"We believe that holistic medicine should not be considered alternative, but rather, the mainstay of good medical care."

Differentiated from Allopathic medicine which focuses on pharmaceutically driven evidence-based medicine care, Holistic medicine is a form of healing that considers the whole person -- body, mind, spirit, and emotions -- in the quest for optimal health and wellness. According to the holistic medicine philosophy, one can achieve optimal health -- the primary goal of holistic medicine practice -- by gaining proper balance in life

"We believe in modern allopathic (conventional) medicine, however we also believe that holistic medicine, should not be considered alternative, but rather the mainstay of good medical care." 

According to WebMD:

"Holistic medicine can be divided into alternative medicine, which uses non-mainstream complimentary approaches only, or integrative medicine which combines mainstream and complimentary treatments. 

Holistic medicine is based on the belief that unconditional love and support is the most powerful healer and a person is ultimately responsible for their own health and well-being. 

Other principles of holistic medicine include the following:

• All people have innate healing powers.
• The patient is a person, not a disease.
• Healing takes a team approach involving the patient and doctor, and addresses all aspects of a person's life using a variety of health care practices.
• Treatment involves fixing the cause of the condition, not just alleviating the symptoms.

Some of the complementary approaches used in holistic medicine :

• Naturopathy 
• Massage
• Tai Chi 
• Yoga 
• Energy healing
• Hypnosis 
• Meditation"

Learn more at WebMD and BE WELL! 

Holistic behavioral therapy involves counseling, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other interventions to promote behavioral change from a perspective that recognizes that an individual requires healing in body, mind, and spirit to achieve total wholeness. 

According to  verywellmind.com:

"Holistic therapy, also sometimes referred to as holistic psychotherapy or body-centered psychotherapy, is an integrative type of therapy that incorporates both traditional and non-traditional treatments to help the individual as a whole.  Rather than focusing on a narrow problem, it considers mental, physical, and spiritual factors that influence a person's well-being and seeks to help people heal and thrive on a deeper level.

Holistic therapy combines aspects of traditional talk therapy and non-traditional approaches, including hypnosis, breath therapy, and meditation. 

Holistic psychotherapy is an umbrella term that can encompass a number of different types of treatments. Professionals who offer this type of treatment may refer to themselves as holistic therapists, but they may also refer to their practice as:

• Eclectic or integrative therapy: An approach that draws on multiple traditions and techniques in order to best address a person’s needs.
• Mind-body therapy: This refers to groups of techniques that focus on improving body functioning and inducing relaxations as a way to improve health.
• Somatic therapy: A body-centric approach that utilizes strategies such as breathwork, dance, and meditation to heal trauma, stress, and other mental health issues.
• Spiritual therapy: An approach that incorporates belief systems and spiritual faith to explore problems that a person faces in their life"

Read more at verywellmind and BE WELL! 

With a holistic approach, long-term sustained recovery from addiction is achievable. 

Holistic recovery tackles addiction by addressing the whole person - body, mind, & spirit - through a personalized multi-modal approach:

1. Body: meditation assisted treatment (MAT), nutritional supplements (vitamins, minerals, omega 3 FAs), acupuncture, and testing for viral hepatitis, HIV, and STDs. 
2. Mind: Cognitive behavioral therapy, counseling, group support, relaxation, exercise, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, neurofeedback, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Auriculotherapy, and supplements. 
3. Spirit: meditation, visualization, prayer, and worship. 

According to AHHA.org: 

"As with every health condition, decreasing stress and boosting one’s immunity and psychological resilience can help the body cope better, heal more quickly, and maintain health. The holistic approach encourages the patient to include healing strategies that support the whole person. 

There are many healing modalities that offer specific benefits related to withdrawal and relapse prevention. These modes of care can help to reduce tension, anxiety, depression and insomnia, improving overall mental, physical and spiritual well being. They also provide tools that help increase control over one’s behavior in positive ways.

For the best chance of success the healing approaches mentioned below need to be combined with total abstinence, a 12 step program and other addiction recovery resources.

Many of the healing approaches described are currently used in addiction treatment centers and are increasingly being studied in scientific clinical trials. Some studies of acupuncture, brain wave biofeedback and meditation have already shown dramatically improved success rates."

