Holistic Health & Healing

The holistic approach to health takes into account the entire person and his or her environment.  People who subscribe to a holistic approach to health see an intimate and unbreakable connection between mind, body, and spirit.  As a result, they take a great deal of responsibility for their own well being.  They  understand and accept the fact that their health and vitality are determined both by their environment and how they choose to live their lives within that environment.

Because the holistic approach assumes a strong connection between mind, body, and spirit, persons who adopt holistic health practices tend to have very complex ideas about the prevention and treatment of illness.  They do not assume that conventional, Western medicine, is the only, or best, approach available for the treatment of illness.  Instead, they tend to be open to a wide range of alternative healing therapies.  This website highlights many of these therapies, or modalities.  Informative articles, relevant books, and other useful resources are provided to support a wide range of holistic health practices and alternative healing therapies.

A good place to begin your exploration of this website is with the overview of complementary and alternative medicine. The information here is adapted from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).  Use this page to orient yourself to some of the key terms used in the field and to understand how the mainstream medical community categorizes "unconventional" healing therapies.  Then, continue to explore the links on the left to find the specific information that best meets your needs and interests with regards to holistic health practices.  Holistic health practices are, by definition, more than one-dimensional.  So take your time.  Read about the various medical systems and think about various healing therapies.  And, notice that fitness, as well as, spirituality and spiritual healing are included as important parts of the holistic approach to health.