Almost half of all Americans have been diagnosed with a chronic disease, costing the U.S. to spend 78% of it’s total healthcare expenditure a year. Yet, they still cause 7/10 of all deaths.
Why are we having so little success in treating chronic illness? The answer: using the wrong approach in the management and treatment of chronic illness. The Western healthcare system trains and practices using the acute-care approach for both acute and chronic illnesses, utilizing what’s called a poly-pharmacy treatment protocol. The acute care approach of medicine’s premise is to heal the patient completely with medication or procedures after presents with symptoms, with no further need for treatment. Poly-pharmacy is prescribing multiple medicines, a different medicine for each symptom, with the CDC reporting over 24% of Americans take more than 3 medications daily and the number is rising. With the rise of chronic illness in areas of autoimmunity, obesity, allergies, chronic pain and more, patients are seeking out complementary and alternative treatments, realizing something isn’t working in the western practice of medicine.
Unfortunately, there is an almost complete separation our society has made between western medicine and holistic medicine. With the rise and dependence of our society on pharmaceuticals to provide instant relief, “pop the pill and feel better in 30 minutes”, it has negatively overshadowed people’s views on holistic medicine, believing that holistic medicine doesn’t work. This leads western practitioner to dismiss people seeking answers in Holistic. Holistic medicine has gained many misconceptions in its practice and the need to see it’s merit and positive contributions to health will aid in combating disease.
1. Holistic Healthcare Is A New Trend
The Holistic Healthcare approach dates back to the beginning of time! Cultures have been treating with natural remedies from the ancient Indian system of Ayurveda, to Traditional Chinese medicine to indigenous Medicine, all addressing the body as a united system creating balance. Most of the world treated with natural remedies until the 1940’s with the therapeutic use of antibiotics.
Then began the treatment model the US healthcare system still uses to this day: the acute-care approach, which worked great for infection and sepsis. However, with the rise of chronic disease, patients and healthcare practitioners are beginning to realize that we need to adjust our approach. Holistic medicine provides a much-needed whole body approach which is needed when dealing with chronic disease.
2. It Just Doesn’t Work
Pharmaceutical companies have always created new drugs based on naturally occurring compounds. They have disregarded the effectiveness of natural compounds and instead multiplied the dosage of the active compounds in order to have a faster reaction time, which we now know that prevention is the needed treatment for chronic disease. For example, Aspirin’s pain relief was founded by salicin, the compound in willow bark. Willow Bark’s salicin concentration is too low by itself to have pain relieving effects but mother nature comes to the rescue again by adding flavonoids and polyphenols with the salicin in the willow bark in order to produce effects pain relieving effects in patients.
3. It’s All About Taking Supplements
A patient that follows a truly holistic approach to healthcare most likely won’t need to take any daily supplements. The main point of the holistic approach is to get everything your body needs to create balance from the diet, social behaviors, environment, and spirituality. Herbal remedies or extra nutrients may be needed at times to help the body come back regain balance after a trauma for specific times.
4. Holistic Isn’t Science Based
Holistic medicine is heavily based on our body’s ability to rest, reset and repair itself. This is done when cortisol levels drop and the parasympathetic part of our nervous system is initiated. When initiated the body is able to activate pathways to digest, make and store energy, activate healing, and detoxify itself.
5. You Can’t Have Both Holistic And Acute Care
Sadly, there has been a great divide between western medicine and Holistic medicine, limiting to one philosophy of medicine and disregarding any merit in the other. People have come to the belief that if you believe in the benefits of holistic medicine than you don’t believe in pharmaceutical medications or anything not found in nature.
On the opposite side, many western practitioners disregard holistic medicine as creating a false view of modern medicine and that it isn’t beneficial in healthcare. The times seem to be changing with the increased prevalence and difficulty in treating chronic disease. We need to learn the balance of the two, accepting the positives of both systems to hopefully create more preventative measures and treatment options for the future!
Wanna Learn More?
Here are some resources you can use to dive deeper into the world of Holistic Healthcare!
The Disease Delusion: Conquering the causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life by Dr. Jeffery S. Bland
Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care by Maria Noel Groves
Deeply Holistic: A Guide to Intuitive Self-Care by Pip Waller
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