If you’ve been paying much attention to the world of health and wellness, then you might have encountered the term ‘holistic health’. If the use of this term is causing you confusion, then fear not: we’re about to run thru a brief explanation.
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hWhat Does “Holistic Health” Actually Mean?
Let’s start with a definition. ‘Holism’ is the simple practice of considering an entire person, rather than thinking about the various organs, systems, and mechanisms that constitute a person.
In the modern era, there’s been a welcome shift in attitudes toward mental health. Things like stress and anxiety are increasingly treated with the same seriousness as physical ailments like muscular injuries and food poisoning.
A holistic approach to health considers how physical and mental health connect with one another. The brain is, after all, a physical organ. If you’re unsure of this, you might observe how your mood changes according to what’s going on in your digestive and endocrine systems.
As well as mental and physical health, we might also consider spiritual and social health. Even if you don’t consider yourself a religious or spiritual person, you might recognise that certain activities, like gardening, can be ‘good for the soul’ – even if the soul in question is something that exists within our physical brains.
Daily Practices for Physical Wellbeing
So, what habits can be said to benefit our health as a whole? There are a few fundamentals that offer innumerable upsides, and virtually no downsides.
If you aren’t eating a balanced diet that comprises the right blend of macro and micro nutrients, and you aren’t getting the required amount of exercise, then your health is sure to suffer. For proof of this, we need only consider an increase in hospital admissions recently brought about by a widespread lack of iron and vitamins.
The same goes for sleep and hydration, which our modern lifestyles tend to interfere with all too often.
Support Your Mental, Emotional and Social Health
Exercise is a vital means of safeguarding your mental health. You might find that a good jog is a great way to ‘clear’ your head. But the same function can be served by other activities, like mindfulness-based meditation and journaling.
Human beings are social creatures, and our brains are wired to benefit from meaningful interactions with other human beings. This might mean seeking real-world conversation with friends, family, romantic partners, and professional therapists. A holistic approach to health often emphasizes not just the symptoms we experience, but the psychosocial context from which those symptoms arise.
Getting your body cared for proactively might mean going for regular check-ups. For example, you might regularly go for a chlamydia test to ensure that your sexual health is all that it might be. This is often a worthwhile step if you intend to embark on a new sexual relationship.
Use Sensible Complementary / Integrative Tools
‘Conventional medicine’ is, basically, a term for medicine that’s been proven to work. But just because a given treatment is unproven doesn’t mean that it’s ineffective. What’s more, some forms of therapy don’t compete with conventional medicine. Rather, they act as a supplement for it. Considering traditional remedies like yoga and acupuncture, while being skeptical of unproven claims, can help you to enjoy benefits that conventional medicine alone cannot provide.
Adjusting Your Holistic Strategy Over Time
Making major, sudden lifestyle changes can introduce risk. Make sure, therefore, that you take a gradual approach when introducing new treatments and interventions. It’s also worth periodically reviewing your approach, in light of changes to your physical health, major transitions in your life, and shifts in government policy, like the recently announced £85 million program to change the way obesity is treated in the UK.
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