Holistic Health
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The human health system occurs as a whole unit, when one part of the body is feeling sick or unwell it is most likely related to the health condition of another body part. Holistic health is a term that is used to refer to general good health of the entire body that is having the whole body in a good health condition (Tomblin 2012). When all parts of the body are working in the right way and no single part is aching then this can be referred to as holistic health. There is no particular set method of achieving holistic health. However, there are guidelines which are offered for the lifestyle that one should lead in order to achieve holistic health. We should not make the mistake of confusing holistic health for herbal medicine as some people do. Although some of the traditional cures are used to take care of the body and achieve holistic health. This paper will discuss the health concept of holistic health, how it is achieved and the philosophy behind holistic health (Tomblin 2012). The paper contains findings from holistic health practitioner and thus can be used for future references.
The Philosophy of holistic health
The human body comprises of many parts that interact together to keep the body going and in good health. These parts include the mental aspect of the human body. This is directly related to the human brain. It is then closely linked to the emotional aspect of the human body. This is linked to the feelings and mood of the human body. It is directly linked to the human brain since most emotions come as a result of something that was perceived by the brain and finally the physical aspect of the human body (Tomblin 2012). This is linked to the physical body parts. It is the tangible part of the body, the specific body organs and their health. Holistic health and healing is only achieved when all these aspects of the human body are working in good coordination.
Most holistic health practitioners say that to achieve holistic health, the mental and emotional aspects should be catered for first. Others argue that the conditions of the physical aspect of the human body will determine the conditions of the other two aspects. From the first point of view, the mind is said to control how the rest of the body feels (Messonnier 2009). A person can tune their mind and thoughts to focus toward the pain and feel much more pain than the actual pain or focus away from the pain and feel less pain. In a practical situation it could be explained by a scenario where two people walk over broken glass pieces. The first person is able to focus away from the pain and thus feels no pain while the second person feel pain, which shows that he has no control over his mind. This shows that if a person is able to control the focus of their brain, then they are able to achieve holistic health. The concept also borrows its ideology from the law of attraction, where we experience what we think of more.
From the second point of view, if the physical parts of the body are not in good condition the human brain will be a source of sad emotions and the parts feel weak (Messonnier 2009). It is the health state of the physical body parts that determines of a person is able to achieve holistic health or not. For a practical example, when a person feels physical pain they are most likely going to focus all their mind energy on the pain. How they will feel less pain, how they will get out of their physical situation and back to their normal situation and at times even feeling jealous that their colleagues are not in pain as they are. With such thoughts and emotions, the situation of physical pain transforms and affects the mental aspect of the human body, at the same time the emotional art is affected (Messonnier 2009).
There is some contrast between the holistic health and healing concept and the modern medicine concept. In modern medicine, the three parts of the body discussed above are treated separately. That is why modern medicine provides for psychiatrists and physicians. The two health practitioners cover different aspects of the human body and undergo some specialized training to understand deeper their field of specialization (Bright 2002). In modern medicine, the health practitioner studies the current symptoms and gives some recommendations and the unhealthy body is monitored for sometime while undergoing treatment. This kind of treatment fails to consider situations where a person is stressed or depressed and it could be the cause of feeling unwell. In holistic health, the health practitioner does not only look for the symptoms in the body but also looks at the balance state of the human body. The emotions and mind power should be at a balance with the physical aspect.
There are basic principles that guide holistic health, they include;
The mind set- everybody should understand that good health and healing is sourced from within. They should encourage spiritual uplifting to be in the best state of mind.
The best way to handle a health condition is not to suppress the existing symptoms but rather to help the body achieve a metabolic balance. This is where the body is slowly restored to its best working state both internally and physically.
Finally, everybody should work on maintaining a healthy diet. Amazingly, we are what eat. This may have been said for different reasons but it also applies greatly in achieving holistic health (Bright 2002). Most of the disturbing health conditions can be solved simply by right feeding for example lifestyle health conditions like diabetes and obesity. Also allergies and skin conditions that affect our daily lives can be solved by our diets.
In conclusion
Holistic health is a branch in health that offers a different approach in healing and good health. The major aspects considered are not the symptoms of the health condition but the point at which the body is at a balance (Bright 2002). Achieving a body balance is possible when the patient works together with their health practitioner to restore the body aspect slowly to balance. Not all health practitioners are able to practice holistic health since not all of them believe in the concept. It is therefore wise to ask your health practitioner it they understand the concept and are willing to practice it with you.
References
Bright, M. A. (2002). Holistic health and healing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Co..
Messonnier, S. (2009). Unexpected miracles: hope and holistic healing for pets. New York: Forge.
Tomblin, H. (2012). Holistic health. Cambridge: Grove Books.
