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SO, WHAT IS HOLISTIC CARE?
When you hear the term Holistic healthcare or Holistic medicine what comes to mind?
Often times people begin to think about alternative medical care, naturopathy, Eastern medicine, and even herbalism. Those ideas are not completely wrong but instead of specifying branches or styles of care, a holistic approach can be incorporated in all forms of medicine including conventional western medicine.
Holistic care appreciates and understands that there are many aspects of a person's life that work together to create that individual's overall health status.
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"WHOLE"-ISTIC
The holistic approach to care incorporates the whole person when assessing, diagnosing, and planning care. "Whole person" care includes considering a person's physical, psychological, social, and spiritual values and needs. When doing this, care is individualized and the underpinning of care provided stands on the fact that our daily lives affect our overall health.
What is Health & Wellness, Aren't They The Same?
Health and wellness are terms often used together when discussing care. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (illness)". There are several definitions of wellness, but overall wellness is considered a process of growth and change in an active attempt to reach your fullest and best overall state of health.
Health, which is the state of completeness defined above, is often obtained by way of wellness. Wellness is an individual journey or pursuit towards health. This includes making active and intentional decisions daily towards the goal of OPTIMAL WELLBEING. This wellbeing is not just focused on disease prevention or disease management. Instead it is the process of prioritizing overall joy, strength, productivity, and peace. By doing so, people actively seeking optimal well-being are incorporating many positive and intentional daily actions to promote health.
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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR HOLISTIC CARE CONSULTATION
Holistic care consultations are all different depending on who is providing care. There are many health professionals that utilize holistic approaches including medical doctors, nurse practitioners, nutritionist, acupuncturists, naturopaths, herbalists, and chiropractors to name a few. It is vital to understand what care/services your holistic provider is licensed and trained to provide.
If seeking care from a holistic medical doctor or nurse practitioner who are licensed to diagnose and treat medical conditions, your holistic consultation interview should include a thorough health history, physical exam, and individual health plan creation. This interview will include a medical and surgical history similar to non-holistic providers. In contrast, your holistic provider will include a thorough social and lifestyle history to learn more about your daily habits and how they could play significant roles in your current health status.
This will include in-depth discussions related to diet, exercise, stress management, sleep health, screen use, and coping mechanisms. Expect this initial consult to last anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on the provider's scheduling. This is significantly longer than conventional medicine consults which on average lasts from 10-20 minutes so be prepared for this time difference.
Overall your consultation will be a deep dive into your health and wellness concerns and goals. Your holistic health provider will work with you to create a plan providing the most optimal outcomes in care.
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