Holism is about the big picture; it pertains to the theory that nothing happens in vacuum pressure. When seeking answers to an issue, holism puts the focus on the ‘whole’ rather than the parts.
The English Oxford Dictionaries define holism:
The theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they can not exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood regardless of the whole, that is thus regarded as higher than the sum of its parts.
And when holism is about health:
The treating of the complete person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of an illness.
Another way to consider holism is by using the analogy of systems both natural and manmade (i.e. an ecosystem a health system, a family group system, a solar system, etc.).
A system is really a complex ‘whole’ with a clear boundary; there is another and an inside. The content inside a system (for instance: weather, animals, and plants) comprises of interrelated, interdependent parts that directly reflect the overall context, within which they exist, (for instance: an ecosystem).
Whenever the whole of anything produces an outcome higher than any of its parts could accomplish, individually, we call that synergy, (for instance: a thunderstorm, the music of an orchestra).
The opposite to holism, reductionism, instead analyzes something by its component parts.
Holistic Health: Treating the Whole Person
The traditional approach of the medical system has taught us to recognize health from a reductionist perspective. We visit the doctor to get some specific part of our body fixed since it has stopped functioning well and could be causing us pain.
Millions of people get excellent results using the medical-model. The only real problem is that this model considers, almost exclusively, just the fitness of the body. And when it comes to mental health, the normal solution is to prescribe antidepressant medicine.
Why is this an issue? We humans are complex beings. We’ve minds, emotions and a soul, the non-public, intangible relationship to a macro reality beyond ourselves. Also, who we are, is continually influenced within the contexts of family, community, country and world.
A holistic approach to health and wellness addresses the reality of the multiple interrelated and interdependent parts which make us who we have been. The malaise of anybody of them can directly (and negatively), affect the fitness of other areas of our life.
For this reason alone, the initial focus of holistic care is on the person and not the problem or disease. Stress, anxiety, and depression, for instance, often find yourself translating to a physical symptom. It’s all connected.
In rosin dispensary deals with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national survey, in September, 2017, The American Psychiatric Association reported that antidepressant use had opted from 1 in 50 people 30 years back to 1 1 of 9 between the years 2011 and 2014, and now in 2018.
This is clear evidence of the rise in mood disorders for Americans.
Why the increased use? As mentioned, nothing happens in vacuum pressure and so assessing one’s lifestyle regarding home, relationships, finances, work, etc. becomes a critical task to find out their impact. The bottom-line is to find the real cause (s) and set up a restorative plan.
Cannabis and Holistic Health
The medicinal usage of cannabis is a world aside from its recreational use. Oftentimes, the lower the quantity of THC found in any medicinal formulation, the greater the desired effect. The word is: Start low; go slow. Treatment is never one-size-fits-all because the current interplay of someone’s body, mind and soul are of primary consideration.
Historically, the entire ancient cannabis plant was useful for a beneficial impact on someone’s overall, general condition, far beyond mere symptom control. This makes it an ideal match to the holistic method of health.
Not unlike the complexity of the individual in context of our various lifestyles, cannabis a complex plant of the plant kingdom. It’s effectiveness being an overall tonic is due to the fact of cannabis containing approximately 100 molecular compounds, with THC and CBD most researched and understood.
When the whole of the cannabis plant can be used as medicine it includes a synergistic or ‘entourage’ effect which makes up about why the therapeutic usage of cannabis brings relief to a wide variety of conditions.
In this way therapeutic cannabis use stands in stark contrast to traditional medicine that typically isolates plant compounds and manufactures them in pharmaceuticals to target one symptom or bodily system.
I believe that more and more people are discerning the difference between your medical and holistic types of health. Each has its time and place. When discovering the many benefits of medicinal cannabis, our your overal wellness, lifestyle and broader culture can transform for the better.
Susan is really a 2018 graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy with over 45 years of personal involvement in the spectral range of wellness modalities. Her mission today is to intervene in the noise of modern life and help people identify and remove stressors that trigger their dis-ease while providing strategies towards a living experience of inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.