The words “holism” and “holistic” are derived from the Greek word holos, meaning “whole”. The concept of holism is based on an understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Holistic Medicine is an approach to medical care which emphasizes the study of all aspects of person’s health and illness, including physical, psychological, social, spiritual and cultural factors.
What does Holistic means?
Holistic approach is not a new concept in India. This approach has been around for thousands of years and were commonly used in ancient Egypt, China and India for their additive therapeutic effects.
Holistic approach is not a new concept in India. This approach has been around for thousands of years and were commonly used in ancient Egypt, China and India for their additive therapeutic effects.
Holistic means care for the whole person – his mind, body, and spirit. The holistic approach to health differs from the conventional medical approach in that it takes into account the whole patient rather than just focusing on the symptom or the part that has the problem.
Holistic medicine is a term used to describe therapies that attempt to treat the whole person. Many physicians consider conventional Modern Medicine as ‘unholistic’ or ‘non-holistic’ and but blame on the term ‘allopathy’. According to them, instead of treating an illness, modern medicine looks only at the superficial symptoms, a view which represents only the ignorance of the view’s proponent. Holistic Approach looks at an indiviual’s overall physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being both for diagnosis as well as for recommending treatment.
A practitioner with a holistic approach treats the symptoms of illness as well as looking for the underlying cause of illness. A physician with a Holistic Approach also attempts to prevent illness by placing a greater emphasis on optimizing health. He sees the body’s system as interdependent parts of the person’s whole being.
The History of Holistic Medicine
Holistic medicine has its roots in several ancient healing traditions that stress healthy living and being in harmony with nature. Hippocrates, father of Medicine, who acknowledged the importance of brain in sanity and insanity, also emphasized the body’s ability to heal itself.
The word ‘holistic’ was first introduced by the South African philosopher and statesman Jan Christian Smuts in in 1926 work, ‘Holism and evolution’.
Today , holistic medicine is known as approach to life and health which brings together the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of a person in order to create a total sense of well being. It is not a method of treatment in itself, but an approach to how the treatment should be applied.
