It is admirable that doctors have a field of expertise and that they improve themselves in this field. Modern medicine’s approach to medical education is to divide medicine into different fields and develop specialist doctors in different fields. In addition, technological developments that support modern medicine and pharmaceutical production, which has made great progress in the last half century, have unfortunately transformed medicine from a field of science into an industry. According to Euronews, World Health Organization sources show the cost of health expenditures worldwide as 7.3 trillion dollars. It is inevitable that natural medicine will be presented as an alternative in an area where such a big cake is involved. However, as I state at every opportunity, natural medicine is not an alternative to anything. On the contrary, it is the roots of the medical tree that are growing today. For a long time, it has been realized that the method of detecting the disease and giving medication is not that useful both in terms of cost and health protection. The holistic medical approach, which is thought to be slowly spreading today, is the most accurate treatment method compatible with human nature. According to this approach, instead of treating the patient by focusing on his symptoms, the aim is to see the mind-body-emotion and spirit as a whole and reach the diagnosis from there. To put it more simply, instead of giving a painkiller to relieve the pain of a patient who consults a specialist with a complaint of headache, it is necessary to find out whether the cause of the patient’s headache is psychological, physical or due to an external factor. If the headache is caused by not sleeping enough, the cause that disrupts the sleep pattern is tried to be determined. If the reason for this is elsewhere in the body, focusing on that area and eliminating the headache is the main focus. For this reason, holistic medicine sees the human body and soul as a whole and accepts that healing can occur with the acceptance of the whole body, not regionally.
Another misconception about holistic medicine is the idea that treatment is applied by throwing aside modern facilities. On the contrary, in the holistic medicine approach, all the possibilities of modern medicine as well as thousands of years old traditional methods of natural medicine are melted in a pot. In addition, as much as treating the patient is a priority, it is equally important to prevent diseases before they spread to the body. Holistic medicine prioritizes eliminating all causes as well as visible symptoms. It also includes nutrition, exercise, sleep hygiene and cures to strengthen the immune system during treatment. Many universities that have developed awareness in this field have opened integrative medicine departments. To list the first universities to open integrative medicine departments in the United States:
Duke University, Stanford University, University of Arizona, University of California, University of San Francisco, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts and University of Minnesota (Weil, 2004)
HISTORY OF HOLISTIC MEDICINE
This approach, which basically dates back to Hippocrates, was recorded in his work by Thomas Percival, which was published in 1803 and appears to be the basic textbook of medical ethics. According to Percival, a holistic approach was recommended in the treatment of patients rather than the symptoms of the diseases. John Macleod, who can be considered his successor, wrote in his work Clinical Examination in the second half of the 20th century: “We need to aim to be holistic in treatment.” He made a holistic call by saying. All these approaches and suggestions formed the basis of the holistic approach in the 21st century.
MAJOR HOLISTIC MEDICINE PRACTICES
Ozone Therapy
Neural Therapy
prolotherapy
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Cupping Therapy
Leech Therapy
High Dose Vitamin C
Glutathione Supplement
E. Hülya Giebel – Natural Medicine Specialist