| What is holistic medicine? | | | | to accompany, not to replace, standard medical |
| Holistic medicine (health) is more then just an | | | | practices. Alternative medical practices are generally |
| alternative medicine or just a herbal medicine. Holistic | | | | not recognized by the medical community as |
| medicine supports reaching higher levels of wellness | | | | standard or conventional medical approaches. |
| as well as preventing illness. Not just with nutritional | | | | Alternative medicine includes nutritional supplements, |
| supplements, vitamins or herbs. Most important | | | | megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, |
| factor is your lifestyle. People enjoy the vitality and | | | | massage therapy, magnet therapy, and spiritual |
| well-being that results from their positive lifestyle | | | | healing. |
| changes, and are motivated to continue this process | | | | Integration of complementary and alternative |
| throughout their lives. Holistic medicine (health) is | | | | medicine therapies (CAM) with conventional medicine |
| actually an approach to life. Rather than focusing on | | | | is occurring in hospitals and physicians offices, health |
| illness or specific parts of the body, this ancient | | | | maintenance organizations (HMOs) are covering CAM |
| approach to health considers the whole person and | | | | therapies, insurance coverage for CAM is increasing, |
| how he or she interacts with his or her environment. | | | | and integrative medicine centers and clinics are being |
| It emphasizes the connection of mind, body, and | | | | established, many with close ties to medical schools |
| spirit. The goal is to achieve maximum well-being, | | | | and teaching hospitals. In determining what care to |
| where everything is functioning the very best that is | | | | provide, the goal should be comprehensive care that |
| possible. With Holistic Health people accept | | | | uses the best scientific evidence available regarding |
| responsibility for their own level of well-being, and | | | | benefits and harm, encourages a focus on healing, |
| everyday choices are used to take charge of one's | | | | recognizes the importance of compassion and caring, |
| own health. | | | | emphasizes the centrality of relationship-based care, |
| A recent positive trend has been in the medical | | | | encourages patients to share in decision making |
| schools, which are beginning to invite holistic | | | | about therapeutic options, and promotes choices in |
| physicians to lecture or to develop programs in the | | | | care that can include complementary therapies where |
| schools to complement their more conventional | | | | appropriate. |
| curricula. The National Institute of Health has | | | | Numerous approaches to delivering integrative |
| developed an office to support and research holistic | | | | medicine have evolved. Complementary and |
| and alternative medicine practices. Some states are | | | | Alternative Medicine in the United States identifies an |
| now passing laws to protect and support the | | | | urgent need for health systems research that |
| practices of holistic providers, as they have | | | | focuses on identifying the elements of these models, |
| sometimes been the subject of harassment by their | | | | the outcomes of care delivered in these models, and |
| more conservative colleagues, for their different | | | | whether these models are cost-effective when |
| orientation, techniques, and approaches to health | | | | compared to conventional practice settings. |
| care. With these current trends, the changing needs | | | | It outlines areas of research in convention and CAM |
| and perceptions by a more informed public, and the | | | | therapies, ways of integrating these therapies, |
| increasing scientific validation of holistic approaches, I | | | | development of curriculum that provides further |
| see the holistic paradigm coming of age-the new | | | | education to health professionals, and an amendment |
| frontier of health care and human awareness. | | | | of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act |
| What is alternative and what is complementary | | | | to improve quality, accurate labeling, research into |
| medicine? | | | | use of supplements, incentives for privately funded |
| Alternative medicine: practices used instead of | | | | research into their efficacy, and consumer protection |
| standard medical treatments. Alternative medicine is | | | | against all potential hazards. |
| distinct from complementary medicine which is meant | | | | |