Holistic Health is a philosophy of healthcare that encompasses the body, mind, and spirit connection of one’s being. The three are closely interconnected and equally important to treatment, healing, and wellness. While frequently associated with alternative medicine, it is also increasingly used in mainstream medical practice as part of integrative patient care.
Holistic Health is not itself a method of treatment, but is an approach to how treatment should be applied. Holistic concepts of health and fitness view achieving and maintaining good health as requiring more than just taking care of the various singular components that make up the physical body, additionally incorporating aspects such as emotional and spiritual well-being. The goal is a wellness that encompasses the entire person, rather than just the lack of physical pain or disease.
Holism as a health concept has long existed outside of academic circles, but only recently has the modern medical establishment begun to integrate it into the mainstream healthcare system.