Holistic Medicine and Homeopathy

Many people misuse the terms homeopathic and holistic interchangeably but they do not mean the same thing. Homeopathy is considered to be a holistic health remedy but it is only one of many different kinds of holistic remedies and ways of defining holistic medicine.

In health, the word holistic or holistic medicine is a term that is used to describe looking at treating the health of an individual as made up of integrated systems that make up their whole being. It is often used as an umbrella for different types of therapies that also treat the whole being, including homeopathic medicine or homeopathy. The term homeopathy refers to a system of medical practice that treats a health problem with a minute dose of a remedy that would in larger amounts, produce symptoms similar to those of the health problem itself. 

Holistic

Holistic medicine can be thought of as an umbrella term to describe a variety of therapies that attempt to treat a patient as a whole person and not just a health problem(s) and/or symptoms of the problem(s). In very simple terms, instead of only treating a patient’s illness as conventional Western medicine does, a holistic treatment may (or may not) include conventional treatment but it will also look at an individual’s overall body, mind, spiritual and emotional well-being, and incorporate treatment of these in the hopes of achieving a patient’s optimal health. 

A holistic health practitioner will treat symptoms of an illness or other health problem but they will also look at other mediating factors, such as person’s emotional, overall physical, spiritual and mental health. There are many, many different kinds of remedies that fall under holistic treatments including but not limited to:

– Acupuncture

– Biofeedback

– Body movement therapies

– Chiropractic

– Dietary and other nutritional supplements

– Electromagnetic therapy

– Herbology

– Homeopathy

– Hypnosis

– Massage

– Meditation

– Naturopathy

– Nutrition

– Meditation

– Osteopathy

– Qigong

– Reiki

– Tai chi

– Talk therapies

– Visualization and guided imagery

– Western medicine, treatments, therapies and surgeries

– Yoga

Different holistic health providers will recommend different kinds of treatments.

Homeopathic

Homeopathy is a type of holistic medicine but like many holistic treatments, it is not necessarily similar to other unique holistic treatments. Homeopathic medicine, typically referred to as remedies are made from natural sources such as plants and minerals given in minuscule amounts. A theory of homeopathy is that the body can trigger a healing response when given the least amount of medicine. Homeopathic remedies do not typically have side effects and they are deemed safe to give to small children and pets. 

Homeopathic remedies can be purchased without a prescription in many of the same places as regular medicine, such as the drugstore, grocery store and online, as well as at homeopathic pharmacies and healthcare offices.

Homeopathy has been used to treat illnesses such as colds, sore throats, ear infections, migraines, sore throats, asthma, symptoms of autism, and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.  

Be informed about holistic health with Coastal Natural Health.