Sunday, 29 November 2009
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All About Holistic Medicine
This blog topic was suggested by PreciousOnyx when we were talking about the healthcare reform bill and how would require all of us, including those of us who don't use conventional medicine, to purchase healthcare insurance, lest we be penalized to the full extent of the law. For me, and for many others who prefer a holistic approach to our healths, this would be a complete waste of money. She then gave me the idea to do a more detailed blog on this.
So what is holistic medicine? Well, probably the easiest way to define it is to start off defining the word "holistic." Holistic is an adjective, meaning "characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole." So if we define "holistic medicine," we see that the term is essentially referring to "whole body" medicine. Holistic practitioners look at the entire body as a whole, rather than zoning in on one particular part of the body. In the world of allopathy (conventional medicine), everything has its own specialist, and often times specialists overlook the overall cause of something. Of course, this is all in the name of money, as I've said a million times before.
So what encompasses holistic medicine? There are essentially three types of holistic medicine: alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and natural healing. Let's take a look at each one of these.- Alternative Medicine. This refers to non-surgical, non-pharmaceuitcal treatments. Everything from herbal remedies to acupuncture falls into this category. Alternative medicine, by definition, is not approved by the FDA, and is often sneezed at by MDs. Of course, there is no money to be made in these, so of course the medical industry bucks at these. With "approved treatments" changing all the time, there is no one standard definition of "alternative medicine."
- Complementary Medicine. Much the same as alternative medicine, including the same treatments and such, however used in conjunction with allopathy.
- Natural Healing. Treatment to invoke the natural healing ability of the human body. Nutrition therapy is an example of natural healing.
So what makes holistic medicine different? Mainly the philosophy. Western medicine/allopathy operates on the belief that to correct anomalies in the body, one must add synthesized chemicals to the body. Holistic medicine is more focused on allowing the body to heal itself using its own healing powers (which, by the way, are truly amazing). Allopathy also focuses on one part of the body, vs. holistic medicine which is a whole-body approach. Finally, allopathy treats symptoms (after all, that's where the money is). Holistic medicine aims to treat the root cause of the symptoms.
What are the side effects of holistic treatments? Very minimal. Certain treatments, such as acupressure or acupuncture, may involve a small amount of discomfort, but nothing serious and it's definitely not painful. There's also a slight risk of allergic reaction to certain herbs and foods. Other than that, there really are no side effects to holistic treatments.
Now that we've taken a look at what holistic medicine is, its philosophy, and the potential side effects, let's take a look at some of the more common holistic treatments:- Nutrition Therapy. The body needs about 16 different vitamins and minerals in abundance every day. If you don't get every one of them every day, something is bound to go wrong. With modern diets, almost nobody gets all of these nutrients. A properly planned, nutritious diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins, and low in saturated fats and processed carbohydrates is the body's best defense against illness. Most of holistic medicine revolves around nutrition therapy.
- Bodily Manipulation. Yoga, meditation, chiropractic care, acupressure, and acupuncture fall into this category. These revolve around stimulating awareness of your own body, and manipulating it for a more efficient flow of energy through the body's circuits, and sometimes even to relieve pain and stimulate nerves. These are also excellent at relieving stress, which is a huge enemy of the body.
- Supplementation. This involves adding nutritional supplements to nutrition therapy. Anything as simple as calcium supplementation, to herbal remedies to help control certain symptoms and treat certain causes and symptoms of illness fall into this category.
There are many, many more types of holistic medicine. Holistic medicine is an all-natural, non-invasive way to take care of yourself, prevent illness, and even treat illness. So why do you never hear about it? As I've said a million times before, it's because these treatments are PROFIT KILLERS. Big Pharma doesn't want you to know about any of this. They want you to be slaves unto them, to pad their pocket books, and to control the state of healthcare. You can do something. Take your health into your own hands, and do something good for yourself. Feel better, be healthier, and do it without breaking the bank or without drugs and surgery.
Before this post, were you aware of what holistic medicine was? Have you ever had any holistic medicine before?
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About the Author
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- From: mathematicalbagpiper@xanga
- Name: LG
- About Me: Math grad student/teaching assistant at Idaho State University, bagpipe performer, atheist, and intactivist/anti-mutilationist, and supporter of the "guy thigh revival." I'm also an ordained minister of The First Church of Atheism. That's about all there is to know about me.
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Comments (11)
That's fine and dandy, but... what is the evidence in favor of the idea that holistic medicine is generally more effective than "Western" medicine?
I'm a big believer in holistic approaches...my husband and I use them with great results. My husband has high blood pressure and uses garlic to control it, it works wonderfully. That's just one way we've used it. I also took a holistic approach during my entire pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. I'm a fan for sure!
I am thankful for advances in western medicine but I much prefer to use it as a last resort.
We use traditional medicine very sparingly in our home. Using many of the "home remedies" and preventive measures to illness that have been passed down in our family. We have never called it holistic medicine or really labeled it at all, but it does seem to fit your categories almost completely. I am not against doctoring in a traditional sense I only feel that it is highly overused. @QuantumStorm@xanga - The evidence in our family is that since I pulled my family out of the whole run to the doctor for every ailment thing almost 20 years ago our health has improved dramatically. Last year (2009) our medical bills for our entire family were under $500. We did not need to use our medical insurance at all because our family deductbile is 1,500 and we didn't spend that much. Our dental bills were limited to only paying for cleanings. Not sure it's for everyone but it is working for us.
