Holistic Health Running Head: HOLISTIC HEALTH 1: (Name of The Professor) (Course)

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Holistic Health 1

Running Head: HOLISTIC HEALTH

Holistic Health

Stelliani Peters

Governors State University

[name of the Professor]

[Course]

.
Holistic Health 2

Holistic Health

Introduction

The word Holism is derived from a Greek word meaning all, entire, total and in

broader terms the concept connotes that all the properties of any given system can never be

determined or explained by the sum of its component parts alone. The term is believed to be

coined by Jan Christiaan Smuts in 1926, and it became a common adjective in our daily

vocabulary in 1970s. (Walter, S. Holisitc Health. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection.)

Mostly the word is used in following two contexts:

• As a whole made up of mutually dependent elements. When applied to illness,

the word may mean dealing with the root cause of an illness, increasing patient

involvement, and considering both orthodox and alternative therapies.

• As a synonym for alternative medicine. This definition means turning away

from any orthodox medical therapies and using alternative treatment only.

(Walter, S. HOLISTIC is an adjective … not a noun. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection.)

Holistic health is a mode of medical care that regards physical and mental dimensions

of life as closely interrelated and equally important during treatment. This concept has been

there for quite some time but only recently has the orthodox medical establishment started to

incorporate it into the mainstream health care system. It is the conscious pursuit of the highest

qualities of the physical, mental, environmental, spiritual, emotional and social aspects of the

life.

Holistic health is more of an approach to how therapy should be administered instead

of a mode of treatment. Holistic concepts of health and fitness view achieving and

maintaining good health as requiring more than just taking care of the various singular
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components that make up the physical body, additionally incorporating aspects such as

emotional and spiritual well-being. The idea is a wellness beyond just the lack of physical

pain or disease, in holism not feeling sick, does not necessarily mean one is well, but only

that one is neither well nor sick. A most frequently given explanation is to consider degree

wellness as a continuum along a straight line. This line shows all probable levels of health.

The left side of the line connotes untimely death, whereas the right side is the highest

possible level of well-being. The centermost point of the line symbolizes a lack of obvious

disease. This puts all degrees of illness on the left side of this continuum. The right side says

that even in absence of illness there is still a lot of chance for improvement. (Walter, S.

Holisitc Health. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection.)

Holism believes that appearance symptoms follows the cause of the symptoms,

therefore the focus should be on cause eradication instead of symptomatic treatment. They

further proclaims that modren orthodox medical model has a focus on treatment of symptoms

and syndromes without without giving a thought to the cause. Holistic practitioners claim to

treat the causes rather than the symptoms of a disease. (Ernst, E. (2007). Holistic health

care?)

Holistic practitioners proclaim an ‘alternate’ method, which takes account of the

patient’s body, mind, and spirit. They criticize orthodox medicinal approaches for their

mechanistic conception of the body and for their surgical attempts to understand its

metabolism (and malfunction) and also for their intrusive style of treatment. Holistic

therapists, by contrast, consider disease as a disturbance of the synchronization between “the

individual, nature and the cosmos; their treatment aims to assist the purposeful attempts of

the body to restore its natural balance.” (Fitzpatrick, M. (2007). The Alternative Regression.)

Prevention is better than cure and is generally more cost-effective, is the underlying

principle of holistic health care. Holistic health supporters argue that majority of illnesses and
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untimely death can be traced back to lifestyle choices. The dangers associated with drugs,

nicotine, alcohol and unprotected sexual activity are very well-known, whereas the effects of

excesses in things like caffeine, sugar, cigarettes and negative attitudes are less recognized.

Combine it with insufficient exercise and lack of nutritious foods the situation becomes even

bleaker. With time theses minute things accumulate and the negative synergy they creates

diminish the quality of the "internal environment" of the human being. So the quality of life,

today and tomorrow, depends on a cornucopia of seemingly insignificant choices made

everyday. (Walter, S. Holisitc Health. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection.)

Holistic health schools claim three sources of wisdom. Some are based on revelation,

either divine or secular. Others rely on speculation, theorizing human health and disease in

terms of elements or energy flows. Others still use empirical methods, observing patients and

classifying the clinical features of disease. (Fitzpatrick, M. (2007). The Alternative

Regression.)

The most common alternative therapies used are acupuncture, chiropractic,

homeopathy, massage therapy, and naturopathy.

