HOLISTIC THERAPY

• Why choose Complementary Therapy?
• How does it differ from conventional medical treatment?
• What are the benefits of holistic treatment?

Conventional medicine.

When we are unwell, our bodies often show some annoying (sometimes painful) symptoms of whatever illness we happen to suffer from. For example, we may have a rash or eczema as a result of an allergic reaction. Or perhaps we are suffering from stress and can't concentrate during the day -- or are unable to sleep at night.

Unfortunately, we often end up with tablets or something that treats just the symptom, not the underlying problem. Skin creme may make the itching less painful, but it does nothing to deal with the allergic reaction that causes the symptoms to appear.

Similarly, sleeping tablets may help you sleep at night, but they do not deal with the fundamental problem of stress = not coping with the daily pressures of life.

Holistic treatment

The holistic approach to health differs from the conventional medical approach in that it takes into account the whole patient and his or her environment, rather than just focusing on the symptom or the part of the body that has the problem.

Holistic therapists believe that the body has an energy system that protects it from disease and allows it to heal. It's called the immune system. When the balance and energy of the immune system is disturbed, the body reacts by producing symptoms of dis-ease. Holistic therapies aim to help the patient restore this essentail balance, encouraging the body to heal itself naturally - just like nature intended.

Let's just illustrate that:

When you stick a plaster on a cut, it isn't the plaster that causes the skin to heal. It is the body's normal reaction to repair damaged tissue.

Therapists see symptoms as valuable messengers, indicating an underlying problem. Symptoms indicate to us that we have lost our health balance and that we will need to make some adjustments if we are to regain our health. If we ignore or just suppress the message (symptoms) then we can expect bigger problems later on.

Complementary therapists typically look at nutrition, emotions, genetics, previous illnesses and treatment as key factors that can influence our health. Our home environment, the weather, relationships with others and the chemicals in food and water, are also important causes of dis-ease.

Holistic therapy aims to restore the body and its immune system to a better state of balance, so that the body's natural healing mechanism can deal with the problem more effectively.