The adjective “holistic” is derived from the ancient Greek word “holos” which means “whole”. Interest in the holistic approach to medicine was revived in the early 1970s. The idea of holism and the word itself were first introduced by the South African statesman and biologist Jan Christian Smuts in his book Holism and Evolution as early as in 1926. To Smuts, holism was a way of viewing and describing living things including people, as entities greater than and different from the sum of their parts.<\/p>\n
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Holistic medicine is also an alternative to a scientific approach that attempts to understand all phenomena including human beings by reducing them to their most basic biological processes. A good number of people who matter, feel that the focus of modern Western medicine is too impersonal and narrow; that many doctors tend to view their patients as biological machines rather than human beings.<\/p>\n
Holistic medicine does not neglect the need for* swift and sophisticated medical or surgical action, but does emphasize health promotion and patient education. It respects the capacity people have for healing themselves and regards them as active partners in health care, rather than passive recipients. Apart from relying on modern technology and medicines, whenever necessary, holistic medicine welcomes all the techniques that have been developed in other cultures and at other times. Thus, it makes use of a variety of therapeutic approaches. These approaches have sometimes been described as “Alternative” or “Complementary” Medicine (e.g. : Homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Acupuncture, etc.)<\/p>\n
The Holistic Approach to Medicine includes:<\/span><\/p>\n a. Humanistic medicine, which emphasizes the relationship between physicians and patients, and the psychological and spiritual development of both the patient and physician,<\/p>\n b. Psychosomatic medicine, which is concerned with the interdependence and mutual influence of psychological and physical factors, and<\/p>\n c. Behavioural medicine, which stresses the psychological and social causes and effects of illness.<\/p>\n Holism has always been vital to healing, and some of history’s most gifted physicians have embraced holistic beliefs. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, writing in the 5* century B.C. emphasized the environmental causes, the importance of emotional factors and nutrition, health and disease.<\/p>\n A holistic physician is someone who promotes well-being through educational means and encourages self-care. He treats illness with a holistic approach.<\/p>\n REIKI is god’s love in its purest form. It is completely unconditional. It demands nothing of the giver nor of the receiver. It propounds no creed or dogma. It requires no specific belief in the supreme being or in reiki itself. Used in its traditional form, as developed by Dr. Mika Usui in the Usui System of natural healing, reiki heals the body and emotions, bringing them into balance and promoting health, happiness, prosperity and long life.<\/p>\n Ref: Dr. James S. Gordon, M.D., Dept. of Family Medicine, George Town University Medical School, Washington D.C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"