Holistic Medicine Research Paper

Since the beginning of documented history, innumerable cultures have put their faith in what medical practitioners today call holistic medicine. Holistic medicine involves a wide assortment of therapeutic viewpoints, methods, and treatments. It commonly refers to theories and ideas that are different than typical medical practices. Believers of holistic medicine put their methods and practices to use in a range of assorted ways. According to his medical guide, Cannon (2014), holistic therapies that are used unaccompanied by traditional medical treatments are often referred to as alternative; when used in combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to traditional therapies they are stated as complementary. Some therapies …show more content…
According to Epiro and Walsh, (2007), the basic foundation of mind-body medicine is that the influence of the mind can be used to help heal the body by refining the person 's attitude and through straight influence on the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems. They stated that even though a lot of the biochemical and physiological mechanisms remain to be understood, avaricious bodies of evidence are bestowing that the healthy mind is indeed proficient at supporting the immune system and that the troubled mind can inhibit the functioning of the immune system and contribute to physical disease. There is little uncertainty that state of mind and physiological processes are closely concomitant (Epiro and Walsh, 2007). The paralleled connection between a person’s stress level and the response of their immune system, for instance, is now well recognized. It is from this knowledge that some doctors are starting to acknowledge that the power of prayer and faith healing, although suggestive in nature, may hold weight because the strong belief of the patient may trigger auto responses in the body that lead to healing. This is also why relaxation techniques can help patients enormously; the body is able to take the necessary steps in healing when it is not stressed. Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School states that, “Medicine is a three-legged stool; one leg is pharmaceuticals, the other is surgery, and the third is what people can do for themselves. Mind-body work is an essential part of that" (Fairweather, 2014). Not only does this show the strength that one’s own mind holds in averting or curing illnesses, for the first time ever, these therapies provide people the chance to be involved in