\u201cHolistic\u201d is a brilliant word.<\/p>\n
It makes you feel good. It makes you feel complete. It conjures up visions of just-picked vegetables and fresh air.<\/p>\n
Like “organic,” though, “holistic” has been tossed around considerably and can refer to just about anything.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the yoga teacher next door is holistic. Or maybe it’s your sister-in-law who swore off gluten. Many times “holistic” is paired with another word to form a term like \u201cholistic health.\u201d<\/p>\n
But what does “holistic” really mean and how do you know when you have it?<\/p>\n
Does it even work?<\/p>\n
Or is it just one of those hokey health fads?<\/p>\n
In this article let’s talk about what holistic health is and how it can help you on your healing journey. More specifically, let’s see what we can find out about holistic health and breast cancer.<\/p>\n
Holistic comes from the Greek word \u201cholos\u201d meaning \u201call.”<\/p>\n
Medical dictionaries refer to “holistic health” as the treatment of the whole person, taking into account all the factors that can make a person unwell. Holistic became a buzz word in medicine during the seventies. It’s rise in popularity was accompanied by the growth of health food stores and widespread public interest in organic and natural foods.<\/p>\n
Rather than just treating the particular part that\u2019s diseased, holistic health practitioners treat the person as a whole. A holistic approach might include talk about vitamin supplements, spiritual practices, and such — whereas the allopathic practitioner might focus on using prescription drugs and traditional therapies.<\/p>\n
Many diseases and conditions seem to be helped with holistic approaches. A breast cancer patient, for example, might need surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to remove the tumor. But changes in diet, emotional support, and massage (for instance) may also help in recovery.<\/p>\n
Holistic health also has other names: complementary therapy, alternative medicine, integrative medicine, and natural healthcare are examples. You may be surprised to discover that holistic health practices are often taught in medical schools and practiced in many clinics around the country.<\/p>\n
Attempts to characterize holistic methods run into trouble, though, since many holistic practices cross over the limits of categories.<\/p>\n
Here are five generally recognized types of holistic health practices:<\/p>\n
There are no clear-cut definitions or roles for holistic health practices. That’s one reason why you should be careful to ask a holistic health practitioner not just what kind of holistic approach is used … but to describe the treatments that will best suit your needs.<\/p>\n
So do holistic treatments work or not? Are they a good alternative to conventional medicine? Should holistic health practices be used as an alternative to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery?<\/p>\n
Let’s talk about that.<\/p>\n
The safety and efficacy of a holistic health approach depends on the malady being treated and the nature of the holistic practice. There are herbs, for example, that are dangerous (even lethal) to consume. There are massage therapies that can leave you hurting more when you leave than when you arrived.<\/p>\n
Where can we turn for advice?<\/p>\n
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) created a branch specifically for studying holistic health. It is known as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).<\/p>\n
Since its establishment in 1999, the NCCAM has debunked many alternative beliefs (such as ginkgo biloba as a cure for Alzheimer’s) but it has also proven other holistic practices to be effective (like using acupuncture for pain relief in osteoarthritis of the knee).<\/p>\n
NCCAM seeks to establish the relative safety of natural products (including their toxicity and interactions with other drugs) as well as to conduct research to understand what alternative practices and products people use and why they use them.<\/p>\n