The Natural Move: More Doctors Are Adopting Holistic Health Care

According to the CDC, the demand for holistic health care is on the rise across all socioeconomic groups.

In the midst of the opioid crisis, Americans are taking a stand against conventional medicine. In fact, Americans are spending their own money on non-conventional medical services from holistic practitioners.

More and more practitioners are moving towards a holistic approach and it’s only improving patient care. The goal of any health care professional is to see their patients get well. By adopting a holistic health care approach, doctors are able to care for their patients better than ever before.

Keep reading to learn more about holistic health care and how it’s changing the world. 

What is Holistic Health Care?

Holistic medicine is about looking at the big picture of each patient. The whole person is more than just the body. A person is made up of a body, a mind, a spirit, and many emotions.

All of these components should be taken into account when treating a patient. After all, we know how strong the mind-body connection is. Patients are getting tired of being prescribed harmful synthetic medications for conditions that can be treated more naturally.

As more and more people move towards living a more natural lifestyle, the adoption of a more holistic health care style just makes sense. To achieve total health and wellness, patients gain balance in their lives. 

Our bodies, minds, and spirits are made up of many moving parts that are all supposed to work together. When one of these parts isn’t working right, the other parts won’t work optimally either.

These parts are interdependent, meaning they depend on each other for success as a whole. This is how people become imbalanced either physically, emotionally, or spiritually. As a result, their overall health is affected. 

The Principles of Holistic Health Care

The concept of holistic health care includes the idea that unconditional love and support is the most powerful way to heal. A patient is primarily responsible for their own health.

Here are a few of the other principles of holistic medicine:

• The goal of treatment is to fix the source of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms
• Each patient is a person rather than a disease
• Patients have an innate power to heal themselves
• Holistic medicine is a team approach including the doctor and the patient
• All aspects of a patient’s life are addressed to promote healing and well-being

What Does a Holistic Doctor Do?

A holistic doctor incorporates all forms of health care into their treatment plans. These include both traditional medicine and alternative medicine. For example, when a patient comes in suffering from headaches, they won’t leave with just a prescription for medication.

Instead, a holistic doctor will look at the big picture. What other factors could be causing these headaches? These might include sleep problems, other health issues, stress, diet, personal problems, or even spiritual issues.

While a holistic treatment plan in this example may include medications, it will also include suggested lifestyle modifications. 

Holistic Treatments

Health care practitioners can use a variety of techniques and treatments to heal their patients and help them help themselves. One of the most important treatment techniques is patient education. Holistic health care providers should educate patients on self-care and what lifestyle changes they can make to promote their overall wellness.

These changes might include changes to diet, exercise, relationship or spiritual counseling, and psychotherapy. Holistic practitioners often use other alternative medicine therapies including homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic care, massage therapy, and acupuncture.

It’s important to keep in mind that holistic medicine doesn’t exclude western medicine or surgical procedures. These can and are used in conjunction with alternative therapies to create a comprehensive treatment plan.

When patients seek holistic health care, they are looking for a treatment plan that goes beyond pills. 

Talking to Your Patients 

If you’re a health care provider who is interested in adopting a more holistic approach, it’s important to communicate with your patients. Patients with chronic and life-threatening conditions are most likely to use alternative therapies because their ailments are not always cured by conventional treatments.

Establishing an open line of communication with your patients is essential to making the most of your treatment plans. If your patients are already using alternative therapies in conjunction with conventional treatments, you need them to be honest with you.

You should take time to explain the science behind the treatments you suggest to each patient. As a medical provider, it’s important to put yourself in your patient’s shoes. Consider how they think about their health and treatment options.

Always be patient, nonjudgemental, and compassionate. As we mentioned before, holistic health care is all about working together with your patients. It’s important to listen to their needs and concerns.

Holistic health care is patient-centered. Your goal should be to compromise and negotiate with your patients rather than assuming your way is the only way. A collaborative effort between doctor and patient is the best way to achieve overall wellness. 

Adopting Alternative Therapies at Your Practice

As you can see, there are many reasons to adopt a holistic health care approach at your practice. Not only are patients demanding these alternative therapies, but they are changing lives. Eventually, every practitioner will take a holistic approach to their patients’ health.

One of the most popular and helpful alternative therapies right now is the use of essential oils, or aromatherapy. Getting started with essential oils is easy and a great complementary option for patients to help support their body systems.

Check out our kits to get started using essential oils in your practice.