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What is Holistic Therapy?
Holistic therapy is a generic term used to describe therapies which instead of treating only the symptom as in orthodox medicine treat the person as a whole.
Holistic therapies recognise a person as more than the sum of their parts and in treatment of any condition recognise that there are many more factors involved in maintaining health than just the
physical.
Holistic health
Refers to a philosophy of medical care that views physical and mental aspects of life as closely interconnected and equally important approaches to treatment. While frequently associated with
alternative medicine, it is also increasingly used in mainstream medical practice as part of a broad view of patient care.
Holism as a health concept has existed for ages outside of academic circles, but only relatively recently has the modern medical establishment begun to integrate it into the mainstream health care
system.
Alternative medical practices
Some holistic health advocates subscribe to alternative medical practices which conventional medicine does not support. Some common practices such as acupuncture and chiropractic have not received
total acceptance by supporters of evidence-based medicine, who require rigorous scientific testing before incorporating them in to a course of treatment. As some treatments lack experimental evidence,
they do not receive widespread acceptance in the public health care system.
Entity is greater than the sum of its parts
Holism refers to the idea that an entity is greater than the sum of its parts. In the case of health, the entity in question is the human body. Holistic concepts of health and fitness view
achieving and maintaining good health as involving more than just taking care of all the various components that make up the physical body—attention must be paid to aspects such as emotional and
spiritual well-being as well. The goal is a wellness that encompasses the entire person, rather than just the lack of physical pain or disease.
Holistic health is not itself a method of treatment, but instead an approach to how treatment should be applied. Traditional medical philosophy treats physical symptoms, using standardized methods
such as the prescription of drugs or the undertaking of surgery, while the patient is only passively involved.
Practices emphasizing holistic health believe that they are treating the whole person.
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Wirral Carers
