Holism for Health
What is holism for your health?
The word holism comes from the Greek holos, referring to the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
I define optimal health as a state where the mind, the body and the spirit are properly balanced and functioning smoothly and harmoniously. The body has a wonderful ability to heal itself. My objective when I work with someone with a health challenge is to first identify which part(s) of the person is out of balance, then partner to do all we can to correct that imbalance. We then support the body, mind and spirit in order to allow it to maintain its newfound balance.
I use a strictly scientific method to determine the proper path to optimal health and use time-honored, sound medical strategies to get there. When I assess a patient, I first explore background issues that are often quite important.
These include:
- Family history, which addresses a person's genetic predisposition to disease;
- Personal history, exploring a person's health history; and
- Behavior and lifestyle: how a person is actually living their life, including their diet and exercise habits.
After the background information is obtained, I address the mind, the body and the spirit.
> In assessing The Mind: Is it balanced and peaceful, or stressed and overworked? Long-term stress can tax the mind tremendously and lead to a host of physical and emotional problems.
> In assessing The Body: Is the body not working as it should? Suboptimal functioning of any of the main systems of the body eventually leads to physical illness. I start with an overview and then thoroughly assess:
- Inflammation;
- Digestion;
- Detoxification; and
- Blood sugar metabolism.
> In assessing The Spirit: The most important question I ask here is, "How are you doing spiritually?" Science has shown us that when a person feels spiritually "connected" and has a spiritual practice of almost any kind they are better equipped to handle stressful events in their life. This connection is often to something greater than ourselves, for example religion, nature, humanity or a "higher power." Spiritual practices can include prayer, meditation or other relaxation techniques.
When I take into account all of these factors and look at the complete picture, a clear holistic treatment plan to address all physical, emotional and spiritual issues becomes apparent The beauty of a holistic treatment plan is that in addition to healing a particular ailment, it often has the remarkable affect of addressing imbalances before they manifest as physical disease and improving a person's emotional and spiritual life.
