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_Holistic Healing _
By: Alka Khatri
Holistic Medicine, commonly referred to as “Alternative Medicine”, is a vast
and rapidly growing new scientific field. It is derived mainly from ancient,
traditional methods of healing that have often been practiced in the East for
centuries. These include a variety of techniques from herbal healing to
acupuncture to homeopathy to energy channeling. Due to the large number of
methods that are covered by the term, there are various definitions of
Holistic Medicine. However, all literature seems to agree that Alternative
Medicine, is exactly what the name suggests: an ‘alternative’ approach to
healing and medicine. It is a more personal move toward health care, which
attempts to connect the mind, body and spirit. Another way that Alternative
Medicine is defined is by what the field does not cover. According to David M.
Eisenberg, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, alternative medicines are “medical
interventions not taught widely at U.S. medical schools or generally available
at U.S. hospitals.” Therefore Holistic Healing covers most practices regularly
followed in other parts of the world, although it does not include the
techniques used by conventional doctors in the Western world practicing
Allopathic Medicine. Alternative medicine can also be defined as the result of
a series of important changes occurring within the American health care system
today. For example, health care practitioners are coming to the realization
that conventional biomedicine cannot solve many of America’s health problems.
Therefore many doctors have begun to accept the idea that Holistic Medicine is
based on, that is, that health involves more than just the physical body. They
have also found many alternative medical treatments are more effective, less
harmful, and more economical than conventional medicine. This new awareness of
the general public and the medical community is what has caused such a great
plunge forward in the use of alternative treatments today. An increasing
number of medical schools are now offering courses in alternative medicine for
their students, and some hospitals already have alternative medicine
departments. The availability of healers and doctors practicing holistic
medicine has also increased in recent years, and more and more people are
educating themselves in these new fields. In fact, the World Health
Organization estimates that between 65 and 80 percent of the world’s
population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional medicine as their
primary form of health careBecause many of the treatments of alternative
medicine do not adhere to the principles of conventional medicine, whether or
not to allow practice of these techniques in the United States is a major
concern of the medical community today. The Food and Drug Administration is
the decision making body of issues such as this and more often than not, does
not approve many of these practices. Due to the fact that holistic medicine
sometimes contradicts the fundamentals of biomedicine, health care regulation
boards such as the FDA find it difficult to accept many of these treatments.
Because the Western world is so unfamiliar with these techniques it is only
natural for medical community to often disprove these methods. However, as
more and more doctors discover the limitations of conventional medical
techniques, and discover how little knowledge human beings possess in respect
to issues such as life and death it is important that these treatments be
approved for practice in the United States. Although it is often unclear why
some of these methods are so effective in the treatment of illness, I believe
the large amount of data supporting alternative medicine, in general, is
something that can not be ignored. According to the allopathic medical
community, many of these treatments do not have much “scientific” basis.
However, practices such as acupuncture have successfully treated patients for
centuries before allopathic medicine was even practiced. It should be of very
little concern whether or not these treatments agree with conventional science
and a greater emphasis should be put on the fact that these treatments are
often more successful than allopathic medical techniques. . I believe that
approval of the use of these practices in the United States is vital to
improving health care facilities for the American public. If doctors and
health care practitioners can witness the successful application of these
treatments, they will be forced to accept these treatments as a part of
routine medical practice. It will undoubtedly help educate the medical
community, and will eventually lead to a different, perhaps more traditional
approach to medicine. The greater use of alternative medicine in the future is
almost certain. These practices will surely play a larger role in health care
in the United States, and will change the American health care system
indefinitely. The public, itself, will begin to approach life, death, illness,
and wellness in a different way. The people will most likely begin to be more
responsible and play a greater part in their own health and well being.
Medical advances are also certain. As the medical community will rediscover
these traditional techniques to medicine, technology will probably play a much
smaller role in healing. A greater emphasis will be put on spirituality and
emotions. Eventually, the greater practice of holistic medicine in the United
States will surely lead to a public that is generally healthier and surely
happier.
_Bibliography _
Bibliography Anderson, Greg. (No date). A Simplified Explanation of Holistic
Health [Online]. Available: http://ahha.org/Anderson.htm [1999, March 1].
Collinge, William, Ph.D., The American Holistic Health Association Complete
Guide to Alternative Medicine, New York: Warner Books, 1996. Gordon, James S.,
M.D., Holistic Medicine, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Morton,
Mary and Michael. (1997). Ten Most Commonly Asked Questions About Alternative
Medicine [Online]. Available:
http://www.healthy.net/library/articles/morton/ten.htm [1999, March 1].
Travis, John W., M.D. and Regina Sara Ryan, The Wellness Workbook, Berkeley:
Ten Speed Press, 1988.
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