The Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine defines Holistic Medicine as “the art and science of healing that addresses the care of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Holistic medicine integrates conventional and complementary therapies to promote optimal health and prevent and treat disease by mitigating causes.”
What are Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM)?
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, complementary and alternative medicine are non-mainstream practices, each with its own usage. Complementary medicine is used together with Conventional Medicine, and Alternative Medicine is used in place of Conventional Medicine.
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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Conventional Medicine “as the usual methods of healing or treating disease taught in Western medical schools.” Conventional treatments may include using drugs, medications, radiation, or surgery.
Integrative medicine involves bringing both conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way to aid in recovery. The remedy combines traditional with complementary and alternative approaches to treat the whole person.
Common complementary approaches for maintaining health include natural methods like conscious breathing, meditation, massage, guided imagery, progressive relaxation techniques, Reiki, Hippotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Chiropractic care, and gentle exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong.
Today’s doctors integrate Complementary and Alternative Medicine CAM with mainstream conventional medical care. Due to the high cost of conventional medicine, hospital stays, surgeries, and rehabilitation, the less one-to-one time with a physician, combined with the scientific evidence for CAM and recognition of lifestyle factors that attribute to disease, more of the population needs finding affordable alternatives and methods to prevent disease. The solution has been found in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In the United States, over 38% of the population uses CAM annually, whereas approximately 80% of the world’s population use CAM.
Below are the six principles of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Novey, 2000):
Principle 1: Innate Healing
The body’s innate healing response is reinforced through nutrition, exercise, occupation, and mind-body medicine. The body has its own wisdom.
Principle 2: Do No Harm
Ethical principles are foundational when applying CAM in conjunction with traditional medicine.
Principle 3: Treat the Cause
The clinician should attempt to identify and treat the causes of illnesses since symptoms are usually expressions of the body’s attempt to heal itself. Causes may be related to physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual factors.
Principle 4: Prevention
Prevention, the ultimate goal of CAM, is accomplished by lifestyle changes in diet, stress, exercise, and managing one’s health. The emphasis is on building health.
Principles 5: Be a Teacher
The clinician applying CAM is a teacher and encourages the clients to incorporate healthy practices into one’s lifestyles and everyday schedules.
Principles 6: Treat the Whole Person
The clinician treats the whole person by considering the interaction of the physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social factors in a person’s life.
Complementary and Alternative medicine principles work on the prevention of diseases by reducing stress. Whereas stress triggers illness, meditation relaxes the mind and calms the body, producing a healing foundation and influence.
The benefit of a holistic approach and alternative therapies is that the combination recognizes that all are interconnected. This acknowledgment aids in recovery. Treating the whole body is a holistic approach that addresses the physical ailment of the body and also offers peace of mind to prevent stress. Stress triggers the illness.
To decrease life’s stress, enjoy our meditations and guided visualizations, and, for more on the topic, be sure to pick up the book Rise From the Dread by Janine Vance.
Warm Regards,
Read more from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health here.
Learn How to Write Your Transformational Guided Meditation at a one-day Reiki Retreat.
Learn How to Write Your Transformational Guided Meditation at a one-day Reiki Retreat.
Need stress relief to recalibrate? Join the Vance twins for a day of restoration. Let go of worry so you can move forward with more confidence.
Jenette & her twin sister, Janine (Vance Twins) with Deepak Chopra
At the Reiki Retreat, you will receive:
At the Reiki Retreat, you will receive:
Reiki Attunement
Receive a Reiki Attunement by Reiki Master, Jenette trained under the direct lineage of Master Mikao Usui, the founder of the spiritual practice.
Experience a Reiki Share
You will experience the power of Reiki energy within a Reiki Circle.
A Healing Heart Chakra Meditation
You will be guided through a heart chakra meditation for the purpose of providing peace to your mind, body, and soul.
Learn How to Write a Self-Healing Meditation
Learn how to write a personalized healing meditation from an award winning author, Janine Vance.
A Delicious Meal and Snacks
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A Perfect Gift for You
This retreat is a perfect gift for your health and well-being. Come get pampered, relax, and learn about Reiki.
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