Holistic health care is a form of health care delivery that acknowledges the body, mind and spirit are inseparable. A common misunderstanding is that alternative medicine is synonymous with holistic medicine. While some forms of alternative care may indeed be holistic, often times that is not the case. Any treatment that addresses a symptom without seeking to treat the root cause is not holistic therapy.
Holistic medicine is typically a much more effective and economically sensible way of addressing chronic health issues. For instance, if a patient is being treated for elevated cholesterol, he/she would undergo a thorough assessment of dietary habits and be counseled on proper nutrition as well as underlying psychosocial issues that may be driving his/her poor eating habits.
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are the most developed forms of holistic medicine that exist. This field of medicine has a profound understanding of the connection between body, mind and spirit and treatments that simultaneously address all levels. However, that is not to say that it is the only method of delivering holistic health care. Furthermore, not every acupuncturist practices in a holistic fashion. Some practitioners use acupuncture much more symptomatically than others.
Holistic Health Care