@tsh44@xanga - All you've done is demonstrated a correlation, no causation. And with your comment on your medical bill, all you've done, again, is demonstrate a transition from a hypochondriac-like situation into a situation much like the one I'm in. I rarely get sick and my medical bills are low as well, but not because I turned to alternative medicines. Again, how does your transition away from a hypochondriac-like mentality towards doctors demonstrate that holistic medicine/alternative medicine is generally more effective?
@QuantumStorm@xanga - I simply use my situation as an example of what is happening in my own life, period. I'm not out to set one as better than another for everyone and pointed out that this is what works for us. I didn't mention anything about the "hypochodriac mentality" you jumped there all by yourself. When my family first started out I used to go to the doctor or take my family to the doctor for all the "suggested" check-ups and for all illnesses when a doctor would have been traditionaly involved. Now I don't, the results are what they are and everyone can understand those results as they choose.
@tsh44@xanga - // I'm not out to set one as better than another for everyone and pointed out that this is what works for us.//
That's nice, but I was looking for studies, etc, not so much personal anecdotes. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with it, but just that it's insufficient.
//I didn't mention anything about the "hypochodriac mentality" you jumped there all by yourself.//
You didn't use the terms I did but you described behavior similar to that sort of disposition.
// When my family first started out I used to
go to the doctor or take my family to the doctor for all the
"suggested" check-ups and for all illnesses when a doctor would have
been traditionaly involved.//
So it wasn't what you said earlier, which was -
"run to the doctor for every ailment thing"
So which was it? The former, or the latter thing you said? There's a difference between going for "suggested" treatments "when a doctor would have been traditionally involved" and going for every ailment.
//Now I don't, the results are what they are and everyone can understand those results as they choose.//
And so far the results you mentioned detailed a correlation, not a causation - thus you can see why I'm trying to figure out how your initial response remotely answered my question.
I have a lot of respect for holistic approaches- and I think that western medicine is gradually transitioning to a more preventative approach. Insurance reimbursement for this kind of treatment is lacking. Also lacking, unfortunately, is the financial support to perform the studies to evaluate the efficacy (or, let's be honest, potential harms) of holistic approaches. The fact that so little is known in these respects is why most physicians are ill-equipped to advise in their regard (not necessarily because of a lack of interest or disbelief)
All the same- I'd still absolutely purchase an insurance policy because as awesome as these treatments may be for overall health, if I got in a car wreck and broke bones or damaged nerves, you'd better believe I'd want an orthopedic surgeon and neurosurgeon to work on me.
And no, specializations do not exist to make more money. They exist because medicine is such a complex field that one person cannot possibly know and practice well everything there is to know about everything.
@sistahmanda@xanga - See, and I'm a bit of an extreme. If I'm in a car accident, and it comes down to where I have to have someone work on me like that (thus leaving me either potentially disfigured, and more than likely in pain for the rest of my life), just let me die. Seriously. Life isn't worth living with a missing limb, paralyzed, or in chronic pain (at least in my opinion).
@QuantumStorm@xanga - Our doctor suggests we bring the childre in when they have an ailment. - Ailment meaning illness not fake or make believe sickness. As to the rest, read what you will.
@QuantumStorm@xanga - My thoughts exactly. I am all for holistic medicine if it can be scientifically demonstrated as effective...unfortunately results are quite mixed. (to your first post)
Also, if you are going to be treating yourself or someone else with alternative medicine IT IS ESSENTIAL to have a strong understanding of human physiology--otherwise scary stuff can happen. Yes, doctors make mistakes too, but I would still trust someone with a solid grounding in physiology (and ideally immunology) over someone who had just read a few books (or god for forbid was acting through word of mouth.)
Yes, we overmedicate in this country. Yes, we are often treat symptoms instead of their underlying problems. These are problems. But A LOT of "folk science" or "pop-culture science" is so incredibly wrong or misguided it's frightening. Practices such as acupuncture don't seem to cause any harm, regardless of whether they help or not (hello, placebo) but some things can be.
Point being: There is nothing wrong with holistic medicine--in fact quite like the philosophy of it--but BE CAREFUL. Doctors go through a bajillion years of medical school for a reason. And I think that western medicine has ultimately done more good than harm. Check out research from reputable medicine and science journals (beware of regular magazines/newspapers...they often misinterpret data) and be sure what you're doing doesn't have serious side effects...and good luck!
I knew of it, but I didn't know it by the word holistic. I really didn't know as much about it, though. I've always wished I could find more natural ways of treating myself when I get sick or injured, or just generally taking better care of myself, but I don't know enough about this sort of thing to really make an educated decision on it. There just seems to be so much to know and not enough sources of information to tell me everything I need to know in order to know what I'm doing. It also seems that I'm not the only one in that kind of boat, because I have friends who feel the same way. I really don't think I know a single person who is very aware of this kind of thing, or at least aware enough to help us out. :p