Natural healing methods are finding more and more enthusiastic followers every day. People are using them for a wide variety of physical and mental problems, like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, aches and pains of different origin, and wound care to name just a few.
What is holistic medicine? The word holistic comes from a Greek word "holas", which means "whole."
Holistic medicine, or rather the holistic approach, is actually a non-medical philosophy of healing and well-being, where a cure for a medical condition is not focused on a specific symptom, but rather on the whole body. This means that all aspects of life, including physical, mental, and spiritual, are very closely related and cannot be separated.
This approach is often emphasized by practitioners of alternative medicine, such as herbalists, homeopathists, chiropractics, and reflexologists in their practices.
Holistic medicine does not discourage any therapies or medical practices, but promotes living by certain rules, allowing our bodies to utilize our self healing systems.
Implementing natural healing methods, including self healing methods, supports the body in recovery and strengthens its renewal systems.
So what does that mean for all of us? Well, basically it means that if you want to live a long and happy life you should evaluate your lifestyle, including diet, exercise habits, the way you look at your surroundings, and consider making some adjustments where necessary.
The first part is your diet. Your body needs certain nutrients in order to work properly and keep its self-healing power. Thus, your diet should be well balanced, with the right quantities of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins to maintain a healthy body. You should definitely avoid too much sugar in your diet, because it can deplete the body's store of nutrients and eventually lower its vitality.
The size of each meal is very important, too. It should only be big enough to supply nutrients your body needs to meet its energy demands. Obviously different groups of people (e.i. children, pregnant women) may require a special diet so it has to be adjusted with these special situations in mind.
Another big point is to avoid artificial and processed products. Instead, choose natural foods with a lot of vegetables, fruits, some fish, low fat dairy, and some poultry.
The second part of the holistic approach to natural healing is to maintain your body in good physical condition by regular activity. Exercising is beneficial in many ways.
Being physically active helps you release tension and makes your joints and muscles stronger. It has a positive influence on your mood by increasing the level of endorphins in your blood. Also, by increasing circulation and breathing deeper during exercise you deliver more oxygen to every cell of your body.
The last part of the holistic approach to natural healing is to try to control your mind. This part is especially critical in helping you to avoid many stress related health conditions such as anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. People suffering from these problems may feel excessive tiredness and irritability. They may develop additional symptoms including indigestion, constipation, headaches and other.
It is essential to learn how to relax. Sometimes it may be necessary to break your routine or make some drastic changes in your lifestyle in order to help you in a bigger way.
In conclusion, it may be said that if you do everything right - eat only as much as is needed, exercise regularly, and often stop to smell the roses - you have a good chance of living a healthy and happy life.
About the Author
The author of this article is a webmaster at www.the-sleep-zone.com. The issues related to sleep disorders had always been a part of her life. After graduation from pharmacy school she became interested in natural healing as this approach may prevent people from many health problems. To learn more go to www.the-sleep-zone.com
