I will be discussing this on my podcast a lot more in the upcoming episodes, but one of the most common questions I get is: What’s the difference between a Functional/Holistic approach to health & wellness vs. the traditional western medicine.
The easiest way to explain it is that Alternative Medicine is Holistic, Western Medicine is Reductionist.
Let me elaborate, because “holistic” alternative wellness gets labeled as woo-woo way too often.
Alternative medicine is a label that seems to apply to many practices from acupuncture to yoga to vitamins to massage. How is alternative medicine, or holistic health, different from what we in the United States call “modern medicine?”
The major difference between alternative medicine, or what I'll call holistic health, and Western medicine, is in approach. Being that my dad & my husband both have medical backgrounds as physicians and surgeons, I have seen the good side of medicine. However, I have also been through a LOT in the past 10 years of my personal health experiences to know that doctors do not know everything.
A Western doctor, or MD, sees his/her duty as searching out disease, diagnosing it, and treating it. If he does that correctly and effectively, he's done his job. Most often, this means the doctor prescribing a pharmaceutical drug or a surgical procedure to remedy the situation.
The western medicine patient is usually passive in their treatment.
A holistic health practitioner sees her duty as an educator and a facilitator. She feels that the body can heal itself, and it doesn't necessarily need outside influences (drugs, surgery) to heal from an illness or to prevent an illness.
In holistic health, the patient is usually an active participant.
This is the best and the worst thing about holistic health! The patient is actively involved in the healing process. Everything you know about your body says that this is the right approach. It makes so much sense. That's the good part.
The bad thing about this is that it is HARD WORK for the patient. Like, REALLY HARD WORK. For me, it became like a full time job, truly. In most cases, the patient must make changes to their lifestyle. Change your diet, do more exercise, stop using sugar, do these stretches, stop negative thoughts, meditate twice a day, take detox regimens seriously, research, study, trial and error, etc.
Making lifestyle changes is immensely difficult. And to pile it on top, you may deal with friends or family members who think you’re crazy, call you a hypochondriac, spread rumors about you having Munchausen's syndrome, etc. or worse. I have been through that, too! It’s just one of those things that people look at you like you’re insane when you talk about something they don’t understand yet. And that’s okay! Onward and upward! Since you’re reading this, you’re at least educating yourself to take your health back and that’s progress.
My biggest tip is this: lifestyle changes need to come before illness manifests.
Let's examine one of the big differences between holistic health and Western medicine: holism versus reductionism.
Holistic versus Reductionist
This is a major shift in perspective. Taking a holistic perspective means that you cannot understand a single problem with a single part of the human body without looking at the whole person. We use the short-hand “mind, body, spirit” to refer to the whole person.
This is not how a Western doctor is taught to see a patient. In most cases, medical doctors are taught that they can administer a drug or perform a surgery that will cure a person's liver without making any difference to the rest of the person. Of course, when inevitable complications arise, the Western doctor deals with those one at a time, often causing additional problems for the person, whether in body, mind or spirit.
Even those three parts of the person are treated by separate people in Western society.
The body is the domain of the medical doctor.
The mind is the domain of the psychiatrist.
Spirit is left to the priest, rabbi or pastor.
There is no overlap in roles, except for referrals from one to the other. In our bodies, of course, there is tremendous overlap. A loss of connection to God or the universe will cause no end of mental and physical problems. Mental stress causes many physical diseases, as we well know. Who can coordinate between these in the Western system? No one. Problems falling through the cracks between mind, body and spirit is a common failure of Western medicine.
A holistic practitioner understands the interconnections between mind, body and spirit. They work on the connections, and, although the practitioner may not be an expert in all three, they focus on the overlaps rather than ignoring them.
In my opinion, a holistic approach is better in almost every case for almost every person. Understanding the linkages between mind, body and spirit is essential to understanding how to stay well and how to heal.
Western medicine is absolutely necessary, and I respect and appreciate the evolution of science. It obviously plays a part by offering emergency solutions to problems that arise quickly and need to be fixed immediately, so it is CRUCIAL. But don’t underestimate natural health remedies & preventative measures you have available, too!
🇺🇸 To your health & freedom,
Elise Lininger
If you're serious about your health, grab my complete 10 day detox program. It’s FREE for my online community.
Just beginning to learn about alternative and natural health? Recommended books:
The Rain Barrel Effect: https://amzn.to/3n9D5Um
and Dirty Genes: https://amzn.to/33j9gd3
None of the statements on my blog, in my programs, or within my emails are intended to be medical advice. All of my content is based on my own experience and advice from my own doctor, and through my personal research. Always consult your Dr. if you have concerns or a medical need.
