What is energy medicine?
Energy is all around us, from the great vastness of the furthest reaches of the universe right down to the smallest observable particle. It makes all that is physical manifest. It has been given many names, Chi, Ki and Prana to name but a few. The study and understanding of this energy has captured man's fascination since the dawn of civilization.
Energetic medicine or energy medicine is the practice of using energy or rather the flow of energy as a medium for healing. It is based on the biophysics of the body whereas traditional medicine is, for the most part, based on biochemistry through the use of pharmaceuticals.
Energy medicine takes the perspective that energy is a vital, living, moving force that is integral to our health, wellness and happiness.
Why use energy medicine?
Energy medicine stimulates healing in the body, mind and spirit in a natural and balanced way. When energetic healing occurs, many levels of the body are affected and healing can proceed in a holistic and supportive way.
What is holistic and integrative healthcare?
Holistic and integrative health care is a system that fosters a cooperative relationship among all those involved, clients, practitioners and care givers, leading towards optimal attainment of the physical, mental emotional, social and spiritual aspects of health.
It emphasizes the need to look at the whole person, including awareness of physical, environmental, emotional, social, spiritual and lifestyle values. Holistic health care focuses on education and responsibility for personal efforts to achieve balance and well being.
How did holistic healthcare develop?
Ancient healing traditions, going as far back as 5,000 years ago in India and China, stressed living a healthy way of life in harmony with nature. Socrates (4th century BC) warned against treating only one part of the body "for the part can never be well unless the whole is well." Although the term holism was introduced by Jan Christiaan Smuts in 1926 as a way of viewing living things as "entities greater than and different from the sum of their parts," it wasn't until the 1970s that holistic became a common adjective in our modern vocabulary.
How is holistic healthcare practiced?
While preventing illness is important, holistic health focuses on reaching higher levels of wellness. The energetic wellness continuum invites people to constantly explore which everyday actions work for them and discover what is appropriate to move them toward maximum well-being. People are motivated by how good it feels to have lots of energy and enthusiasm for life, knowing that what they are doing that day will allow them to continue to feel this great for years to come.
When disease and chronic conditions do occur, the holistic health principles can also be applied. The healthcare professionals using the holistic approach work in partnership with their patients. They recommend practices that support the body's natural healing system and consider the whole person and the whole situation.
A holistic approach to healing goes beyond just eliminating symptoms. For example, taking an aspirin for a headache would be like disconnecting the oil light on the dash of a car when it flashes. The irritation is eliminated, but the real problem still exists. In holistic health, a symptom is considered a message that an underlying issue needs attention. The symptom is used as a guide to look below the surface for the root cause. Addressing the root cause is the foundation on which to stimulate true healing.
What is integrative medicine?
Integrative medicine combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness. It is also called integrated medicine. An approach to medicine that combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.