Criticism

Since its inception the Holistic approach has consistently been in the firing line of

registered medical practitioners, and over all it has managed to make more adversaries than

comrades. A lot of the members of medical fraternity consistently criticize this approach and

continue to question its objectivity and legitimacy. According to Bruce Charlton, ‘fringe

therapies are a kind of cultural fossil, preserving a pre-scientific and pre-critical mode of

reasoning about medicine’. (Charlton, B. G. Philosophy of medicine: alternative or

scientific.)
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He further said, ‘their survival depends upon either ignorance or double-think (a

deliberate bracketing off of skepticism) — which explains why such practices can never be

disproved’. That is the reason why project of subjecting alternative therapies to randomized

controlled trials and other scientific methods is doomed.

In response to these allegations advocates of Holistic approach replies, “We teach

participants to practice these techniques in addition to, not in place of, appropriate qualified

physical, emotion, and spiritual guidance.” (Anderson, G. A Simplified Explanation of

Holistic Health.)

What kind of People use Holistic therapy

Before the dawn of orthodox medicine as a separate faculty there was always a dearth

of 'qualified' physicians, surgeons or apothecaries to fulfill the demand of the public, this

provided a chance to a mass of irregular practitioners to fill up the gap. Common examples

were the lords practicing medicine on their servants; knowledgeable clergymen taking an

amateur interest; there were traveling 'quacks' and the famous 'old wives'. Then for a brief

period, numbers and cost of this medical profession balanced the public demand - and

irregular practice decreases significantly.

However, nowadays public demands more from orthodox medicine, and it has

become increasingly difficult for people to accept that nothing specific can be done. A

wonderful century of amazing medical progress has left people with the idea that for every

disease there must be a treatment: somehow, somewhere if only one looks hard enough or

pays enough that is where the quacks steps in. (Charlton, B. G. Philosophy of medicine:

alternative or scientific.)

Conclusion
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As reason cannot be reconciled with irrationality, similarly orthodox approach to

medicine cannot be integrated with alternative medicinal approach. Even though supporters

of holistic medicinal approach argue that their method offers a more considerate method of

health care, claim of orthodox medicine to be more compassionate is based on its

unprecedented record of accomplishment in the treatment and relief of sufferings. It can be

therefore concluded that holistic healers raise unrealistic expectations and dispense therapies

whose efficacy (and safety) has rarely been objectively confirmed. The worst medical doctor

can cure diseases and save lives; but the best alternative healer can only give false hopes.

As the general inclination of medicine up to the late 20th century was to shift away

from superstition, hence, it is even more depressing that this new millennium has brought a

revival to mysticism. Considering the backward approach of the alternative medicine, it is

ironical that openness towards such practices is nowadays viewed as a progressive, even

radical, attitude.

The inconsistency between what Anderson and Walter has said is enough to indicate

the vagueness of the approach even among its most ardent and long-time supporters.

According to Anderson this approach should be used “in addition” to a qualified physician,

whereas Walter believes in “turning away” from conventional treatment and administering

“only” holistic medicine. Despite all its flaws, orthodox medicine is by a long stretch the

most neutrally valid system of treatment. It has proved itself, time and again, to be capable of

predicting, generating and explaining the treatments it uses.


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Reference

Anderson, G. A Simplified Explanation of Holistic Health. AHHA Self-Help Articles

Collection. Retrieved November 10, 2008 from http://ahha.org/articles.asp?Id=82

Charlton, B. G. Philosophy of medicine: alternative or scientific. (1992). Journal of the Royal

Society of Medicine Volume 85 August 1992. P. 436–438.

Ernst, E. (2007). Holistic health care? British Journal of General Practice, February 2007. P.

162-163.

Fitzpatrick, M. (2007). The Alternative Regression. British Journal of General Practice,

February 2007. P. 165.

Kong, S.; Lau, T.; Wong, F.; Loke, A. (1999). Facilitating the Application of Theoretical

Holistic Health Concepts to Professional Practice Through Action Learning.

Reflective Practice. P. 69-78. Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Walter, S. Holisitc Health. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection. Retrieved November 10,

2008 from http://ahha.org/articles.asp?Id=85

Walter, S. HOLISTIC is an adjective … not a noun. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection.

Retrieved November 10, 2008 from http://ahha.org/articles.asp?Id=86

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