Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs including psychological, physical and

social should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, [1] the holistic view is widely accepted in medicine. A different definition, claiming that disease is a result [2] of physical, emotional, spiritual, social and/or environmental imbalance, is used in alternative medicine. In alternative medicine, it is believed that the spiritual aspect should also be taken into account when [3] assessing a person's overall well-being. Several disciplines in alternative medicine use the holistic health approach, including but not limited to: acupuncture chiropractic ayurveda traditional chinese medicine aromatherapy homeopathy holistic nutrition meditation naturopathy crystals natural diet and herbal remedies

What is Holistic Health?

Holistic health is a type of medical science that was first introduced by Edgar Cayce in the early 1900s. Cayce is one of the worlds most renowned holistic health psychic healers that encouraged words of light and wisdom to empower the mind, body, and spirit. Over time, those who believe in the healing power of holistic health practices have created educational systems that promote his ancient teachings. Holistic health is an operational medical term that indicates that cells can respond to certain stimuli that denote natural remedies instead of pharmaceutical drugs to help rid the body ofdisease. Disease processes are those that arise from imbalances in the body. For example, when the cells of the body become deficient in certain nutrients and vitamins, disease processes occur. The prevalence of this condition often causes illness and even fatalities when not taken care of properly. In addition, Edgar Cayce was a psychic who channeled these ideas and healing powers from ancient civilizations to help remove the disguise on many disease processes that society suffers from. Holistic health practices have been scientifically proven effective in combating the various disease processes of the body.

A Brief History of Holistic Medicine

In many ways, the holistic health movement has been a progressive health movement that has met many forces of resistance from various types of medical practitioners to eliminate the risk of disease. Of all countries in the world, there are different forms of medicine based on cultural influences, evidence based medicine, scientific studies, and even scholars who contribute thoughts to this ongoing process. The practice of medicine is not to determine who is right and who is wrong, but what method truly works to reverse disease in the body. For this reason, medical

technologies should be the personal choice of each individual patient to help control the spread of disease through the body. Although there are many legislations currently in order to control the distribution of traditional, nuclear, conventional, and holistic medicine, we must be inquisitive towards efficiency, healing, and outcomes towards disease.

Characteristics of Holistic Health

by Jerry Driessen, PhD - Exec. Dir., Assn. For Holistic Health
1. It is person oriented rather than disease oriented. 2. Its objective is full, vibrant health (positive wellness), not symptom amelioration. It respects the valid contribution of current medical science and practice. 3. It focuses on internal healing as a useful supplement to surgery, radiation and drug therapy. 4. It is tri-level (physical, emotional, spiritual), not uni-level (physical body). 5. It focuses on primary prevention rather than crisis intervention. 6. It places major responsibility for health on the client, not the professional. It is long-term, not short. 7. It is comprehensive and systematic, not fragmented. 8. It recognizes that the client is an active and committed partner in the healing process, not a passive recipient. 9. It is pragmatic: It recognizes the value of "what works" without having to understand completely the causal processes involved. 10. It fully recognizes the value of the rational scientific approach as a tool for discovery, understanding, and evaluation. Simultaneously, it is accepting of a non-rational, non-scientific approach in some situations, especially when this results in a noticeable healthier person. 11. It recognizes that not all illness is "bad" and "to be eliminated" at the earliest possible moment. Some symptoms represent detoxification or signal the need for balancing. 12. It is more than preventive medicine. It goes beyond the avoidance of illness and accidents. 13. It is a process of centering, integrating, balancing, harmonizing, and vitalizing