Holistic Health Practitioner

A Holistic Health Practitioner gives attention to the whole person rather than dividing care provision in to different sections. The focus on physical, psychological, social and spiritual well being offers a more well rounded approach to the prevention and cure of illness and attempts to promote a sense of complete well being.

A Holistic Health Practitioner is one that practises holistic medicine and is likely to have a studied a degree in Holistic Nutrition or Natural Health Studies at the very least. Practitioners who have studied at post-graduate level are likely to have completed a course as a Doctor of Naturopathy, Natural Health or even as a Doctor of Philosophy in Holistic Nutrition at one of the many naturopathic medicine schools available to students.

Most Holistic Health Practitioners will have knowledge in a variety of areas of holistic medicine and therapy, whereas some will specialize in one or two areas giving them a focused niche to work within. The various areas that holistic practitioners will be knowledgeable in are human energy healing systems, nutrition and chemistry of the body, therapeutic touch, spirituality, relaxation, anatomy and physiology, stress management as well as having an extensive knowledge of natural remedies including the use of essential oils and homeopathic medicines.

Why Use A Holistic Health Practitioner?

This is a question that crops up quite often on holistic therapy forums all over the Internet and it is a sensible question to ask for anyone who is currently seeking medical care for illness or disease. There is a growing body of work that supports the holistic approach to medical care and patients are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of a holistic approach as opposed to just a physical or psychological approach.

Holistic Health Practitioner

The problem with a holistic approach is that it comes at an increased cost to health care providers and this is one reason why it is not necessarily always the first option offered, despite a whole raft of evidence to suggest that a holistic approach is often the perfect solution. In addition to this, many patients are seeing a number of benefits from a more alternative and natural course of action.

It is rare to find a doctor or health care practitioner who can offer a completely holistic approach and as such, quite often patients should expect to see a number of different practitioners. It is also important to note that many diseases or illnesses will require the skill of a trained doctor to tackle the physical elements of the said illness or disease and it certainly not recommended that you replace this important element of your health care with a purely spiritual or psychological approach. If you do speak to any health care professional who takes a one sided view then you should probably look elsewhere. The non-physical areas of holistic treatment should be looked upon more as a supplement to the traditional physical remedies, but that is not to say that they do not carry equal importance and there are indeed a number of studies to suggest that they are even more important.

What To Look For In A good Holistic Health Practitioner

A good holistic practitioner should of course have a good knowledge of either a wide range of holistic treatments or be very specialized in more specific area. In addition to this, one would expect to see personal qualities including someone who is sensitive and compassionate to the needs of the patient, someone who is open-minded, someone who is attentive to the needs of the patient and someone who is an excellent listener and effective verbal communicator.

You will find differences in the approaches that various practitioners take. For example, you might find that whilst one practitioner will use techniques found in traditional Chinese medicine another practitioner will use more contemporary methods of medicine mixed with human energy systems such as Chakra.

In Summary

2016 is an exciting time for Holistic Health Therapy with there being a much wider breadth of experience in terms of holistic practitioners offering services as well as there being more demand from patients due to a renewal in the interest of holistic medicine from the general public. Natural healing therapies such as acupuncture have become increasingly popular and as the general public (and even the medical professionals themselves) become better educated as to the merits of a holistic approach, the opportunities for holistic healing and prevention continue to grow.

If you are suffering from any kind of chronic disease or have a history of hereditary illness that you are trying to prevent, or even if you just want to lead a happier, healthier life – taking a holistic approach to your health and well being is probably the best form of action to take.

Next time you see your health care professional why not ask about the holistic options that are available to you?