Do You Feel Burned Out? An Explanation of Holistic and Preventative Medicine

Hippocrates said, "A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings" and "there is only one good-knowledge and one evil-ignorance."

Integrative Medicine

When we have the possibility to acquire knowledge, we should not remain ignorant by studying and not using this knowledge. Holistic medicine, also called integrative medicine, combines conventional medicine with complementary or alternative medicine. Holistic and preventative medicine means consideration of the complete person, physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually, in the management and prevention of disease. Our well-being depends on an interaction of our physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental state. Health and well-being is based on an everlasting work of our body to keep balance.

What does it mean now? A person feels fine, his wellbeing is 99% and nevertheless he falls ill without feeling ill. Why? Apart from all those influences mentioned above, the person is aging and carrying the genetic information from his mother and his father. What should be done? Wait until symptoms occur, or do a preventative check-up? A working holistic doctor uses conventional methods in combination with alternative complementary methods to detect what is disturbing the balance in a patient's body.

First of all, the doctor must get a more complete picture of his client. He needs to know about his family and personal case history; diseases like cancer, metabolic problems, circulation disorders and genetic problems either in the family or in the patient himself. Physical and psychological (psychosomatic) fitness as well as social habits, environmental influences and beliefs are very helpful to complete the picture. There are the technical methods such as blood analysis, X-rays, TAC, etc. Complementary methods are now helping to detect what is not in balance at an even deeper level .

We start with the energetic test, computerized hair analysis. With the help of this sensitive test we can detect structural, chemical, psychological, environmental, organic disorders, toxins, intolerances, deficiencies and organic weaknesses that might need further investigation. Next, hair mineral analysis, to detect an overload of heavy metals, lack or intoxication of minerals, vitamins, hormonal tests (blood, saliva and urine) to see previous imbalances, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, toxins, food intolerances. There are the genetic tests to find the risk of getting cancer, Alzheimer's or burn-out syndrome. What kind of sport is recommended? These energetic and biochemical tests are adding to and completing an overall picture of a complex case history (anamnesis), personal and social habits. Based on all of these tests, we start individual holistic and preventative treatment.

The patient receives an individual plan to re-balance his body both physically and mentally. This could just involve changing food habits, a session with the osteopath or psychologist, getting back to certain routine and rituals, doing some sports. In more complex cases re-balancing the patient's body continues with a wide range of treatments of conventional and alternative medicine.

But, less is more! The human body is a very sensitive system and reacts even to small changes. This means finding the right key to a switch in an individual system is important.
As per Hippocrates: Let's use the knowledge and not be ignorant!

---Published in

Algarve Live
Do You Feel Burned Out? An Explanation of Holistic and Preventative Medicine
June 5, 2013
By our Guest writer: Drª Bianca Toebben Ph.D