Holistic therapy and alternative healing methods are often considered one and the same. These two healing practices are deemed similar because they are outside of pharmaceutical or surgical practices. Some other terms for holistic therapy are alternative medicine, natural healthcare, or integrative medicine. They include practices such as acupuncture, chiropractic work, yoga, massage, meditation, mindfulness, creative art, reiki, or animal therapy. Often these types of therapies are thought to be out of the range of conventional medicine due to the misconception that holistic therapy is run by some sort of spiritual guru rather than a doctor who graduated from medical school.
Holistic doctors are called naturopathic physicians or practitioners. This means that they learn the same science behind medicine, nutrition, and psychology as a medical doctor (MD), but also study complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to heal the body. Herbal medicine, behavioral therapy, or homeopathy are some of the products and practices that are not part of Western medicine but used in holistic therapy. The range of naturopathic physicians reaches past conventional medicine into natural ways to recover the body, the mind, and the spirit as one whole entity.
What Changed for Holistic Therapy?
Ever since the opioid epidemic exploded back in 2018 when approximately 68,000 people fatally overdosed, a paradigm shift took place when doctors realized that prescribing addictive pills may not be the solution. Medical doctors seemed to exhibit spiritual experiences realizing that there is more to healing a human than the usual bedside manner of telling a patient to “take two and call me in the morning.” With the opioid epidemic to reference, MDs started to understand that there is more to alleviating symptoms than just handing out prescriptions and putting more lives in danger. Instead of jumping right to medication, they realized a combination of holistic therapies really do work.
Until this profound tearing of the universe occurred, holistic therapy and practices had generally come under scrutiny from the scientific and academic communities. Holistic science had been hard to prove due to being frowned on by medical science. The medical field previously had said holistic therapy did not qualify as science and people who live in holistic therapy have always said it is absolutely the most science! Any science-based person has typically scoffed at the idea of alternative or natural medicine. Now, these doctors and scientists are all meditating and working to clear their chakras because it makes them feel better.
How Does Holistic Therapy Work?
There are many studies proving that mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, can be as effective in reducing pain as painkillers. People just have to learn to be patient to deal with a bit of discomfort and trust the process. Some emergency rooms are even hiring energy healers and therapists to use these types of treatment in lieu of addictive medications. What has been revealed is that medicines that cause someone to be under the influence can sever the mind-body-spirit connection. Restoring that connection through methods other than addictive medicine may not only bring people back to life physically, they can also be revived mentally and spiritually.
Insomnia, for instance, can be easily managed by taking a sleeping pill before bedtime. The downside to a pill is the body could start depending on the medicine for sleep and then turn into an addiction. Without sleep, a person could start having anxiety, depression, or other ailments that may make them feel out of control. Plus, sleep aids can continue making a person feel drowsy into the next day along with a foggy brain. With holistic therapy, natural techniques are used to help restore the circadian rhythm in the body for sleep. Acupressure, natural herbs without psychoactive ingredients, aromatherapy using essential oils, and setting a bedtime routine can be instrumental in establishing sound sleep at night.
Why is Holistic Therapy Beneficial?
Addiction and mental health issues are also repairable with introspection that can be found by using different methods of holistic therapy. When addiction and mental health issues start to become a matter of life or death, every type of therapeutic treatment should be considered. These therapies are relaxing, stress-relieving, mind-opening, and soul-balancing for different people in different ways. No two people heal the same so open-mindedness to holistic therapy will broaden the perspective of what may improve a person’s overall well-being.
The field of holistic therapy is vast and continues to grow in popularity. Holistic therapy is an evolving area that needs more research to help others. There is a reason why many of these practices have been around for thousands of years. Benefits are undeniable when integrating them into a daily routine.
Consulting a doctor or practitioner can give you an idea of what you need to stay healthy. If you are unsure of the holistic therapy that is recommended, get a second opinion. No one knows your body better than you do. Make sure you are listening to your body and taking care of it through your own personal research. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for the manifestation of holistic therapy for your health.
Offering a full range of recovery and mental health services, Valiant Living offers “Expanded Recovery” to enrich our clients’ lives in mind, body, and spirit. Through evidence-based therapy options and the endless adventure of Colorado, Valiant fosters connection. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today to get started on your road to recovery: 303-536-5463
