In the world today, the list of what ails us only seems to be growing. While science and medicine do their best to keep up, we would all do well to learn what our options are in order to better understand how to prevent and recover from disease quickly and easily. One option is holistic medicine, a growing field that many people find intriguing.
What Is Holistic Medicine?
Holistic medicine is an approach to medicine that looks at the whole person in order to improve a patient’s health and help each patient live a more vibrant happier life. It begins with an understanding that there should be a flow of life energy throughout the three parts that make up a person. The three parts that make up a person, according to holistic medicine are: the spirit, mind, and body. All three of these parts are interconnected. Because these three parts are interconnected, they must all be considered when working toward wellness. While a traditional medical approach may treat the problem with a medication or surgery, holistic medicine incorporates education on lifestyle changes, self-care, and emotional well-being, in addition to any necessary medication or surgery.
This type of care keeps the focus on the patient as a whole person, instead of looking mainly at the patient’s health problem. According to the American Holistic Health Association, “Optimal health is much more than the absence of sickness. It is the conscious pursuit of the highest qualities of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of the human experience.”
When You Might Want to Consider Holistic Medicine
There are many reasons you might want to consider holistic medicine. Maybe traditional treatment is not working as well as you’d hoped, or maybe traditional treatment comes with dangerous risks and side effects. This is a good time to consult with your doctor about adding a “whole-person approach” to the medical regimen that your doctor prescribes, to help you start learning how to help heal your body from within. At times, traditional medicine is expensive or even totally unavailable. Holistic options offer a simpler approach with options that patients can often utilize at home. Lastly, some patients find the traditional approach to be invasive and intimidating. In general, a holistic medicine route is more gentle and comfortable for the patient. As a patient, you may feel cared for in a way that helps to elevate your overall quality of life, not just your health, and this level of empowerment may help you take healthy steps for the future that can benefit your peace of mind and well being as a whole.
Why You Might Want to Consider a Career in Holistic Medicine
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in holistic medicine, the options are plentiful, and it is certainly a growing field. You can earn your practitioner certification in yoga instructing and massage therapy, for example, in under a year. If you want to become a more advanced practitioner, such as a chiropractor, you can earn your doctor of chiropractic degree after completing post-secondary education and more extensive training. This means greater income potential as a practitioner of holistic medicine. Holistic medicine careers are growing fast. Careers in massage therapy are growing much faster than average with a median income of $41,420 a year and a growth projection of 22% between 2018-2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is likely due to more and more insurance plans allowing for a massage to be covered as the health benefits become clearer. With a short path to become certified, a career in holistic medicine is worth considering.
You can find more articles about healthcare on the Avidity Medical Design blog. Follow our blog to stay up to date on different healthcare careers, and to learn about the many different online healthcare classes offered by Avidity Medical Design Academy, such as “How to Prevent Disease in Your Body (By Eating Fruits and Vegetables!)” New articles and new courses are coming soon, so check back often!