Holistic Health Running Head: HOLISTIC HEALTH 1: (Name of The Professor) (Course)
Holistic Health Running Head: HOLISTIC HEALTH 1: (Name of The Professor) (Course)
Holistic Health Running Head: HOLISTIC HEALTH 1: (Name of The Professor) (Course)
Holistic Health
Stelliani Peters
[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
the word may mean dealing with the root cause of an illness, increasing patient
from any orthodox medical therapies and using alternative treatment only.
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.
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
Holistic Health 3
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.
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?)
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
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,
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
Regression.)
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
scientific.)
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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
participants to practice these techniques in addition to, not in place of, appropriate qualified
Holistic Health.)
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
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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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
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
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
Reference
Ernst, E. (2007). Holistic health care? British Journal of General Practice, February 2007. P.
162-163.
Kong, S.; Lau, T.; Wong, F.; Loke, A. (1999). Facilitating the Application of Theoretical
Walter, S. Holisitc Health. AHHA Self-Help Articles Collection. Retrieved November 10,