Holistic Health and Nursing Information
Higher Education Articles July 24, 2013Holistic nurses go beyond traditional medicine, focusing on one’s mental, physical, social, and spiritual health and well-being. In holistic health care, there is a greater connection between the body and mind, emphasizing the health care provider-patient relationship. Holistic nurses aim to heal a person as a whole, while relying on a variety of therapies to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients. A holistic approach to health care involves taking charge of your own health by paying close attention to the everyday choices you make. Holistic practitioners teach their patients to take responsibility for their own health and well-being, resulting in more cost-effective treatments and prevention of disease and illness. Most people are straying from traditional medicine and turning to the endless healing power of holistic health care.
Traditional versus Holistic Health
There are major differences between traditional health and holistic health. Holistic health care consists of the management, treatment, and prevention of a disease or illness, as well as the maintenance of one’s physical, mental, and spiritual health. With holistic health, there is a strong emphasis on self-care and responsibility, as holistic practitioners encourage the patient to become a part of their own health care plan.
Holistic nurses and doctors work as a team with the patient in a cooperative manner. Traditional health care focuses on treating the symptoms of an illness or disease with drugs or surgery. Holistic health care differs as the ultimate goal is to find the underlying cause of the symptoms and use lifestyle changes to help cure or prevent the ailments. Healing and healthy living is encouraged through nutritional, physical, psychological, spiritual, emotional, and environmental lifestyle changes.
How Holistic Health Care Is Used
Holistic health care can be approached in several different ways, but overall, the method should treat both the illness and the person as a whole for a better sense of well-being. For example, some holistic nurses and practitioners will treat certain types of cancer with changes in diet and behavior. They may also encourage the patient to attend counseling or join support groups to help mentally. Other holistic practitioners prefer various types of therapies to help heal the body and mind, such as hypnosis, psychotherapy, imagery, art therapy, yoga, or meditation. Occasionally, these holistic methods are combined with conventional treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy.
Core Principals of Holistic Health
•The human body and mind are integrated and need to be treated together.
•The causes of disease and illness should be treated, instead of just treating the symptoms.
•Health is not just about preventing disease, but maintaining a positive state of mind.
•The human body contains an energy system that provides the body with life.
•A true sense of well-being involves healing the body as a “whole.”
•Every person has a responsibility for their own health and therefore should participate in their own healthcare.
Holistic health is all about adopting healthy habits related to exercise, diet, spiritual, and emotional well-being, which are considered to be the core concepts of good health. While holistic measures can be beneficial to one’s body and mind, they should not be relied on entirely alone, and can be used along with conventional medical care. Holistic nurses and practitioners encourage holistic health care methods to increase energy and give patients greater enthusiasm to get healthy.
