A holistic approach to the patient is based on restoring harmony in all areas of his life, and not only on the treatment of a given organ or ailments. We explain what a holistic approach to a patient is and what treatment methods holistic medicine uses.
Holistic approach to the patientis a method that aims to heal the whole person - both his body and spirit. Holistic medicine was used centuries ago in ancient China, its supporter was also Hippocrates, who claimed that the mental state has a huge impact on the physical condition of a person - and vice versa.
Philosophy of a holistic approach to the patient
Balance of body and soul
Proponents of holistic medicine assume thatmind and body are one whole . They distinguish five main aspects that influence the concept of "good he alth": physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual. In order for a person to be he althy, there must be a balance between all these elements. If one of them is defective, the other ones also function worse.
This holistic approach to the patient is nothing new. It has long been known thatpsyche affects the condition of the whole organism . It is enough to give an example of stress, which can cause not only nervousness, but also symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea or infection caused by a decline in immunity.
The psyche also affects the recovery process - there are studies that show that the patient's mental attitude towards his illness may delay or accelerate convalescence.
Therefore, the main goal of holistic medicine is such an approach to the patient that will allow to assess his he alth not only in the sphere of diseases and physical ailments, but also in the sphere of his well-being and emotions. And then - making each of them function properly, i.e. healing every aspect of our he alth.
A holistic view of the patient
Concern for the balance between the body and soul requires the specialist to look at the patient not only in terms of one specific ailment, but as a whole.
Holistic medicinedoes not heal a sick organ, it heals the whole organhuman . If a patient has continuous respiratory tract infections, but caused by emotional problems, for example because he lost his job and suffered a decline in immunity due to stress, we choose a drug that will also cover the difficult situation in which the patient is.
This holistic approach works especially in chronically ill people who have had unhealed he alth problems for years. The patient is given medication, but the disease keeps recurring or other ailments appear. If, instead of treating his symptoms, we try to heal his entire body, choose a comprehensive therapy (send it to a psychologist, dietitian, etc.), we will make the patient cope with the problem.
Individual approach to the patient
A few years ago a survey was conducted among Swedish GPs who had home visits to their patients. It turned out that the individual approach to the patient, including getting to know the conditions in which he lives and exploring his problems (family, professional, etc.) significantly influenced the better diagnosis, which included not only the treatment of the disease, but also the elimination of its source.
Such focus on each patient is also very important in holistic medicine: thanks to it, the doctor can act on the level of various aspects of he alth.The basis for the diagnosis and selection of treatment methods is a thorough interview , during which the doctor obtains information about the patient's mental condition, lifestyle, and even material status, which often affects various diseases.
Our expert says.Prevention is better than cure
The goal of holistic medicine is not only to heal the disease, as in conventional medicine, but also to strive for optimal he alth, which will prevent further diseases and he alth problems.
When a patient, for example, with abdominal pain comes to a holistic medicine specialist, the doctor will focus not only on the ailment itself, but also on its cause. Sowill check what caused these ailments : maybe stress, maybe bad diet …
What do we gain from this? If the patient deals with the problem and its source, the body will return to a state of equilibrium. And this means that his immunity will work better, all organs will work better. If, on the other hand, we had given a patient suffering from abdominal pain - classically - only a painkiller, the problem itself,which caused this ailment would not be resolved.
Treatment methods in holistic medicine
Holistic medicine combines both conventional and alternative medicine. It includes all safe and legal methods of diagnosis and treatment. It also puts a lot of emphasis on patient education and its participation in the treatment process, focusing on changing the diet, lifestyle, environmental impact, emotions, etc.
Going to a specialist in holistic medicine, you have to reckon with the fact that he will use both conventional drugs and alternative therapies. Doctors often resort to massage, herbal medicine or acupuncture, assuming that the causes of symptoms can be various, so the ways to eliminate them are also different.
Holistic medicine includes:
- alternative medicine, e.g. Chinese, acupuncture, acupressure
- psychotherapies - e.g. support groups, relaxation classes, meditations
- herbal medicine
- massages and exercises - e.g. yoga
- homeopathy.
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