Holistic health takes a whole-person approach to improve mental, physical, spiritual, and social health. It blends conventional medicine with mind-body therapies.
Holistic health sees the body as a complete system. It considers physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects as contributing to your overall health and well-being.
This health approach promotes the idea that healing requires balancing these aspects. It focuses on disease prevention by addressing the whole person, continuously, rather than only after symptoms or conditions arise.
Holistic health is often viewed as an “alternative” to conventional medicine and is sometimes grouped with natural medicine. However, holistic health practitioners often partner with more traditional doctors to optimize health outcomes. This is known as integrative medicine.
This may mean combining traditional medicine, like drugs and surgery, with self-care, education, supplementation, and lifestyle changes.
Person-Centered Care
Holistic health is person-centered. It empowers people to actively participate in their health and well-being and builds resilience, which is the ability to adapt to challenging experiences.
A holistic approach focuses on collaborative communication between the person and the practitioner, and goal setting. Together, they create a care plan based on each person’s needs, desires, and current situations.
Many different types of medicine fall under the holistic medicine umbrella and include:
- Mind-body therapies: Meditation, yoga, hypnosis, biofeedback, guided imagery, tai chi, art, music, dance/movement, and expressive/creative therapy
- Biologically-based practices: Vitamin or dietary supplements, herbal supplements, dietary changes
- Manipulative or body-based therapies: Massage therapy, reflexology, chiropractic therapy
- Energy healing: Reiki, therapeutic touch, reflexology, sound healing, chakra healing
- Holistic medical systems: Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), naturopathic medicine, acupuncture
Holistic medicine includes complementary medicine and alternative medicine. Complementary medicine is typically used with more conventional medicine. Alternative medicine might replace more conventional medicine.
Integrative medicine is typically a collaboration between multiple healthcare providers who use different approaches.
A holistic approach can significantly impact your health and well-being.
Empowers and Promotes Self-Care
Holistic care may consistently help people advocate for their care and assume responsibility for their health. This helps them manage their health and illness more effectively and improves their well-being.
Holistic health also inspires greater self-care, which can increase self-esteem, self-regulation, personal growth, optimism, and dignity.
May Decrease Mortality
Holistic care might improve health outcomes for people with serious conditions. It may cost more, it may decrease all-risk mortality rates.
May Lower Medical Costs
Holistic medicine may be more expensive in some instances because it often involves more than one type of care and more time with healthcare providers. Also, some holistic providers do not accept insurance.
However, holistic medicine may lower medical costs overall.
Helps People Cope with Illness
Living with a serious condition can be mentally and emotionally hard. Holistic treatment may help people better cope.
For example, people with cancer receiving holistic medical care may be less likely to be distressed by their condition and more likely to be involved in their own care.
May Increase Patient Satisfaction
People treated by holistic providers often have increased satisfaction with their care and improved mental and emotional health. They also report fewer symptoms.
It starts by finding a healthcare provider who takes a holistic approach to medicine. It also involves lifestyle modifications and activities that support all aspects of your well-being.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Physical health: Stay active with regular exercise. Enjoy healthy movement. Eat a nutritious diet. Consider supplements from a qualified provider. Prioritize sleep.
- Mental health: Practice gratitude or mindfulness meditation, even if it’s just a few minutes daily. Consider meeting with a licensed therapist or counselor to address any mental health concerns.
- Emotional health: Strategies like meditation, journaling, dance/art therapy, deep breathing exercises, and therapy or counseling can support emotional health.
- Social health: Engage socially with others often, and consider social opportunities that also improve health and well-being, such as a yoga or tai chi class, dance lessons, or a hiking group. Practice conscious communication by intentionally staying present and using thoughtful language.
- Spiritual health: Find a spiritual outlet that aligns with your beliefs. This may include transcendental meditation, attending church or temple services, volunteering in your community, or spending more time in nature.
Whatever provider you choose, look for someone credentialed and highly trained.
Reading reviews of holistic health practitioners you are considering can be helpful, as well as taking recommendations from a doctor, close family member, or friend.
Some professionals who may lean closer to the holistic health side of things include:
- Medical Doctors (MD)—e.g., integrative physicians
- Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
- Functional Medicine Doctors (MD or DO with functional medicine training)
- Functional Medicine Practitioners (FMD)
- Doctors of Chiropractic Medicine (DC)
- Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine (ND)
- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners
- Homeopathic doctors
- Ayurvedic practitioners
- Licensed therapists (e.g., music, dance, art, and creative therapists)
- Acupuncturists
- Massage therapists
- Meditation teachers
- Yoga instructors
- Tai Chi instructors
Talk with a doctor before seeking care from a holistic provider if you have a serious condition. People with serious conditions must ensure complementary approaches align with their medical needs.
Questions To Ask a Provider
Questions to ask include:
- What is your background and certifications?
- How do you diagnose conditions?
- What conditions do you treat, and how?
- On what research do you base your recommendations?
- Will you collaborate with my other healthcare providers?
- How often will we communicate?
- What medical tests can you run?
- Do you favor medication, supplements, or both when it comes to treatment?
- Can you identify any potential negative interactions between herbal supplements and medications?
Just because something is natural does not mean it’s always safe, especially if you have an underlying condition.
Holistic Health in Healthcare
Whole-person health is becoming more common in healthcare.
Organizations that have holistic health programs include:
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- U.S. Department of Defense Total Force Fitness Program
- Whole Health Institute
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease
