Holistic and Integrated Medicine

As far as medicine is concerned, one could say there are two main branches or schools of medicine: Natural and Alternative Healing being the first and Allopathic or Modern Medicine being the second.

In today's times, allopathic medicine has become the accepted form of medicine all over the world, because of it being backed and validated by much research and studies. As a result of such widespread acceptance, allopathic medicine has become the norm. With the rise of this school of medicine, natural ways of healing that have been in use for thousands of years and were once the norm, have now been relegated to the status of Alternative Medicine.

Much debate has been done over the years about these two forms of healing and the factions are divided. There are those who swear by natural medicines and would not even turn to allopathic drugs if their life depended on it. Then there are those who say that modern medicine is the only 'right' form of healing. With both forms having their individual pros and cons, what would you go in for?

Difficult choice, isn't it? Well, with the increasing popularity of another type of medicine, this choice is made much easier. With the Holistic and Integrated Medicine system, you can have the best of both worlds. Let's see how.

What Is Holistic and Integrated Medicine

Holistic and Integrated medicine is a form of healing that heals an individual as a whole. This form of medicine accounts for all the aspects of a sick person's existence. It does not just consider the symptoms of a person's illness, but healing is brought about after ascertaining and understanding the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual side of the individual.

In addition to the above, the nutritional habits of the individual are also taken into account, and so are the social, environmental, and lifestyle aspects of the individual. Only after a complete and thorough analysis of all these aspects, does holistic healing take place.

The system of integrated medicine treats a person as a whole and not just the disease. It is a healing oriented form of medicine, which utilizes not just natural and alternative forms of healing, but also uses conventional allopathic medicines and procedures, in case healing cannot be brought about by natural methods alone.

Thus, Holistic and Integrated Medicine can be defined as:

"A method of healing, which stresses the requirement for looking at a whole person, including his physical, emotional, mental, social, food, and lifestyle habits; and utilizes all kinds of therapies for healing, including allopathic drugs and procedures, in the event that a viable natural cure does not seem possible"

The Main Aspects of Holistic and Integrated Medicine

The basic premise that holistic and integrated medicine is based on is providing education and knowledge to people, on the basis of which they can behave responsibly towards their mind and bodies, thus bringing harmony and health into their lives. The main fundamentals of holistic and integrated medicine are:

1) Food and Diet: Eating a diet that is rich in natural foods can heal many health problems. A practitioner of holistic and integrated medicine will understand your nutrition habits and give you a diet plan for total body health. Once you have some initial knowledge about what a natural food diet is, you can change your dietary habits, slowly but surely, till you reach a point of optimum nutritional way of life.

2) Healing of your Inner Self: Integrated medicine focuses on healing of your inner self as much (if not more) than physical healing. Inner healing consists of the following:

• Body oriented tools for inner healing. This aspect of inner healing utilizes different body oriented techniques for healing. The technique used depends on what the individual is trying to achieve and according to his body contours. Body oriented inner healing is best done in the presence of a holistic and integrated medicine practitioner.
   

• Proper breathing techniques are another essential aspect for inner healing.
   

• Meditation, for the mind and body, is also an integral and important part of inner healing. Meditation can give you the peace of mind that is vital for total healing.

3) Busting Stress: Unknown to most people, a major cause for their health problems can be excessive stress, both psychological and physical. Just by reducing your stress levels, you can effectively cure many problems without the use of any medication. With the holistic and integrated medicine system, you will learn effective techniques and ideas to reduce stress. These include:

• Getting enough sleep
   

• Regular exercises
   

• Practicing Yoga on your own or taking yoga classes. Yoga is a life science that has its origins in India, and has many health benefits, reducing stress being just one of them.
   

• Taking massages for reducing physical stress
   

• Miscellaneous other stress busters that include, but are not limited to:
  - Taking vacations
  - Dancing
  - Indulging in pleasurable activities
  - Doing things that make you laugh
  - Being in the company of loved ones
  - Appreciating the value of a hug
  - Being aware of your physical stress and consciously relaxing those stressed parts
  - Taking pleasure in nature
  - Express your feelings and don't bottle them up inside
  - Putting on comfortable clothing
  - Going shoeless whenever possible
  - Taking regular breaks, even if just for a couple of minutes, during a hectic workday.

All the above can help to relieve physical and psychological stress, which is a very big part of holistic and integrated medicine.

4) Staying Away From Exposure to Harmful Things: Another aspect of holistic and integrated medicine is making people aware of all the harmful and toxic things around them and minimizing contact with such things, as these contribute to ill health in a big way. Some toxic things to be aware of are:

• Toxic foods and harmful cooking methods
   

• Impure drinking water
   

• Hazards in the air (toxic fumes, mold, gases, vehicle smoke, cigarette smoke etc)
   

• Toxic people (pessimists and those who make you feel bad about yourself)
   

• Synthetic clothing
   

• Toxic chemicals in various products
   

• Toxic building materials (asbestos, lead, etc)

In addition to all the above fundamentals of holistic and integrated medicine, being aware of your spirituality and understanding the immense power of the mind, is also an important aspect of this form of medicine.

Even after utilizing the above fundamentals of holistic healing, if your condition is not treated, then allopathic drugs and surgical procedures are resorted to.

Thus, with the holistic and integrated medicine system, you can bring about total body healing. So, whether you are looking for a solution to some mild problems, or for serious health conditions, or just trying to have a more peaceful and satisfying life; holistic and integrated medicine can help you in all of the above.