“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” B.K.S. Iyengar “
What is holistic health?
The best way to describe holistic health is to show that the body, mind, and soul are intimately interconnected, and when one part suffers it has a direct impact on the rest of our wellbeing. It is statistically proven that happy, emotionally balanced people that are spiritually and socially fulfilled, live healthier and longer lives. The conclusion has to be – anything that angers, stresses, and agitates you will ultimately take its toll on your health. My grandmother had a saying `’ If it does not matter in 5 years from now, it does not matter”. This can’t be taken 100% at face value, but the overriding principle is correct. Let’s not get angry and stressed about ‘little things that don’t actually matter a few months from now.
One of the first doctors to recognize the interconnection between body, mind, and soul was the Ancient Greek Hippocrates (460 – 370 BC, Kos, Greece). His way of ‘whole body medicine’ was practiced up until the Middle Ages and beyond. But towards the end of the 19th century, medical specialism became the norm. Patients no longer sought the help of doctors who practiced an overall level of healthcare and relied heavily on natural remedies and the prevention of illness.
The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet, and the cause and prevention of disease. Thomas A. Edison
The specialist is just concerned with a specific organ or cure, mostly disregarding the origin of the illness and its wider implication. This way of healthcare is great for infection control and acute health problems. It is also not very individual and prevention-led and I refer to it for this purpose as healthcare 2.0
Holistic Healthcare 3.0
Quite recently doctors are reverting back to a more individualistic approach. With the official discovery of the microbiome (Rudolf Steiner already knew about the connection between food grown in healthy soil and gut health over 100 years ago, but was ridiculed until this discovery) doctors have gone back to champion more individualistic therapies, the connection between food and health and the overall strategy of good health as the best prevention of disease.
Smashing a glass and gluing it back together again, will never be as effective as taking care that it is not smashed in the first place.
We have to start taking responsibility for our own health by doing regular blood work, individual health tests, and following a healthy diet that is suited to our body type and temperament. This is healthcare 3.0. It takes the Hippocratic approach but is updated with modern health screening techniques to give us a unique health experience and cure. Because we are all different with different body types, blood groups, and resilience.