How important is holistic health? It’s critical enough that the World Health Organization (WHO) created an initiative called “One Health” for the sole purpose of encouraging the world to embrace holistic health practices. Human beings don’t get sick in a vacuum, neither can they heal in one. Considering a patient’s social, psychological, and spiritual needs can help people heal faster and reduce the likelihood of developing or contracting diseases. Understanding what holistic healthcare is and how it outperforms most modern healthcare methods is key to individuals, professionals, and organizations being able to promote better health for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Let’s explore the transformative power of holistic healthcare in the modern world.

Modern Healthcare

Modern healthcare facilities often fail to adequately address the aspects of a patient’s life that contribute to both their wellness and their illness. Because many medical care centers are business-focused, emphasis is placed on billing for various services for as many patients as possible each day. Fast-acting pharmaceutical drugs that must be taken for extended periods, sometimes for life, are also favored over lifestyle changes and organic remedies for ailments such as dietary adjustments and exercise.

This commercial approach most often leads to doctors pushing to see as many patients as possible instead of trying to provide high-quality care to patients.

In the best cases, patients become dependent upon a particular kind of prescription to live somewhat comfortable lives. In the worst cases, patients turn to illegal or dangerous alternatives such as narcotics or risky home remedies to manage the symptoms of their disease. These options may be more accessible to a patient (due to lower cost, easier access, etc.), but increase their chances of suffering legal consequences or injuring or even killing themselves as they attempt to manage their disease outside a regulated clinical system.

The Holistic Approach

The holistic approach to healthcare offers an effective supplement to current modern healthcare models. Viewing healing as a holistic endeavor means taking into account all aspects of a person’s existence so as to address the root causes of a condition as well as the presenting symptoms. The goal is to begin the healing process by cutting off problems at the source instead of temporarily resolving the superficial signs of a disease.

Holistic health recognizes and leverages the concept of interconnectedness for the patient’s wellbeing. This means understanding that this person has multiple factors in their lives playing on their bodies and their minds. Just as each component impacts their health, their healing can only begin once all these areas are addressed in some capacity.

For example, someone living with Type 2 diabetes can be prescribed a drug like metformin to help keep their blood glucose levels closer to healthy ranges. Without any other intervention, they are likely to be prescribed higher doses of metformin in the coming years. Their condition may eventually escalate to the point they have to inject themselves with insulin daily for the rest of their lives.

But a holistic health approach will provide the resources to help lower the amount of metformin the patient needs over time, and eventually remove the drug from the patient’s diabetes management regimen completely. This can be achieved by addressing the issues that contributed to the development of the condition in the first place. Educating them about diabetic-friendly food choices, connecting them with pleasurable options for increased physical activity outside of a gym membership (if they live far from a formal gym, can’t afford a membership, or are uncomfortable in a public gym environment), and referring them to a mental health specialist to help manage any psychological struggles they may be having are all ways holistic health brings together multiple aspects of a person’s life when attempting to help them get to a place of being cured of a disease, having a disease go into remission, or being able to manage the disease by leaning more on lifestyle adjustments rather than pharmaceuticals or surgeries.

Technological Advances in Holistic Health

From robotic prosthetics to AI-assisted surgical procedures, the use of technology in healthcare has helped providers serve more people with higher efficacy than at any other time in the history of the world. At the same time, technology has allowed us as human beings to do more than ever. We can work for companies on a different side of the planet, access scientific data in the wee hours of the morning, and invest in the stock market in the waiting room at our dentist’s office.

Yet, with all the things we have the ability to do with the devices we use in our daily lives, we consistently leave one consideration on the back burner—our health. Even as technological advancements may be distracting us from taking better care of our health, they can help us be better stewards of our bodies and incorporate holistic health into our self-care routines.

Self-Care

Self-care is the act of being mindful of our physical and mental health needs. It takes clear, accurate education and deep honesty with oneself to practice self-care holistically. Often, the most effective tactic is to get assistance with self-care from people such as therapists or spiritual leaders who can help us see ourselves more clearly. In this way, we can address problems impacting our overall health and well-being by noticing and disrupting unhealthy patterns we’ve fallen into (maintaining stressful relationships, overeating highly processed foods, overworking, etc.).

Mind and Body Connection

The mind-body connection has proven to be a powerful and central way to start a whole healing process. Mental health and physical health are inextricably linked. If the mind is ill, the body is soon to follow. If the body is sick, it won’t be long before that condition is wearing on a person’s psyche. Paying attention to our health includes monitoring our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors so we can manage them more appropriately for better health outcomes.

Holistic Practices in Everyday Life

Integrating holistic healthcare methods into your daily life means listening to your body. For instance, it’s common for dehydrated people to think that they are hungry. Then they eat and don’t feel satiated because, while consuming sustenance, they aren’t giving the body what it’s actually asking for.  When your body is in pain, lacking a nutrient, or drained of energy, it helps to be aware of that and manage diet and activities accordingly. Be patient with yourself as you learn to tune into your body’s needs.

• When you find yourself about to engage in a behavior that can be unhealthy but has become a habit, work on stopping yourself (as you’re opening the fridge to get that beer, as you’re setting a timer to take a nap, as you’re about to open a bag of candy, etc.). Give yourself 60 seconds to silently sit with whatever sensations you have. In the example of someone thinking they are hungry when they are actually thirsty, this may mean pausing in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant you were about to enter.
• Tune in. During your minute, tune in to what’s going on with your body and mind. Consider if you are about to engage in this activity because it’s what you’re used to doing every night after work (pure habit), something that’s distracting you from another issue (painful memories, feelings of loneliness, trying to make a hard decision, etc.), or something else. For instance, you may give yourself the time in the parking lot to realize that your throat is dry and remember that you haven’t had any water all day, only beverages like tea, coffee, or soda.
• After you have checked in with your body regarding habitual behaviors, decide how you’d like to move forward. If you’ve realized you’re really just thirsty and not hungry, you can ask for a large cup of ice water at the restaurant or head home to get your water, and not order and eat high-calorie food that doesn’t nourish your body.

The Future of Healthcare is Holistic

The commercial operation of healthcare facilities today contributes to poor long-term health outcomes for patients. However, integrating the principles of holistic health into these settings can provide people with the information and resources they need to appropriately manage their health on a day-to-day basis with reduced dependency upon prescription drugs and surgeries. As tech and medicine evolve, they will become increasingly intertwined, including people using technology tied to their smartphones to help monitor and manage their health. Embracing holistic healthcare means creating a future where the heart of all healthcare is wellness and not profits.