What does Holistic Health mean?
Written By Kim Deschamps | January 29, 2023
What Does Holistic Health Really Mean?
We have a simple question: What does holistic health mean to you? For some people, it can sound a little new-agey or too alternative; they might imagine a room full of crystals and candles. For others, it might simply sound irrelevant – they have a health problem, and they have a doctor they go to for solving the problem. And yet…
The problem is that not every problem has a simple solution.
The problem is that a lot of problems can actually be prevented with properly coordinated care.
The problem is that many doctors have such short patient visits that they don’t have the opportunity to spend the time required to listen to their patient’s full story.
That’s where a holistic team comes in. Here at Holistic Physiotherapy and Wellness, we don’t just see problems that need fixing. We seek out the root cause of the problem, so that we can treat the source instead of the symptom.
Our team shares values and is trained to work together. Any one of our practitioners will refer you to the services of another, so that you are truly cared for by the whole team, and all of your wellness needs are met.
We asked how you define holistic health, but I also want to tell you what it means to us. We see holistic health as a mandate to treat the whole person – not just a sprained ankle here and an upset stomach there. We see patients as partners with a vested interest in their own treatment plans.
Oxford Languages defines the word holistic as “characterized by the belief that the parts of something are interconnected and can be explained only by reference to the whole.” You have so many wonderful parts – you have physical needs, emotional needs, mental, spiritual, and social needs. If one falls out of balance, it will impact the whole of you.
If you’re not sleeping well, how does that affect your digestive system? If you have limited mobility, how does that impact your mood? If you just want to feel better and you don’t know where to start, how do you even begin to make positive changes?
The connection between mind, body, and spirit cannot be broken. You cannot separate one from the other. When illness, injury, or discomfort occur, it is a disservice to the whole person to only examine the part.
Most importantly, holistic healthcare takes YOU into account. You deserve to feel like the people who provide your care are listening. Your holistic team isn’t here to prescribe a treatment plan. Rather, we’re here to collaborate with you and discover what treatments, what small lifestyle changes, will work for the person you are and net the most positive results.
While the words ‘holistic health’ might not sound very scientific, you might be surprised to learn that we follow a biopsychosocial model. Just as it sounds, we take into account biological, social, and psychological factors that all feed into the way a person feels at any given time.
If you haven’t given holistic health a chance, it’s worth a conversation. The whole you deserves to be wholly cared for.
Start with a FREE Discovery Call to Ask Questions about holistic health and on how Lifestyle Medicine & PhysioYoga could help you to feel healthy and whole.
With grace,
Kim Deschamps
Kim Deschamps
MPT, BKin, PYT, BDN