The Holistic Approach to Your Health

Has this ever happened to you? You go see your doctor about an illness or problem. And instead of finding the root cause, he sends you home with prescription drugs and follow-up appointments to "manage your condition."

You probably wondered, "Did he even see me - the person, or just a disease?"

Many people consider this the fundamental problem with conventional medicine. It often ignores the fact that a symptom is actually a sign your body needs attention. It's like taking the batteries out of a wailing smoke detector during a fire. The noise is eliminated, but the underlying cause is still there.

It's easy to see why people are rediscovering the natural approach to wellness. Maybe the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" isn't so old-fashioned after all.

Holistic health advocate Deepak Chopra said of the U.S. medical system, "Doctors have become superb technicians who know everything about the human body, and really lousy healers because they know nothing about the human soul.

The good news is... we live in an age where we can take advantage of both alternative and conventional medicine. Looking at the whole picture, we can balance age-old wisdom and new technology. This holistic approach puts you in charge of your own well-being.

Holistic Health is Not a New Concept

Eastern cultures have practiced this type of healing for more than 5,000 years. Living in harmony with nature, quieting the mind, and maintaining a flexible body are all concepts we've adopted from the East.

Modern medicine drastically changed our view of health care during the 20th century. But since then, we've found conventional medicine can't "fix" everything. In some cases, the cure is more harmful than the condition.

With a clearer vision of what technology can and can't do, we're seeking a better balance for maintaining our health.

What is Holistic Health?

The concept is actually quite simple. Holistic deals with the "whole," which is made up of interdependent parts. It's what the "mind–body–spirit connection" is based on.

Specifically toward illness, holistic healing might include:

• Finding and treating the root cause of the illness
• Encouraging patient involvement in the treatment
• Considering both conventional and alternative methods for reversing the illness
  

If disease or illness does occur, the individual and holistic healthcare professional work together to find the cause and determine the solution. A full screening and in-depth interview give the information needed to decide on treatments that support the body's natural healing system.

But holistic health is an approach to life, not just illness. It encourages balance, healthy lifestyle choices, and active participation in your health decisions and healing process. When everything works together in harmony, maximum well-being is easy to achieve.

Our Daily Choices are Connected to our Overall Well-Being

A study by The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that our state of health is influenced by:

• 10% - Quality of medical care
• 18% - Heredity
• 19% - Environment
• 53% - Everyday lifestyle choices
  

The choices we make each day - about what to eat or how to handle stress - actually determine our medical destiny! Our cells are constantly replaced, using what's available in the body. Not enough of the good building blocks can result in imperfect cells. Then the body can't perform the necessary functions to keep us healthy.

Similarly, on the non-physical level, your emotional well-being is made up of what you see and hear each day. A positive attitude lends energy and vitality to your whole life. Maintaining overall well-being automatically protects you from most illness.

How to Apply the Holistic Healing Approach to Your Life

The first step to holistic health is to educate yourself... just like you're doing now. Seek trusted online sources for more information. Ask someone at your local health store to recommend books about alternative medicine. They can also share ideas on how to incorporate it into your life.

Next, seek the care of a qualified holistic health care professional. Look for a certified Naturopath, Herbalist, or Homeopathic practitioner. Plan to interview a few providers and decide which one you feel most comfortable with.

Expect a long interview, with questions about your family history, diet and exercise... even what you dream about. Screenings, such as a bio-energetic assessment, are painless ways to find out what's going on inside your body. This is how the professional gathers a comprehensive view of your health.

Your provider can predict any conditions you may be at risk of developing. You'll work together on a preventative plan. You'll also learn overall strategies for achieving your goal of maximum wellness.

It may take some research and a little legwork to reach that goal of maximum wellness, but the benefits of holistic healing are well worth the effort.

Photo Credit: jhoc

The History of Holistic Medicine: The Modern Age

Holistic medicine - medicine that focuses on the mind, body and spirit as a whole - is built on a tradition of ancient healing systems like Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.

