transforming the
"alternative medicine" into conventional medicine since it is
now becoming widely appreciated and practiced by medical
doctors. In fact, complementary medicine is the term used for
alternative medicine practiced in combination with conventional
medicine.
Due to these changes in view of the alternative medicine,
holistic medicine has become a more preferable option among
those who are quite doubtful of the alternative medicine.
Alternative medicine may appeal to metaphysical beliefs and so
does the holistic medicine but on milder and more
scientifically based approach. Yet the knowledge applied in
holistic medicine still cannot hide the fact that it tends to
cling to non-scientific knowledge.
Simply put holistic medicine claims to cure and treat the whole
person. Holistic medicine stresses out the unification of the
mind and the physical body. Holistic medicine practitioners
give credence to the belief the man is not a pure physical body
with systems and parts that encompass it. Man is also a
spiritual being that requires spiritual healing. Holistic
medicine concerns itself to the belief of the connection
between the spirit and emotions and mind.
The gap between holistic medicine and alternative medicine is
closed by the common practice of not using drug treatments and
surgeries. They usually employ meditation, herbs, prayers,
vitamins and minerals, as well as exotic diets in treating
certain ailments.
Holistic Medicine and Conventional Medicine
Allopathy or conventional medicine defines individual health as
the non-occurrence of diseases, which appeals to be a negative
approach in defining the condition. Holistic medicine on the
other hand concerns itself on a person's absolute state of
physical, social, mental and spiritual well-being.
As based on the definition given (that is commonly used among
medical practitioners), orthodox medicine remains to deal with
one's susceptibility to diseases instead of the wellness as
opposed by holistic medicine. Based on common observations,
conventional medicine typically doesn't apply to healthy
individuals. While holistic medicine focuses on the quality of
living practiced by people. Sick people normally don't seek
medical attention not until the symptoms of the disease/s are
obvious. Thus, there is too little preventive treatment against
sickness.
There are great differences between holistic medicine and the
conventional type both in the diagnosis and treatments. Most of
which are scientifically based. In oppose to this stand,
diagnosis in holistic treatment are conceived through the
manifestations of body imbalance. These are determined through
certain procedures distinctive only to holistic medicine and
other related medicinal practices.
People who have already undergone any of these procedures claim
that is not bad trying on or all of these practices. Yet
individual preferences still have the hand on what will be
accepted as the ideal procedure.
About The Author: Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher
based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and
reports in various ezines and provides holistic medicine
resources on
http://www.about-holistic-medicine.info
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