Are you still confused about the actual meaning of conventional, complementary, alternative, holistic, integrative, and functional healing (medicine)? Where is the soul in all of these treatments?
Indeed, finding a healthier you and your family, your loved one will make you happy. Did you ask yourself recently how well are you, but really? Being healthy at every age is our goal. It should also be our primary goal. However, almost every day, we are met with some terms we do not understand (at least not entirely), such as complementary, conventional, alternative, and holistic healing (medicine). Even recently, we are finding words such as integrative and functional healing (medicine), which sound more complex.
It is imperative to know all those terms because the part of the decision on your treatment is up to you, not just your healthcare provider. Generally, you have probably realized some substantial differences between your healthcare providers, from one to the second; some are maximalists, some are minimalists, some are more technology-oriented (forcing medications), some are naturalists, some are doubters, and some are firm believers.
Moreover, when they are all combined, they represent the six medical mindsets in our healthcare. All of these professionals can struggle from one “disease,” and that is because of a lack of decision-making skills. The art of medical decision-making is a set of complex skills. It leads to one phenomenon, and that is medical specialists can disagree. Each professional has a different mindset.
Complementary treatments include combining conventional therapies with some additional natural products, including body and mind practices.
Suppose your healthcare provider recommends to you a combination of some conventional therapies with some supplemental (dietary) botanical products that mean they are conducting complementary treatment. In that case, complementary treatments include combining conventional treatments with some additional natural products, including body and mind practices. The panel of natural products can be extensive as it contains vitamins and minerals, botanical extracts, medicinal herbs, probiotics, special diets, and homeopathy. Mind and body practices are broad-spectrum activities and treatments such as meditation, progressive relaxation, deep breathing, yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, massage, and others. Complementary treatment for your condition or disease would be a fusion of conventional (Western medicine practice, including pharmacy) and alternative healing therapies. Many healthcare providers use this treatment. For example, in Europe, with your antibiotic treatment, you will get advice to use probiotics immediately, or even some psychiatrists suggest that antidepressant therapy could be more effective if you, for example, practice meditation or any type of body and mind practice such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or yoga. Then your treatment is so-called complementary, and your healthcare provider is conducting complementary therapy or treatment for your condition or disease.
Alternative therapy does not use conventional (Western medicine) treatment.
In other words, that means during your treatment, you use only alternative therapies such as herbal-botanical (supplemental) remedies, aromatherapy, remedies of traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda therapy, homeopathy, and special diets. However, alternative therapies use many mind and body practices during the healing process, such as yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, massage, deep breathing treatments, progressive relaxation, guided imagery, and some chiropractic and osteopathic manipulations, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique, Pilates, Rolfing Structural Integration, and Trager psychophysical integration and others.
Integrative healthcare brings conventional and alternative approaches to a much broader spectrum – it emphasizes a holistic, patient-centered, and individualized approach to healthcare and wellness
This approach is different. It does not only treat your acute or chronic disease, but it tries to bring balance and healing to your body, mind, and soul/spirit. It includes a broad spectrum to treat the whole person and not only focus on one organ or organ system. This approach can be very demanding because it involves mental health, emotional, spiritual, social, and community aspects. It is complex and requires a well-coordinated team of conventional and alternative healing providers. Nevertheless, these approaches in the treatment brought good results in treatments of many conditions and diseases, such as pain management and symptoms management in the cancer patients and cancer survivors. I would add depression, major depressive disorder, and treatment-resistant depression.
What is functional medicine? How can this approach help us?
You may also hear about the term functional medicine. Still, you are unsure what that means precisely, besides complementary, conventional, alternative, holistic and integrative terms. The term “functional medicine” sometimes refers to a concept similar to integrative healthcare. Still, it may also apply to an approach that more closely resembles naturopathy. Naturopathic practitioners use many different treatment approaches such as stress reduction, herbalism, dietary supplements, homeopathy, psychotherapy and counseling, and dietary and lifestyle changes. Some practitioners of functional medicine use other methods as well. Functional medicine specialists often refer patients to conventional healthcare providers and specialties of conventional Western medicine treatment. It is essential to state that functional medicine focuses on the body’s optimal functioning, organ systems, and organs, involving holistic or alternative medicine systems.
And… finally, holistic healing (medicine)! Why is this healing unique?
Holistic healing (medicine) seriously considers the whole person, not just the body or mind. It is healing that brings appropriately functioning body, mind, spirit/soul to the person in the quest for optimal, balanced wellness and health. Directly, it is bringing balance between body, mind, and soul to function appropriately and synchronized. Holistic practitioners can use the treatment of conventional medicine combined with an alternative emphasizing spiritual, mental, and social factors as contributing factors for treating conditions or diseases. Why is holistic healing (medicine) different from all other forms? Holistic treatment involves fixing the cause of the state, not only alleviating the symptoms; a patient is a person and not a disease; all people have inner healing power. Holistic healing (medicine) is teamwork, including a holistic practitioner and a patient. It considers explorations of all aspects of a patient’s life, mental status, spiritual, social, and other factors.
We hope that we have helped you better understand some of the terms, what they mean to us, and how to find a healthier you in the 21st century.
Respectfully,
Holistic Healthful
Dr. Miroslav Sarac, M.S., Ph.D., PDF, D.D., has a master’s and doctoral degree in genetics/pathology, a postdoctoral fellowship in biomedical sciences, and numerous certifications in complementary, alternative, and holistic healing. Additionally, he has a doctoral degree in divinity and is a dully ordained spiritual minister and initiated second-degree spiritual priest. Dr. Sarac is a long-time spiritual practitioner for over 30 years. His specialties are spirituality, end-of-life spiritual care, and natural/organic cosmetic science – skincare, perfumery, and aromatherapy. Dr. Sarac lives with severe disabilities. His motto is “Bringing balance to the soul and body to function appropriately and synchronized. Helping is healing.”