Treating the Whole Person Makes Sense
Treating someone in a holistic manner makes sense. By addressing psychological, physiological and spiritual aspects of a person it
increases their chances of recovery and helps to reduce rapidly escalating health care costs. In the United States, these rising
costs have severe implications for individuals and society as a whole. Naturopathic medicine and natural methods of healing are
cost-effective because they focus on prevention, patient involvement, noninvasive methods and appropriate use of technology.
Clinical research has found that nutrition therapy alone could save billions. A landmark study released in September of 2004
at a U.S. congressional hearing found potential cost savings resulting from daily use of calcium and folic acid could save $15
billion in health care costs.
Other dietary research released in 2007 found that supplementation with calcium, Vitamin D, folic acid, omega-3 essential
fatty acids, and lutein with zeaxaanthin could save more than $24 billion in health care costs.
People seem to realize intuitively that there are better ways to heal as more and more people are turning complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) for health care. Consider these statistics:
- According to the Institute For Health and Healing at California
Pacific Medical Center, more than 80 million Americans turn to CAM every year.
- A Harvard Medical School survey found that 68 percent of adults have used at least one form of CAM therapy.
- In July of 2000, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reported that at least 69 percent of cancer
patients turn to a CAM therapy, most commonly in combination with conventional treatment.
Mind-body interventions constitute a major portion of the overall use of complementary and alternative medicine by the public.
In 2002, relaxation techniques, imagery, biofeedback and hypnosis were used by more than 30 percent of the adult U.S. population.
Prayer was used by more than 50 percent of the population.
At the heart of many complimentary and alternative approaches is the belief that the mind, body and spirit have a natural tendency
toward equilibrium. Modern medical science has dubbed this natural phenomena "homeostasis." Maintaining this internal balance and
boosting the body's self-healing powers are crucial to long-term good health and well-being. Mental illness, deficiency diseases,
physical injury, and severe infection can overwhelm the homeostatic process, and in these instances modern medicine does its most
important work. In the past, the triumphs of medical science have overshadowed traditional ideas of homeostasis, but today many
medical doctors believe that it takes more than drugs or surgery to cope with stress-related ailments and persistent disease.
Based on this paradigm shift, the idea of holistic health is becoming increasingly accepted.
Because complimentary and alternative therapies are frequently requested by patients, the roles of mental health professionals
are drastically changing. Whereas a psychotherapist may not have discussed nutrition, herbs or lifestyle habits with a client
in the past, it's become much more common place. Psychiatrists and medical doctors prescribing drugs have had to learn about
drug/herb interactions in order to protect their patients.
