what does holistic mean?

“You are more than merely as sum of your parts” Aristotle

The term holistic in healthcare is often conflated with alternative and natural therapies. Although many natural therapies take a holistic approach, the term holistic within healthcare does not refer to any specific types of treatment.

Taking a holistic approach in healthcare means taking the wider view of a person, rather than just focusing on their presenting disease of illness.

For example; a person with high blood pressure may present to their general practitioner. They are issued with a prescription and given life style advice, such as losing weight, cutting back on salt and alcohol, and reducing their stress levels. This is all sound and important advice, as high blood pressure, left undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and stroke.

But what is missing from this traditional Western medical model that a holistic assessment would look at?

A holistic approach would enquire into all aspects of a person’s life, including; social, environmental, psychological and physical factors, that could be contributing towards a person developing high blood pressure. Delving in to the root cause of a person’s disease, and discussing preventative lifestyle strategies relevant for the individual, enables autonomy through understanding and can profoundly affect a person’s health and wellbeing and can reduced disease progression.

A holistic approach considers how the mind, body and spirit impacts illnesses/diseases and vice-versa.

Our current medical paradigm is in crisis, health care costs are escalating, NHS waiting times have sky rocketed, life expectancy is decreasing, health outcomes are worsening, there is an increase in the reliance of pharmacological prescriptions, burnout, depression and suicide are at their highest ever levels and we are in environmental and economic crises.

I truly believe that this paradigm has to change. Just treating the disease or illness will not improve wellness, you have to look deeper, prevent disease in the first instance and address the underlying cause of people’s ‘dis-ease’.