What does the term ‘Holistic’ mean? We hear it bandied about all the time with regard to the Healing Arts because it means treating things / people as a ‘Whole,’ and respecting them in that light, accordingly.

‘Holism’ is a viewpoint which incorporates all parts as interdependent and the whole as more than the sum of them.

Holistic Medicine, therefore, regards any presenting symptoms you may have in line with any mental or emotional stuff going on as well.  Rarely are they unrelated.

The easiest way to look at this is to think about whether you’ve ever broken any bones, or think of someone you know who has.

Clearly, the symptoms are physical – pain / agony / X-ray pictures and these must be treated. The bone must be re-set.

However, there will also be frustration, anger even, plus pills to swallow which can cause a chemical alteration. Some people may undergo an entire personality change.

Rest and time can cure all these ills, but the mental and emotional effects won’t always be so obvious. A plaster cast will only be on so long and it’s easy to be kind to someone wearing one of those. What’s going on underneath though, for them?

There could be worries about work and finances, if they’re severely affected, guilt, if they need help from loved ones (who may well feel frustrated, angry, worried and resentful themselves!), shattered dreams, all sorts of stuff.

And it is possible that some of this may continue when the plaster cast is long gone.

Western Medicine will treat the broken bone and the pain and counselling is available for serious trauma, but those practising in Natural Medicine will treat the whole psychological and social element as well, plus, any good Practitioner will encourage you to do the same for yourself.

Emotional trauma can have a shocking physical affect too and our daily lives are full of little griefs, which can have debilitating knock-on ramifications if we don’t pay attention to ourselves.  Physical pain is often the body’s last resort to gain our attention!

So, in short, we’re chemical and emotional beings. We’re Mind, Body and Spirit. All our bits are inter-connected and, as a result, something consequential will set about a chain reaction around a whole person.

Holistic Medicine? Way to go!