The Concept is Easy, Its Implementation Not Always.
I believe that holistic health is the idea that all of our systems (body, mind, and spirit) intrinsically intertwine with one another. Not only that though. We also connect closely with the environment we live in and other individuals who share this space with us. This concept is not new. In fact, all Eastern philosophies of healing find their foundation in this thought. Even Western health care started out this way before we began focusing mostly on allopathic treatment. One example is Hildegard of Bingen
The reason why holistic health can get complicated is because we really need to go within to find the source of our troubles, which may be physical, mental, or spiritual in nature. Only when we find the cause, we can solve the problem – if not, well, then we treat symptoms but will not heal in a complete manner.
Becoming a Strong, Resilient and Kind Individual
There is not enough room to explain all forms of traditional healing systems (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Volksheilkunde, Native American Healing, Shamanism, and amongst others) here, but I think you understand the approach. It is my vision to implement this strategy of holistic health when approaching the care of Veterans. Of course, anyone or any community/group benefits from this! I just happen to focus on former service members, as my husband served for 20 years himself and retired from the Army. I know the military environment well.
We are social ‘animals.’ However, these social bonds lack often in today’s society. Social media networks, text messaging, and other forms of computerized and digitalized communication remove us from our intrinsic skills to read peoples’ faces, their body language and their tone in voice. Did you know that there are many forms of smiles and that they all show our counterparts how we really feel? What if we take this personal connection away? Well, researchers say that we loose 70% of our ability to communicate. Let this settle for a moment. 70% of our communication is lost!
Anyway, I am getting off track… my point is that we need other people in our lives to achieve holistic health. This is also mirrored in the following:
5 Main Components of Holistic Health
- Relationships (Family & Friends)
- Physical Activity (Health & Function)
- Nutrition
- Career (Social & Economical)
- Spirituality (Psychological & Spiritual)
The terms marked in ( ) are used in the Quality of Life Index (QLI). The QLI was developed by Carol Estwing Ferrans and Marjorie Powers in 1984. Its data gathered relates to quality of life in terms of satisfaction with life. The QLI measures both satisfaction and importance regarding various aspects of life. Detailed info about the QLI is on the university’s website.
I used the QLI in a couple of my own studies with trial groups of active-duty members from an Army/Air Force base in AK. The results were amazing! If you are interested in details, again, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Alexandra introduces the remarkable results of her research-proven ‘Holistic Intervention Program.’
