Holistic medicine is an alternative form of healthcare that is oriented at treating the whole individual. Rather than looking at the disease, holistic practitioners recognize the person and seek to understand what’s causing the problem -- not focusing solely on symptomatic management. Furthermore, holistic practitioners seek optimal health for their patients -- more than the absence of illness, optimal health is actively pursuing of the “the highest qualities of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of the human experience,” according to the American Holistic Health Association (AHHA).
Additionally, holistic medicine encompasses any preventative, diagnostic, and treatment methods that are effective and safe, whether these come from alternative health care or conventional medicines. While many people turn to holistics as a sort of last chance for healing, it can be an extremely effective means of prevention before the problem even begins. In any case, here are a few conditions often treated successfully through holistic medicine.
Migraine Headaches
Approximately 37 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. While pills geared at migraines are effective at managing the ache itself, they rarely (if ever) help make the migraines themselves go away. Migraines can be induced by a variety of triggers, and these can vary from person to person -- bright lights, certain foods, chronic stress, even a change in hormones. This makes it extremely difficult to treat migraines from the standpoint of conventional medicine, which tends to have a disease-geared treatment plan, rather than one that is person-driven. Holistics, on the other hand, seeks to incorporate a variety of treatment options to greater effect, while simultaneously seeking to discover the root of the problem.
Holistic treatment for migraine sufferers might include:
- Chiropractics: Misalignment of the neck and spine can pull and tighten muscles.
- Yoga: Meditative breathing combined with personalized strength and flexibility training is often beneficial to the entire body, as well as promoting emotional well-being.
- Nutritional counseling: Improving dietary habits can promote overall health, and migraines can be triggered by a lack of specific nutrients; excluding certain foods or beverages may also help.
- Acupuncture: Research has found acupuncture is actually extremely effective in many cases related to migraines.
Anxiety
The chemicals released by stress and anxiety create a physiological response. So, while anxiety is a mental disorder, it has a physical effect as well. This is another great example of a global condition treated systemically. Rather than getting a prescription to treat the symptom, holistic medicine would seek to discover why the anxiety is present and why it is causing the specific symptoms that results.
Counseling would be necessary in both conventional and holistic medicine, but other techniques might be beneficial from a holistic care point of view. Aromatherapy makes use of a variety of different essential oils; different scents are used for different ailments to promote healing. This might mean using lavender oil to promote relaxation during particularly anxious times. The body tends to react physically to anxiety as well; muscles become tight and bunched, interfering with movement. Massage therapy can be extremely effective at relieving those muscles, which the body can then interpret as relaxation, lowering stress hormones as a result. Meditation is thought to relieve negative energies, which are considered toxic to the self.
Cardiovascular Issues
Even issues that seem purely physiological can be helped through alternative medicines. Cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, have their place in holistic medicine as well. Nutritional counseling can help create a heart-healthy diet, while therapeutic exercises also promote heart health. Chronic stress often makes high blood pressure and other heart diseases worse, even contributing to heart attacks. Cardiac arrhythmias can be improved through biofeedback, a form of therapy in which you learn how to control involuntary bodily responses. Many of these therapies can be used before the cardiac problem even presents itself.
If conventional medicine hasn’t been as effective as you would like, or you feel like you’re at the end of your rope, talk to a reputable holistic physician about alternative solutions.
