What does holism mean?

In its simplest form holism means what it says: 'whole'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines 'whole' as 'uninjured, unbroken, intact or undiminished state, not less than, all there is of, entire, complete, with no part removed.' It further defines 'holism' as 'the theory that certain wholes are to be regarded as greater than the sum of their parts: the treating of the whole person including mental and social factors rather than just the symptoms of a disease.'

Holistic medicine is concerned with integrating all aspects of our being: body, emotions, thinking and spirit. It is also concerned with prevention. The American Holistic Medical association defines it as 'a system of health care which emphasises personal responsibility, and fosters a co-operative relationship among all those involved, leading toward optimal attunement of body, mind, emotions and spirit.'

From the holistic perspective there is no separation between our bodies and minds.This approach adds other dimensions to conventional medicine, and sometimes challenges the premises on which modern medicine is based. It is developing fast both within and outside the medical profession. Within, it stems from a response to find new methods of dealing with stress related, and chronic, degenerative illnesses. Outside the medical profession it reflects a concern from the public about long-term dependency on drugs, and their side-effects. Having said this, a doctor can be holistic and prescribe drugs, and an alternative practitioner can be mechanistic in approach.

Sometimes, as a patient, you may not feel fully heard by your doctor because, if your experience does not fit into the model of conventional medicine, then theoretically it doesn't exist. Your experiences may be referred to as anecdotal and therefore not really valid in a scientific way. This can lead you to feel powerless on top of feeling ill. The doctor may also be feeling anxiety because she or he has, in a way, been set up within this model to be able to explain your physical suffering with medical facts. Dr Christiane Northrup states, 'Science must acknowledge truthfully how much it doesn't know and have room for mystery, miracles and the wisdom of nature

 How do alternative and complementary therapies differ from conventional medicine?

To me the key difference between these approaches is that of vitalism &emdash; life force. Conventional medicine is now embracing holism more, in that lifestyle and general well-being are being taken much more seriously in the management of disease. However, conventional doctors do not accept that energy &emdash;the movement of life force throughout the human organism &emdash;can be worked with therapeutically.

Conventional medicine is the study of the mechanics of the human body. In this schema, the body is reduced to structural parts, proceeding from organs to tissues, tissues to cells, cells to molecules. The whole is separated into parts in order to discern the nature, proportion and function of each constituent. This means that conventional doctors may see a diseased entity as a faulty component and separate it from the organism as a whole. Then it can either literally be removed or treated in isolation from other organs and tissue parts. Just like the car; if it breaks down you go and have it checked, having new parts if you need them. It is the isolated symptom, or group of symptoms, which is the focus of concern.

Sometimes it is appropriate or essential to remove a diseased part because the whole organism can be exhausted in its endeavours to heal the disease, or because this part seriously threatens the life of the whole organism. Sometimes surgery is the best way to treat or repair the body. Unfortunately, possible alternatives to surgery within alternative and complementary health care are often not known about, not tried or are not available. It is likely that a significant amount of surgery could be avoided.

Appendix I describes some of the major differences between the more orthodox and holistic models of health care.

 Why do we have alternative and complementary therapies? What's the difference?

Generally speaking, alternative therapies, such as acupuncture (from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)), homeopathy, medical herbalism and Ayurvedic medicine, are complete systems of medicine in their own right (see Appendix II for short descriptions of all of these). Complementary therapies are those which easily support any orthodox treatment, and are not in direct conflict with the philosophy of conventional medicine. However this does not mean to say that acupuncture, homeopathy or herbalism cannot work well alongside orthodox medical treatment. This whole area is one of debate.

I find it easier to think of continuums within medicine; many people are trying alternative or complementary therapies before having more 'invasive' medical treatment.

Alternatively, they may try these therapies where orthodox treatment hasn't helped. However, it is vital that people receive orthodox medical treatment when they need it. There are failures and successes in both fields.There is also the rapid pace of development of medical technology, which already means that the NHS cannot resource all that could be possible for people. Therefore the need for alternatives, prevention and maintenance of good health is needed more than ever.