Following advancements in medicine in the 20th century - including the discovery of penicillin and cortisone, as well as advancements in surgical techniques - holistic medicine branched away from the mainstream in an attempt to maintain gentler, more natural forms of healing that treated the individuals as a whole.

Unlike modern allopathic medicine, which focuses on the treatment and elimination of symptoms, modern holistic medicine still focuses on treating the whole person in order to allow the body to heal itself and stay healthy.

20th century holistic medicine retains a remarkable similarity to its forebearers. Many modalities - such as Chinese Medicine, homeopathy and Ayurveda - have weathered the centuries unchanged, while recent holistic modalities such as osteopathy, chiropractic and naturopathy are new models that draw on ancient traditions of herbalism and energy medicine.

Today, there is a distinct line that has been drawn between modern medicine and holistic health care. While there is a place for both in creating an overall picture of health, it is up to the individual to find a balance between the two types of care. Most practitioners of medicine are hesitant to recommend holistic care and vice versa.

Millions of patients, however, have managed to find just such a balance. Holistic medicine is booming worldwide, and in many cases there has been a return to a more holistic model of health as news reports of dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical mistakes skyrocket.

Today, as it was thousands of years ago, holistic health care providers take into account the unique physical, emotional and spiritual needs of their patients in prescribing a course of treatment that will rebalance their bodies, allowing the body's innate wisdom to kick in and bring about healing. Just as Hippocrates suggested it would do nearly 3000 years ago.

Read the Rest of the History of Holistic Medicine Series.
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Indian Tradition of Ayurveda
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Ancient Greeks and Holistic Medicine
The History of Holistic Medicine: Chinese Traditions

Photo Credit: somegeekintn

Female Hair Loss - You Have Options

If you're worried about losing your hair, you're not alone. For most women, hair loss is much deeper than vanity or self-consciousness. The condition of your hair reflects what's going on inside your body.

In fact, your hair, skin, and fingernails are the first areas to show signs of illness and nutritional deficiencies. The strata of cells in a single strand of hair offers a look at what you've put in your body over the last three to six months.

Just beneath the follicle and root of the hair are your body's major systems - circulatory, endocrine, and central nervous system. That's why many holistic health care providers look at the quality and quantity of a patient's hair to assess the overall quality of her health.

What causes hair loss in women?

Hair loss is different for women than men. Although unique to each individual, it can often depend on many factors:

• Hormonal imbalance
• Stress - emotional or physical
• Genetics
• Kidney or Liver problems
• Nutritional deficiencies - typically iron or vitamin A
• Immune system problems
• Thyroid disorder
• Allergic reactions
  

The good news is, once the cause has been identified, many women respond very well to treatment.

While a certain amount of everyday hair loss is normal, loss of more than 100 strands a day is considered excessive. Your health care provider can help identify the cause of your hair loss.

Types of female hair loss

Most often, the cause of scalp hair loss is called androgenetic alopecia. It's a genetic sensitivity to the effects of male hormones (androgens) on scalp follicles. However, the patterns affect women differently than men. Females typically experience patterns involving overall thinning, with more noticeable thinning at the back or near the front of the scalp.

Women can also suffer from non-pattern causes of hair loss. Typically, these are one of the following conditions:

• Alopecia areata - thought to be an autoimmune disorder causing patchy hair loss with islands of remaining hair.
• Triangular alopecia - temporal area hair loss, sometimes appears in childhood.
• Scarring alopecia - hair loss due to scarring of the scalp. This condition often occurs as a result of tight braiding or "corn-rowing" of hair. Also associated with inflammation of the hair follicles, this condition can occur in post-menopausal women.
  
• Telogen effluvium - a sudden shift of more hairs than usual into shedding phase. This condition often occurs after a major emotional stress, but can also be related to the hormonal imbalances or nutritional deficiencies mentioned above.
• Trichotillomania - a result of compulsive hair pulling. Treatment for this condition involves psychological evaluation to determine the reason for the pulling.
  

Only your health care provider can determine which form of hair loss you're experiencing. Then you can begin taking the steps to correct it.

What can you do?

