Exploring Holistic Approaches to Wellness
Holistic wellness is a multifaceted approach to health
that recognizes the interconnectedness of the physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual dimensions with an aim either to maintain wellness or restore health.
It is embraced by a great number of clients and medical providers who are
turning to integrative and complementary forms of healing. The basis of
holistic care is comprehensive care, such as an examination of all the social,
physical, and psychological features at play. Defined in this way, physicians
are entreated to address humankind and the earth in its entirety. There is an
emerging recognition of holistic practices in newer hospitals around the
country. Clinics include those that incorporate a philosophy of
patient-centered healthcare, preventative medicine, body-mind integrative
techniques, and conservative healthcare.
Holism means that the body, mind, and soul of a person
are in constant rapport and in transition with each other. The whole is more
than the sum of its individual parts and requires the practitioner to
conceptually put the person at the center of all different facets of health
(physical, social, and spiritual). It is necessary to explain other
complementary or alternative medicine therapies at this time. Researchers and
investigators of alternative medicine or complementary medicine are limited due
to lack of independent funding and due to the difficulty of using a course of
treatment whereby the practitioner treats the whole person in parallel. This
requires the use of other therapies rather than instead of conventional
medicine. It is also defined as providing at the same time both conventional
medicine and one of the modalities like acupuncture, chiropractic, or
homeopathy; adding CAM to conventional treatments can also be called
"integrating."
1. The Mind-Body Connection in Holistic Health
The close relationship between the mind and the body
is an important factor when it comes to understanding holistic wellness. Both
psychological and emotional conditions affect individuals' physical health, and
likewise, physical states can strongly influence mental well-being. Numerous
studies have shown that stress can produce physiological responses, such as
increased blood pressure and high levels of stress hormones. However, there is
also evidence for the reverse to be true, and that positive mental states can
enhance and maintain good physical health. One study showed that individuals
with a more positive mindset tended to live approximately 5–15% longer than
those with a more negative mindset. Other research has suggested that optimism
is linked with healthier immune systems and a lower likelihood of developing
mental health issues.
Theories have been proposed to help explain the
physical manifestations of emotions and the link between the mind and the body.
The sensory feedback theory suggests that positive emotions induce pleasurable
physical feelings and are thus connected to the body. The mind cannot be
divorced from the body for these feelings to occur. Mind-body dualism is also a
principle in holistic health, and it has led to more recent research. For
instance, mindfulness — a mental practice of focusing attention on present moment
awareness — has been linked to better heart health. Mindfulness has also shown
promise in reducing chronic pain, improving sleep, and easing symptoms of
menopause and irritable bowel syndrome. Moreover, the relationship between
experiences and bodily functions has largely influenced the practice of yoga
postures, breathing techniques, and meditation practiced in harmony. Overall,
the connection between the brain and the body is an essential foundation of
holistic wellness. These studies reinforce the importance of the broader
context of an individual's mental and emotional surroundings when identifying
wellness strategies.
2. Key Components of Holistic Wellness
The term "holistic" comes from the word
"whole." In comparison to traditional healthcare, which tends to zero
in on health issues one system of the body at a time, health services providing
holistic care will take any underlying issues the patient might have previously
encountered into account, as well as their genetics and social experiences. It
acknowledges that health is more than the absence of sickness and that when one
part of the person is made whole, other parts can be affected too. These four
key components form roles in holistic wellness: 1) Physiological Health – this
refers to not only the absence of disease but optimal function of the body. 2)
Mental/Emotional Health – these two components of holistic wellness are closely
related. The main difference between mental and emotional wellness is that
emotional wellness more concerns having the ability to fulfill the individual's
feelings and to be aware of them. The focus of mental wellness is the
functioning of the thinking abilities and how the mind is used to apply logic
and reason. 3) Social Health – a term often known as "social
well-being," which focuses on the individual's plan. Social well-being
refers to meeting the social needs of the individual who has to fit into the
society they are living in successfully. The component usually comes from the
actors in our lives, mainly family and friends, who both influence and support
our overall emotional well-being. Social well-being, however, can also be on a
bigger societal scale, as perhaps being valued and respected by society
generally or through our place of work is a driver for fulfilling our social
needs. 4) Spiritual Health – like social well-being, spiritual wellness can
vary in degree. A key point to make is that being spiritually well is not
necessarily the same thing as having just one religion. The way individuals can
best meet their own spiritual needs will affect each person differently.
