The holistic approach to pain relief does not break the body down into sections but instead looks at it as one whole integrated part. In a very basic sense, holistic is defined as, "Care for the whole person, mind, body and spirit." When it comes to the mind, this means the brain, which is the logical, rational side of ourselves that processes thoughts. The body is what we see, it is our physical home or physical shell. The spirit defies a logical explanation. The spirit is not an easy entity to define or describe. The spirit is what gives our personality life as well as our morals, values and dreams. The spirit is who we really are and it is the most unique part of us. The spirit is believed to be where our conscience comes from as well as the root of all feelings.
The holistic approach to health and to pain relief is different from traditional Western medicine in that it takes into consideration an entire human being, looking at the mind, body and spirit as a unit and does not just look at individual symptoms in isolation.
Therapists who practice the holistic approach believe that the human body contains a very strong life force, life energy or vital force. It is believed that it is this vital force or energy that helps to guard the body against any number of ailments and diseases and helps to encourage healing when something in the body does break down. This is what we know to be called the body's immune system and without it a person would be sick all the time, as he would succumb to every kind of virus or bacteria that crossed his path. It is believed by holistic therapists that when the immune system is out of synchronicity and the balance is upset that the symptoms of any number of diseases crop up. It is the goal of holistic medicine and holistic therapies to keep the balance of the body in check and to restore it to normal when it does go awry.
Holistic therapists believes that stress is one of the greatest causes of many health problems such as tension in the muscles, fatigue, anxiety attacks, insomnia, migraine headaches, high blood pressure, depression, heart problems and so on. The list of stress related disorders are long and exhaustive. Stress is defined as, "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other demands placed on them both at home and in the workplace."
Stress can lead to illness and illnesses have symptoms. It is when symptoms crop up that most people go to see their doctor. Realize that you can nip many health problems in the bud simply by giving yourself the time to relax, unwind and recharge your batteries. The holistic approach is a great way to get at stress before it turns into an illness. Holistic practices take many forms so you can try one or try a variety and they are designed to work in unison with one another. For example massage and seeing a chiropractor are both good for the body but doing both is even more beneficial.
