Differences in Holistic and Alternative Medicine

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there are differences between holistic and alternative medicine. Alternative medicine is a blanket term used to describe the many different nontraditional treatments. Holistic medicine is a type of approach that supports the theory that you need to treat the whole person: body, mind and spirit.

• Alternative medicine is often interchanged with holistic or herbal medicine although alternative medicine is not a type of medicine. It is a term that is used to categorize all types of medical treatment that do not fall under the traditional medical practices.

• Holistic medicine is a type of medical treatment that encompasses a style of medicine that treats the whole person not just the symptoms of the illness. This type of treatment focuses on treating the mind, body and spirit.

• Holistic medicine embraces the idea that all illnesses are caused from disharmony between the body, mind and spirit. These are all viewed as one, and if the balance is disrupted the person can become ill.

• Homeopathic medicine, holistic medicine, Chinese medications, acupuncture and massage are all types of medicine that are thought to be unconventional. This can be any type of medicine that is not thought to be traditional western medicine.

• Holistic medicine encompasses a person’s emotions, life stressors, and personal interactions in order to develop the proper course of action to treat the cause of the problem not just the symptoms. This will include counseling and other treatments that will deal with the cause of the imbalance between body, mind and spirit.