From this perspective, emotional, social, and
spiritual health are intertwined and combined with physical health, which
influences how fulfilled and happy people are in their lives. Holism is based
on the idea that individuals are made up of interdependent systems. Disruptions
in one system must inevitably lead to imbalances in others, or worse, to
sickness. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining effective mental,
emotional, spiritual, and social health in promoting longevity and fighting
disease and death. In truth, attitudes, nutrition, exercise, and emotional
expression can all contribute to physical health; when neglected, these things
can lead to disease. Lifestyle factors – focusing mainly on diet – can indeed
have a direct impact on the brain and also focus on diet and exercise. The use
of natural, environmentally friendly products instead of pharmaceutical drugs
can limit negative effects and give wellness to the physical body. In the
holistic concept, the idea is to use healing techniques to help balance the
various elements of life and therefore boost the body's overall well-being and
performance. Factors of lifestyle may also be dictated by the practices of
natural or complementary health services. This may involve alternative
treatment, homeopathy, or other non-conventional treatments. When you want to
begin with many different kinds of treatment, it can be known as the
"holistic lifestyle."
3. Benefits and Challenges of Holistic Approaches
Integrative and holistic approaches offer
person-centered care, rather than focusing solely on a specific illness or
injury. By treating the whole person, holistic doctors and practitioners can
help people achieve and maintain optimum health, offering the highest quality
of preventive and healing care. By focusing on prevention and the
mind-body-spirit connection, the holistic doctor can help patients achieve and
maintain health, a state of thriving and not just surviving. The advantages of
using a holistic wellness approach to care include greater personal attention
and an emphasis on patient empowerment, patient education, and optimal
wellness, leading to decreased reliance on illness care; the potential for
preventing disease and enhancing self-care and self-responsibility,
consequently reducing the cost of care.
Furthermore, those who take an active role in their
health tend to have better outcomes. Holistic therapies are often more
appropriate choices for the management or treatment of chronic diseases such as
diabetes, autoimmune disease, tuberculosis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue
syndrome. Some of the challenges that holistic wellness practices may face
include resistance based on bias or misconceptions; the newness of integrative
medicine; competition with conventional medical treatment; pricing options for
potential socio-economic barriers; philosophical differences in how disease is
developed and treated; and a lack of rigorous research conducted on
complementary and alternative medicine to back up claims. There is also the
recognition that some holistic methods may be harmful or even deadly, causing a
potential risk to individuals who use these therapies, often without doctors'
orders or oversight.
4. Case Studies and Practical Applications
The case studies and research studies mentioned in
this chapter reflect the wide range of supporting interventions that are
offered by wellness practitioners. We can see the practical application of this
in real world examples: the participants describe not only what interventions
(or combinations of interventions) they are engaging in, they also share what,
if any, outcomes they are experiencing. While some are collecting data on the
effects of their program prematurely, preliminary outcomes as reported by
participants include weight loss, better sleep, stress reduction, reduced
anxiety, and greater overall well-being during the several-week program. Of
course, this is a voluntary opportunity for people who are highly interested in
improving their health status. In one case study, we see the involvement of the
individual in the creation of and commitment to a wellness plan that is
tailored to that individual. This case highlights the importance of creating a
program of intervention and then adapting it over time based on regular
assessment data. Part of what this chapter offers to practitioners is
innovative intervention ideas—they have a supportive role for practitioners to
use as tools—and part of it offers strategies to use in working with clients to
tailor a program. Moving forward, the field would benefit from grounding more
pilot studies of these well-being-enhancing interventions in existing behavior
change theory. Scholars are also advised to offer the subsequent steps they see
in the translational research process. We are excited for the field to use this
chapter to build comprehensive, whole-person approaches to wellness. A finding
that is pervasive throughout these common themes is that the biggest hindrance
to integrating wellness practice into the lives of individuals is funding and
accessibility. A common theme among the work with individuals reported here is
the constant need to adapt to changes as they occur. This is a specific item to
consider if any holistic practitioner desires to enter the general market.