Holism And Complementary Medicine

The return to holistic therapies is one of the most important developments in health over the past two decades. With preventative medicine being taken more seriously by conventional health practitioners, and the increasing popularity of natural and complementary therapies among consumers, it is clear that a holistic approach will be integral to health care in the future. Holism and Complementary Medicine offers a systematic overview of traditional healing practices, the development of the Western biomedical model from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the present, and the holistic philosophy which is the basis of complementary and alternative medicine in the West. The book explores the differences between holistic and conventional biomedical traditions and approaches, acknowledging the strengths of each. It also addresses key practice issues, examining the role holistic principles have to play in today's health system and explaining their place in the therapeutic relationship. Holism and Complementary Medicine is an accessible guide for students, practitioners and anyone interested in the origins and core principles of natural therapies. 'This scholarly exploration of the conceptual evolution of holistic medicine is a fascinating read. Di Stefano is to be congratulated for his articulate insights into healing relationships and how our health paradigms enhance or inhibit our understanding of health and disease.' - Joseph Pizzorno, ND, President Emeritus, Bastyr University 'This is a magnificent read for students of natural and complementary medicine, as well as health professionals and lay public who have often wondered where the movement towards holism in medicine began and is headed.' - Paul Orrock, Head of the School of Natural and Complementary Medicine, Southern Cross University '. . . brings together many threads that link the health of body, mind and society, drawing richly from a larger corpus of intellectual inquiry into history, philosophy, and human endeavor, including clinical medicine.' - Bruce Barrett MD PhD, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Holistic healing is based on the belief that a patient should be helped by a single doctor, who, according to author Dr. Diamond, believes that "A true understanding of a patient is an understanding of his or her total universe." The caregiver must recognize the patient's individuality, as well as appreciate the myriad of interrelationships in that person's universe. In Holism and Beyond, Dr. Diamond presents a complete explanation of his healing process, which epitomizes the very essence of holism. To learn more about Dr. Diamond, feel free to visit his website at https://www.drjohndiamond.com

Four out of ten patients visited a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner last year--Your Patients! Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine provides you with the information you need to understand this phenomenon. This practical source brings together today's leading CAM researchers and practitioners to offer the reader insights into the social and scientific foundations of CAM, the safety and efficacy of CAM products and practices, and overviews of 20 commonly used CAM modalities. Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine helps you inform, educate, and treat patients who are interested in or currently using CAM.

Highly researched and referenced, Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Health Professionals: A Holistic Approach to Consumer Health educates students about the many complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities that are available, in addition to the more traditional methods that exist. Early chapters provide an overview of both traditional and alternative medicine, scientific method and steps in scientific research, and look at the cost of health care in the U.S. Later chapters introduce students to integrative medicine and provide a thorough overview of CAM practices employed today. Topics that are covered include acupuncture, meditation, herbals and aromatherapy. By reading this text, students will become astute at distinguishing among those traditional and CAM health practices that are helpful, those that have been scientifically tested, and those that may offer no benefit. Case studies throughout the text give students an opportunity to apply material and ideas to real life situations.

• Examines the function of the extracellular matrix, the inner ocean that unifies all our cells and controls them in a coordinated and integrated fashion • Explores how the extracellular matrix builds and repairs itself and how holistic therapy can be applied based on this knowledge • Introduces new and old holistic and herbal protocols for treatment of the matrix The cells in our bodies are not independent units. They do not control their own feeding, elimination, migration, or reproduction; they are controlled by signals from the extracellular matrix (ECM) that surrounds them. This all-encompassing inner ocean unifies all our cells and controls them in a coordinated and integrated fashion. Revealing the stunning implications of the extracellular matrix, Matthew Wood shows how it clearly explains the actions and efficacy of holistic therapies. He explores the groundbreaking research of Alfred Pischinger, who discovered the ECM in 1975, as well as the role of the matrix in transmitting and enacting the genetic code, including the roles of the mitochondria, the nucleus, and ribosomes. Wood explains how modern drugs, directed at specific receptors on the cell membrane, interfere with bodily self-regulation. He details how holistic therapies modify the environment of the cell and strengthen the whole, bringing the body back to homeostasis and consequently offering true healing.

Integration of complementary and alternative medicine therapies (CAM) with conventional medicine is occurring in hospitals and physicians offices, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are covering CAM therapies, insurance coverage for CAM is increasing, and integrative medicine centers and clinics are being established, many with close ties to medical schools and teaching hospitals. In determining what care to provide, the goal should be comprehensive care that uses the best scientific evidence available regarding benefits and harm, encourages a focus on healing, recognizes the importance of compassion and caring, emphasizes the centrality of relationship-based care, encourages patients to share in decision making about therapeutic options, and promotes choices in care that can include complementary therapies where appropriate. Numerous approaches to delivering integrative medicine have evolved. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States identifies an urgent need for health systems research that focuses on identifying the elements of these models, the outcomes of care delivered in these models, and whether these models are cost-effective when compared to conventional practice settings. It outlines areas of research in convention and CAM therapies, ways of integrating these therapies, development of curriculum that provides further education to health professionals, and an amendment of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to improve quality, accurate labeling, research into use of supplements, incentives for privately funded research into their efficacy, and consumer protection against all potential hazards.

A practical and insightful guide, Holistic Healing investigates the practices, theories, research, and history of holistic approaches as it relates to a wide range of health care and human service professionals. This text offers a uniquely comparative and integrated understanding of both ancient and modern Indigenous, Eastern, and Western traditional practices, including bodywork, expressive arts, energy medicine, eco-psychology, transpersonal psychology, naturopathy, homeopathy, Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and Indigenous healing practices. Practitioners and scholars in health, nutrition, psychology, and social work contribute to research that focuses on individual, organizational, national, and global holistic intervention applications. Chapters in this collection address critical issues such as colonization, human rights, the environment, peace and conflict, and equity and inclusion. This collection is a timely and practical resource for students of undergraduate health, social work, sociology, holistic healing, and psychology programs and is also a great resource for professional practitioners.