Natural Health 2

There are a lot of therapies out there in the world that are considered holistic, but what does it mean? the word holistic is derived from the Greek word “holos” and in medical terms it is taken to mean caring for the whole, mind, body and spirit, Indeed Hippocrates (460-375 BC) the father of medicine, advocated a system of treatment that incorporated diet,fresh air and exercise along with massaging or rubbing the body, or parts of the body, in order to bring about a state of relaxation, thus treating the person as a whole,
Holistic medicine is therefore an approach to health care in general.

There are no parts in the human body that work alone, each part of the body works along side other parts for the good of the whole, no part of the body would work for very long without the respiratory system, if it ceased functioning altogether the result would be death in a very short time, and even when this system is under performing we suffer, because the rest of the body is not receiving enough oxygen to perform at its optimum. The muscular system is reliant on oxygen and other nutrients in order to function, and it relies on the circulatory system for its supply, in return the muscular system keeps the heart and lungs functioning, via the diaphragm, and heart muscle. Where would we be without cleaners in society? The street cleaners, and refuse collectors, we would soon be overrun with disease spreading vermin. In one sense our bodies are like our streets, they need cleaning, our main cleaning system is the urinary system, where the kidneys filter out waste and toxins from the blood and expel them from the body, but this system relies on a blood and oxygen supply, and other nutrients supplied by the digestive system. From these few examples we can see how all the different systems of the body are inter dependent, and that disease or neglect of one part of the body can and does affect the whole, therefore the body should be treated as a whole.

When studying reflexology, one of the first things we were taught, was how to take a consultation, this involved taking notes on your patients presenting condition, and medical back ground, what drugs they are taking if any, the next part of the consultation was about their lifestyle, the questions included an in depth look at their diet, whether or not they got enough fresh air and exercise, whether or not they smoked or drank alcohol, questions were also asked about their toilet habits, as to whether they were regular or not, there were a whole host of questions, are they feeling stressed? Do they have an active social life? or, do they feel lonely?. The next step was to formulate a treatment plan, this involved the reflexology treatment, and any advice that could be given to improve their lifestyle, if they had a poor diet, then improvements would be suggested, if they had a sedentary lifestyle then exercise and fresh air would be encouraged, if their toilet habits were poor then a deeper look into diet would be called for, if they were feeling stressed then simple relaxation techniques would be recommended, if they felt lonely and or had no social life, activities such as attending evening classes, dance classes or local groups where they could meet others and make new friends were recommended. Also if you thought that reflexology was not the appropriate therapy for their disorder, then a more appropriate therapy would be suggested. Most other branches of complimentary medicine that I have come across follow a similar ethic in the treatment of their patients, which is not only to treat the disease or disorder, but to treat the cause of the same, with the ultimate aim of restoring balance in all areas of the our patients life. This is what I believe to be the essence of Holistic Medicine. In my upcoming articles I would like to discuss different therapies and their uses in more depth, until then I’ll leave you with this apt little quote I found.

The laws of nature are the laws of health
and he who lives according to these laws is never sick
He who obeys the laws
maintains an equilibrium in all parts
thus ensures true harmony,
and harmony is health,
while discord is disease.

From The Aquarian Gospel via The Art Of Aromatherapy by Robert Tisserand