Why Holistic Harmony? (or what exactly is holistic healing)?
I am writing this initial blog post on a beautiful autumn afternoon after coming indoors from a walk through the leaves in our woods. As I walked, I pondered all that I have come through with my own health through the years, and realized that a blog post about my "philosophy of holistic healing" might be a good way to begin my blogging endeavors.
First, some definitions about various non-conventional medical modalities:
-Alternative Medicine: Treatments used instead of Conventional Medicine.
-Complementary Medicine: Treatments used simultaneously with Conventional Medicine.
-Integrative Medicine: Treatments used within Conventional Medicine
-Holistic Health/Healing: Treating the Whole person with a balance of health in the body, mind and spirit.
How is holistic healing really that different from the other non-conventional modalities?
Holistic Healing Modalities (such as homeopathy, naturopathy, Ayurveda, acupuncture, prayer, etc) focus on the entirety of the individual (body, mind, spirit), and recognize that ailments are signs of imbalances within the body. These imbalances can be rooted in various things such as sleep deprivation, mental/emotional stresses, improper diet/nutritional deficiencies, etc.
Why does this matter, and what does this have to do with the mission of Holistic Harmony Natural Health Counseling, LLC?
Many, many, many times, I have been asked by people, when they find out about my health practice, "Can you give me advice about...?" or "What supplement can I use for....?" or "I have....condition. What can I take?"
As a holistic health practitioner, this sort of questioning always makes me sigh a bit. Of course, I understand why someone would ask these questions as they are seeking to alleviate some form of suffering, however, seeking answers to these types of questions can still be attempts to "band aid" a health situation, and in not taking the whole person into account.
These types of questions are not in truly keeping with the ultimate goal/mission of a holistic health practitioner, but fit more into the categories of alternative/complementary or integrative medical modalities. One can easily google information regarding any health condition and find a supplement to try or even try to self-prescribe a homeopathic remedy for a chronic ailment (a topic for another blog post), and thus "band aid" the condition without really moving the entire body toward a more healthy state. Although we all do this, this isn't truly the essence of holistic healing.
A Holistic Health Practitioner Will Consider the Entire Person
During a Holistic Health Consultation, the practitioner will be interested in ALL facets of your being and will record a detailed health intake, that includes personal health history, hobbies, occupation, mental/emotional/psychological stresses, etc, and offer recommendations for protocols/remedies, etc for all aspects of your person (prayer, meditation, homeopathy, supplements, etc).
Holistic Healing modalities are not predominately interested in your medical diagnosis or in telling you to stop taking a prescribed medication. The medical diagnosis helps insofar as to point to weakened body systems that need support, but as one heals, one's medical diagnosis has the capacity to change, and one will naturally be potentially able to discuss with their Primary Care Physician the desire to wean off of medications, etc. Holistic Healing can be a slow process at times, but the results are lifelong and very worthwhile!
Copyright Holistic Harmony Natural Health Counseling, LLC, Teresa Glick, ND, CHom