What Does the “Holistic Approach” Include?
Holistic medicine practices continue to increase in popularity. This form of healing aims to provide individuals with complete balance and may employ conventional medicine in addition to natural modalities with the goal of healing the whole person. What does the holistic approach involve? It focuses on the five pillars of health.
What Are Health Pillars?
This method of healing relies on treating the aspects that allow a person to live as fully and healthfully as possible every day. Holistic health practitioners address five main aspects, or pillars, of health when treating patients and communicating the importance of being responsible for one’s own health.
Physical Health
Holistic practitioners will consider improving activity level when treating physical illness in a patient. However, professionals like holistic nutritionists go beyond this to address other physical causes of disease, such as insufficient sleep, poor diet, and the intake of alcohol and tobacco. When these are optimized, a person will have the energy they need to become more physically active.
Emotional Health
A person’s emotional health is essential to their overall well-being. We must be able to effectively handle our emotions in order to remain healthy. To treat the emotional pillar of health, holistic medicine assesses the tools an individual has available to them for emotional wellness. This may include participating in counseling or regular journaling to express and process emotions.
Social Health
The healthy connections a person has with others in their lives speaks to their level of social health. To address this aspect, holistic medicine focuses on the building of social connections to offer needed support during life’s hardships. This may mean spending more face-to-face time with loved ones or investing in other methods of connection.
Spiritual Health
The level of spiritual health a person has depends on many factors, and they all can vary widely from person to person. One person may attend services at a place of worship, where another may find their spiritual solace in reflection, meditation, or mindfulness practices.
Mental Health
The quality of a person’s mental health is directly related to how well their brain functions. In holistic medicine, this pillar of health is addressed by helping the patient find ways they can stay mentally active. This can involve consuming brain-boosting foods, as well as correcting imbalances in gut bacteria.
In addition to addressing the pillars of health, integrative health professionals also educate their clients about ways to prevent disease and encourage them to recognize that positive energy like hope and unconditional love can help them to heal and remain healthy for the rest of their lives.
One of the largest accredited holistic nutrition schools, the University of Natural Health offers a wide range of degree programs. Whether you wish to become certified in holistic medicine, natural health, or holistic nutrition, the University of Natural Health’s top-quality education can help you achieve your dream career. To learn more, visit us online or call 1-888-397-9394.