Learn more from American Holistic Health Association here and BE WELL! 

Acupuncture is a core service of many holistic medical practices.  Modern acupuncture mixes traditional needle techniques with electrical stimulation and moxibustion to encourage whole body healing and life-long health benefits. 

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that is based on the idea that a blockage or disturbance in the flow of the body's life energy, or qi, can cause health issues. Acupuncturists insert thin needles into specific points throughout the body to balance the body’s energy, stimulate healing, and promote relaxation.

Learn more at verywellhealth and BE WELL! 

Auriculotherapy is a therapeutic technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine where specific points of the auricular pavilion (outer ear) and the ear itself are stimulated in order to generate an effect in the body to allow it to promote and balance some bodily functions. 

Auriculotherapy is used as a diagnosis as well as a therapy, since the auricular points can indicate to us the location of the problem; it can also send a definite stimulus to the affected area in order to apply treatment.

Learn more at TCMproject and BE WELL! 

Magnetic Therapy, also know as Magnet Therapy or Biomagnetic Therapy, is a body-energy therapy that involves the application of magnets or magnetic fields to the human body for the purpose of healing or health benefits.  A healing magnet or biomagnet is a powerful magnet that is specifically manufactured for the purpose of promoting physical and mental healing.

By enhancing the body’s natural energy fields, Magnetic Therapy is thought to stimulate the metabolism and increase circulation thereby increasing the amount of oxygen delivered to the cells. This natural therapy is used to relieve stress, depression, headaches and pain, to accelerate and promote healing, and to slow disease processes such as cancer and infections

Continue reading at accesspossibilities.com

• See research data at qmagnetsdata.com
• Learn about TMS at  healthline.com

Keep on learning and BE WELL! 

Osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) is a method of diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries. It involves a doctor using their hands to manipulate your body to encourage natural healing.  It can also be called osteopathic manipulative treatment or osteopathic manipulative medicine.

There are many case reports and other anecdotal evidence that OMT is effective.  We certainly could benefit from more rigorous large-scale studies to accurately compare OMT to more traditional healing methods, but that in no way diminishes the value of this treatment modality experienced first-hand by many people.

See healthline.com to learn more about OMT and its uses.

Don't forget to always BE WELL! 

Chiropractic is a system of therapy focused on the structure of the body, particularly the spine. Chiropractors manipulate the body's alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to help the body heal itself.

While the mainstay of chiropractic is spinal manipulation, chiropractic care may also include other treatments, including manual or manipulative therapies, postural and exercise education, and ergonomic training (how to walk, sit, and stand to limit back strain). 

Chiropractors today often work in conjunction with primary care doctors, pain experts, and surgeons to treat patients with pain.

The most positive research on chiropractic therapy has focused on spinal manipulation for low back pain. As one of the alternatives to pain-relieving drugs, the American College of Physicians low back pain guideline recommends spinal manipulation along with heat, massage, and acupuncture. Chiropractic treatment may also help people with other musculoskeletal-related pains.

Read more at harvard.edu and BE WELL! 

The  healing power of meditation is still somewhat of a mystery, but many practitioners  reports impressive results.

New research is finding meditation useful for a variety of health problems—including easing chronic pain, reducing gastrointestinal symptoms, and lowering blood pressure and stress to protect the heart.  

With regular practice, meditation can also help you gain a deeper awareness of your inner self and develop a greater sense of control and balance. There is even some evidence that meditation changes your brain—enlarging areas of brain tissue that help us think and learn, while decreasing areas that cause us stress and anxiety.

Learn more at harvard.edu and BE WELL! 

Hypnotherapy is an adjunctive technique that utilizes hypnosis to aid in the treatment of specific symptoms or health conditions. 

Hypnotherapy works by inducing a hypnotic state marked by waking awareness that allows people to experience detached external attention and to focus on inner experiences.

It is sometimes used as part of a treatment plan for phobias and other anxiety disorders.  It is also sometimes used for pain management, weight loss, smoking cessation, and a variety of other applications.

Formal explorations in the therapeutic uses for hypnosis began in the late 1700s but did not gain scientific credibility until much more recently. Modern researchers have further explored how hypnosis can be used, which conditions it can treat, and how effective it may be compared to other treatments.

Learn more at verywellmind.com and BE WELL!