If you suffer from mild to moderate hair loss, take an inventory of your healthy verses unhealthy habits. With that information, you'll be able to move forward with a holistic approach to healing your body:

• Honestly assess your stress level and your ability to cope with it. If you feel you're under too much stress, see what you can eliminate from your life. Make time to do something that relaxes or rejuvenates you at least once a week.
• Avoid or reduce the dietary causes of hair loss, by eating a balanced diet of protein-rich foods. Limit refined sugar and simple carbohydrates.
• Consider herbal supplements. Positive results have been found with some of the following hair loss supplements:

- Saw Palmetto reduces DHT levels in the bloodstream and stops cells from absorbing DHT.
- Polygoni Multiflori nourishes the Liver, Kidney, and Blood, which in turn nourish your hair and promote hair growth.
- Fructus Psoraleae increases circulation, improving the flow of nutrients to your scalp. Many studies have shown it helps promote hair re-growth.
- Ecliptae Prostratae is used in Eastern medicine to help prevent premature graying and to promote overall hair health.


• Eliminate vitamin deficiencies by adding a daily multivitamin with vitamins B, C and E. Calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and zinc are also essential nutrients for healthy hair.
• Other alternative treatments include scalp massage, acupuncture, and gentle endocrine support for naturally rebalancing hormones.

Because the condition of your hair reflects the condition of your health, it's important to pay attention to the normal patterns of your hair growth. Taking these steps toward healthier hair will naturally result in a healthier life. You'll be nurturing your hair from the inside out.

The History of Holistic Medicine: The Indian Tradition of Ayurveda

Nowhere is the image of holistic medicine - creating a healthy balance between the body, mind and spirit - more present than in Ayurvedic medicine.

The ancient tradition of Ayurveda originated in India in the first millennium BC. Teachings of Ayurveda talked of the "five great elements" - earth, water, fire, air, and ether - which formed not only the human body, but the entire universe. Each of the five senses in the human body related to one of the elements - ether/hearing, air/touch, fire/vision, water/taste and earth/smell.

According to Ayurvedic beliefs, each of these five elements, upon entering the body could do one of three things.

• It could nourish the body.
• It could heal the body.
• It could make the body sick.
  

The effect each had on the body was dependent on the balance of the body system as a whole.

The five elements also paired up to form three distinct energies - or doshas - Vata (air and ether), Pitta (fire and water) or Kapha (water and earth). Ideally, the three doshas were equally balanced in the individual. Imbalances could be corrected through administering herbs, foods and substances that rebalanced all three.

Everything in the environment, in Ayurvedic belief, was made up of these three doshas. How those environmental doshas interacted with the individual's, then, played a large role in determining the health of the individual.

According to Ayurvedic tradition, digestion was also key to well-being, and so food played an important role in health. This applied not only to physical nourishment, but also spiritual and mental food. In other words, what one saw, heard, thought, smelled and felt had just as much impact on the overall health of the individual as what one ate. Everything affected everything else.

This holistic view of the body in harmony with the environment carries on in today's Ayurveda, which is practiced worldwide as a form of alternative, holistic medicine.

Read the Rest of the History of Holistic Medicine Series.
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Modern Age
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Ancient Greeks and Holistic Medicine
The History of Holistic Medicine: Chinese Traditions

Best Diet Practices

There is always a lot of controversy about what to eat and what not to eat! Despite the controversy, many experts agree that there are certain habits you can develop that will lead to excellent health.

Here are some of them:

1. Get back to basics. Your diet must include protein, fat and carbohydrate. Eliminating any one category leads to certain trouble. For example, if you stop eating any protein - beef, fish, turkey, chicken, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts, and legumes, you will develop protein malnutrition. Your skin will look lifeless; your muscles will begin wasting away and in a short period of time your hair will fall out in handfuls. Include all three nutrients - protein, fat and carbohydrate in your diet.

2. Stay away from caffeine drinks that falsely charge you up while depleting your adrenals and your body's stores of water.

