Integrative Health: Holistic Healing For Your Mind And Body

Posted by Sebastian Ethan Robinson on November 27th, 2020

Integrative health defines the connection between the practitioner and the patient by looking at the whole person.

In terms of treatment, practitioners look at the patient holistically to see what factors are causing the condition, then they evaluate those factors and address them in the patient's environment. Treating the entire patient and the entire illness, rather than just one aspect of the illness, helps avoid a "one size fits all" approach that may leave the patient dissatisfied. It also gives the patient a greater sense of control over their body and their own lives.

Integrative Health

Integrative Health has a number of different types of care, including physical health care, mental health care, substance-use therapy, cancer care, women's health care, family practice, and home care. In order for a patient to be truly healthy, they must receive the holistic care and services of integrated health practice. Here are some types of Integrative Medicine:

• Traditional alternative medicine - It includes the more mainstream and accepted forms of therapy, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and oriental practices

• Body - Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body. 

• Diet and herbs - A simple diet consisting of meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains, to a diet that often consists of foods rich in fats, oils, and complex carbohydrates. Many dietary and herbal approaches attempt to balance the body's nutritional well-being. 

• External energy - People believe external energies from objects or other sources directly affect a person's health.

• Mind - Studies have found that people heal better if they have good emotional and mental health. 

• Senses - Some people believe the senses, touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste, can affect overall health.

Although this holistic approach is new in medicine, it has been practiced for many years in the fields of education, business, government, the arts, education, psychology, and social work. Many people use holistic methods in other areas of their life, including marriage counseling and therapy, in education, business, family practice, public health, and medicine.

Holistic Practitioner

By learning and utilizing an expanded range of resources, practitioners are able to better understand patient values and goals, meet their patient's needs with holistic care, treat patients in an integrated manner, and find ways to improve patient care and services. This holistic approach enables practitioners to focus on prevention rather than just treating problems. Integrative health care also involves examining and communicating with the patient about their own values, beliefs, behaviors, and other aspects of their lives that may be contributing to their condition.

Education is very important to holistic practitioners. In fact, most states require that all doctors educate their patients about their holistic and alternative practices, both in general and the unique treatment options that are available. While there are different levels of education for different fields of practice, it is important for patients to understand the importance of this type of education in order for them to be better educated about the types of services available to them.

Holistic practitioners look at treatment as an integrated whole rather than as separate steps in a process because it will take time for an individual issue to be resolved. Holistic practitioners are also skilled in working with a wide range of patients, including those who have varied and unique needs. They also have a number of resources and tools to help improve the health of their clients. One example is the Holistic Practice Toolkit. This toolkit contains a number of articles and resources to assist practitioners in creating a personalized plan for their client's needs. 

In Summary

Holistic health care takes a variety of approaches, some of which are more difficult to implement than others. Holistic practitioners focus on individual needs and issues and their interaction with the body, mind, and spirit. The goal of integrating health care includes a comprehensive approach to addressing the entire person.

If you feel like your health care is going against the grain or you are not being treated in a compassionate and holistic way, contact your local practitioner today.  And find out what programs they offer to help you learn more about your condition. It is never too late to make positive changes in your life. Holistic practitioners will help you learn more about healing your body and mind.