When you are in pain or discomfort, your first concern may be finding relief, regardless of what type of treatment provides it. However, not all treatments are created equal, and different people can respond differently to treatments. That’s why it’s essential to fully understand different treatment types, including pharmaceutical and holistic. Additionally, knowing more about how your treatment may affect your body and interact with each other can empower you to be more involved in decision-making around your health. You can learn more about holistic health and how it can positively impact your recovery and lifestyle.
What is holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine, or integrative medicine, is a type of medical treatment that focuses on providing therapies that work towards your overall health and wellness instead of a specific ailment or injury. Patients typically receive holistic healthcare along with more traditional surgical or pharmaceutical treatments. Holistic healthcare is most successful in treating chronic pain or health issues where conventional treatments haven’t been completely successful. Some of these holistic alternative therapies are:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Massage therapy
- Pelvic floor therapy
- Holistic chiropractic therapy
- Nutrition therapy
Holistic therapists are trained professionals who can focus on maintaining or improving the mechanical functions of your body in addition to surgical or pharmaceutical interventions. Here are some of the benefits of holistic medicine:
1. Focuses on the patient
Holistic medicine focuses on the patient, catering to their needs. Therapists work directly with the patient, typically for an extended amount of time over various appointments, to work on their pain areas. Using this comprehensive treatment plan can help the alternative therapists focus on the healing process with the patient, monitoring what works and how to improve their treatment plan. For example, a physical therapist may work with a patient over multiple appointments, teaching them different exercises depending on how their injury is healing.
2. Improves your overall health
Holistically approaching your health means considering how each element of your body affects the other. So when you work with an alternative therapist to improve a specific ailment, you also work with other body parts or muscles to strengthen them and improve your overall health. For example, if you are working with a massage therapist because of a hip injury, they may massage parts of your leg and back to loosen muscles that connect to your hip and strain the muscle in pain.
Additionally, holistic health emphasizes your lifestyle choices to improve your overall well-being, which can improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. Addressing your entire lifestyle can improve areas of your life that you may not initially think are related to your injury or chronic pain.
3. Provides less invasive treatments
Holistic medicine can be less invasive than other treatments because it doesn’t require altering any part of your body the way chemicals or surgical treatments can. Chemical treatments can have severe side effects that impact the patient’s quality of life, and surgery can be intimidating and carries varying amounts of risk. While these invasive treatments are not always avoidable, some patients prefer to undergo less invasive treatment that can have drastic results that improve the quality of the patient’s life. Additionally, if a patient has already undergone invasive treatments, holistic treatments can be a relief for patients.
4. Addresses the root cause
Many chronic pain conditions result from a root injury or diagnosis that can go untreated by traditional medicines primarily focusing on treating the symptoms. Practitioners of holistic healing work with patients to discover the cause of their pain and help them find ways to improve their lifestyle to reduce or compensate for the root problem. For example, an occupational therapist may help you develop different ways of performing work tasks so you can continue to work without repeating an injury.
5. Incorporates different practices
Many holistic healing practices are known as alternative medicine that non-western cultures have utilized for years with positive results. Using them in conjunction can help you receive the best care. By broadening the types of treatments, you receive, you can broaden the benefits you receive from your entire treatment plan.
6. Educates patients on healthy lifestyle choices
Patients can learn about various exercises and healthy habits while treating their entire body, which helps them make healthy lifestyle choices even after they have finished their treatment. For example, a patient with chronic stomach pain can work with a nutritionist to learn how their food impacts their health and irritates their gut. Their nutritionist can help them mitigate their stomach pain while teaching them how to cultivate healthy eating habits that improve other aspects of the lifestyle, like eating more protein or increasing their vitamin intake.
7. Emphasizes prevention
Prevention is one of the central tenants of holistic healthcare. Alternative therapists work with you to learn how your body reacts to things and how you can improve your lifestyle choices to prevent further injury. For example, a chiropractor can help you address back pain before it becomes so severe that it degrades your spine or joints. By improving your lifestyle choices before the injury, holistic healthcare can help you build a healthier life before further damage occurs.
At Living Well Balanced, we offer holistic healthcare from caring and experienced professionals. You can make an appointment with one of our practitioners to find out how they can benefit your treatment plan for injury recovery or prevention and chronic pain. If you have any questions, you can always give us a call at 212-579-2858 or send an email at info@livingwb.com. Check out our blog for more information about alternative therapies.