3. Trans fats are a no-no. You must read labels and if trans fats are listed, it's time to make a decision. Do you want temporary satisfaction that contributes to setting your feet on a path towards developing disease? Trans fats substitute for good fats in the body on good fat receptor sites. They block the good fats from performing their functions in the body: functions such as nerve transmission and brain function. The sooner you associate that cookie with trans fat and slow thinking, dementia and neurological disorders, the quicker you'll be able to give it up.

4. Increase your fruit and vegetable consumption, focusing more on the vegetables than fruits. By doing this, you cut your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

5. Have a handful of raw nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or Brazil nuts.

6. Drink pure water and do it freely.

But My Needs are Different... or are they?

Many people believe that their own personal best diet practices are different from others. In some cases this is true, such as when someone who is suffering from food allergies or diseases that have definite diet protocols. However, your DNA is very much like the DNA of your neighbors, brothers and sisters; in fact, it's greater than 99% alike. Our bodies function very similarly and according to basic human physiology principles. Best diet practices don't change much if you live in Africa or America. The only thing that differs is the choice of foods to accomplish the same end result.

Get Back on the Track of Best Diet Practices

Thus food choices can be good or bad. Try this little experiment: on a sheet of paper, draw a horizontal line from the left edge of the paper to the right. Now label the left side as BAD FOOD CHOICES and the right side as GOOD FOOD CHOICES. In the middle of the line, draw a crosshair that separates the two sides from each other. Next write down foods you eat under each category, taking into consideration that the middle of the line represents the crossover point. For example, pudding would be closer to the middle of the line than at the far left; potato chips would be at the far left on the line under bad diet choices while red potatoes would be on the right about halfway between the middle and the rightmost point.

Taking part in this exercise is extremely helpful because it sets boundaries in your mind for food choices that can carry over to your next visits at the grocery store. When you do go shopping, look at what you put in your cart. How many foods were on the 'good' side of the line? How many were on the bad side? Shift the balance to 7 or 8 'good' foods to every 'bad' food. After awhile, increase the number of 'good' foods to 12 to 14 to 1 'bad' food. Then start noticing how much your health is improving. It won't take long before your food choices match the best diet practices recommended by the experts.

Photo Credit: stevendepolo

The History of Holistic Medicine: The Ancient Greeks and Holistic Medicine

Another forebearer of today's holistic medicine can be found amongst the ancient Greeks.

The ancient Greeks had extensive knowledge of herbal and botanical medicine. Much of their herbal information came from the ancient Egyptians. Both the Egyptians, and later, the Greeks were herbalists who extensively used many common herbs and plants for healing, such as anise, honey, myrrh and frankincense. Aristotle's pupil, Theophrastus was one of the ancient Greeks who wrote extensively about herbal medicine. Socrates and Plato also wrote about botany and holistic healing through herbal medicine.

Hippocrates, who is considered the father of modern medicine, was a physician in ancient Greece in around 400 BC. He emphasized a holistic approach to medicine, warning doctors not to interfere with the body's ability to heal itself.

Hippocratic medicine bears more resemblance to today's holistic medicine than it does to allopathic (traditional) medicine. Hippocrates based his methods on "vis medicatrix naturae" - the healing power of nature. According to Hippocrates, the body contained the ability to heal itself through balancing the four humors (blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm). When one of the humors was out of balance, the body became ill, and Hippocrates taught that administering certain natural substances would bring about a rebalancing of those humors.

Much of Hippocratic theory centered on supporting the body so that it could naturally rebalance itself, thus relieving disease. To this end, Hippocrates was a proponent of rest and immobilization. He also taught the importance of keeping patients clean and conditions sterile.

For the most part, Hippocrates was slow to administer drugs. His treatment was conservative - first attempting natural means. Drugs were only administered in extreme cases.

While Hippocrates is considered the father of modern medicine, many of his practices bore more resemblance to what is today considered holistic or alternative medicine. Many of today's holistic practices date back to the understandings of Hippocrates and the ancient Greeks.

Read the Rest of the History of Holistic Medicine Series.
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Modern Age
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Indian Tradition of Ayurveda
The History of Holistic Medicine: Chinese Traditions