HOLISTIC HEALTH DIRECTIVES
Many people in the industrialized world are now turning to holistic and other forms of alternative healthcare. This is partially in response to the quality of regular Western healthcare they can afford and have available to them, as well as because of the side effects and potential dangers of many Western medicines and treatments, to name just a few of the reasons more and more people are turning to holistic and alternative healthcare.
Holistic Healthcare
Holistic medicine or holistic healthcare is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of alternative medicine and healthcare practices that take into account a person as a whole, not just a particular problem or symptoms of problems. While holistic healthcare practitioners do in fact treat their patients’ specific problems and symptoms of problems, they have an ultimate goal of not just helping with problems but try to help their patients achieve their optimal wellness.
Holistic healthcare doctors and providers look at more than their patients’ physical wellness. They see a person’s body, mind, spirit and other aspects of a person’s self, as integrated and interdependent systems that make up the whole person. Treatments and techniques in holistic healthcare practices are used to try to get a person’s whole body back in balance with itself in order to stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
Holistic healthcare looks at healthcare providers and their patients as a team that needs to work together on achieving the patient’s optimal health. This is often done by examining and treating an individual’s:
– Emotional Health
– Environmental Health
– Lifestyle
– Physical Health
– Social-Emotional Health
– Spiritual Health
While holistic healthcare is often used in conjunction with Western medicine and to help people to heal from negative side effects of conventional treatments, holistic healthcare practitioners do not typically prescribe conventional medications or perform conventional surgeries. The following are some of the more popular forms of holistic healthcare that are available to people in the United States:
– Acupuncture
– Ayurveda
– Biofeedback
– Chiropractic
– Diet-based Therapies
– Energy Healing
– Guided Imagery
– Hypnosis
– Kinesiology Therapy
– Massage Therapy
– Naturopathy
– Nutrition Counseling and Therapy
– Osteopathy
– Physical Therapy
– Qi’ Gong
– Reiki
– Tai Chi
– Yoga
While much of mainstream Western medicine focuses on getting rid of physical symptoms, holistic practices focus on empowering patients to be able to heal themselves and to improve the flow of their life force energy. Most appointments with Western physicians are booked in 15 – 30 minute intervals where patients rarely meet with a doctor for the full amount of these time slots. While there are many different kinds of holistic healthcare providers with different philosophies and practices, holistic healthcare appointments tend to be longer and often last anywhere from 30 to upwards of 120 minutes. There are many different reasons that people are trying to learn about and to try different forms of healthcare other than traditional Western medicine. Be informed with Health Directives.