Holistic Medicine
Through my years in college as my mind has been embracing so much new knowledge, I’ve found a new passion for holistic medicine. I’ve realized through personal experience and research that although conventional medicine is extremely important and necessary, holistic medicine is often overlooked and underappreciated.
Holistic medicine focuses on a “whole person” rather than just a disease or ailment. The quest for optimal health considers the mind, body, spirit and emotions of a person. For me, this has always made sense. The true sense of being healthy is not just being free of disease but having a great quality of life. “Holistic medicine practitioners believe that the whole person is made up of interdependent parts and if one part is not working properly, all the other parts will be affected. In this way, if people have imbalances (physical, emotional, or spiritual) in their lives, it can negatively affect their overall health.”
A holistic doctor may use all forms of health care, from conventional medication to alternative therapies, to treat a patient. For example, if I were to see a holistic doctor with complaints of migraines, on top of prescribing medicine, he or she might also look at other factors causing the migraines, such as diet and sleep habits, stress and personal problems, and preferred spiritual practices. The treatment plan may then involve drugs to relieve symptoms, but also lifestyle modifications to help prevent the headaches from recurring. This way it’s not only the symptoms being treated but also the root of the problem.
Some lifestyle changes one may adopt to improve quality of life may be to practice yoga. Yoga is a great mind an