HOLISM

Originally Published Saturday, February 7, 2015

• Parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection and cannot exist independently of the whole,
• Parts cannot be understood without reference to the whole.
• The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
• Treating the whole person and taking into account mental and social factors, and not just the physical symptoms of a disease.

Holism is a concept that has been described for centuries throughout history in philosophy and medicine, however it is still treated like an alien concept in much of modern medicine.

For many medical professionals there seems to be a very definitive line in the sand between the part of the body they specialize in, and the mind, and this line may not be crossed. I have been treated by doctors in major metropolitan areas throughout the country, and no healthcare professional that treated me for tension-based chronic pain in those decades, ever asked me a series of pointed questions about my current state of mind.

This singular approach seems like something from the past, and not from the early 21st century. Health professionals who treat chronic back-neck-shoulder pain should understand that chronic pain is sometimes caused by tension from the mind. Perhaps it may be a risk to even speak about emotional tension-based chronic pain from a liability or insurance standpoint.

One doctor did ask me if anything was going on in my life, and that was the catalyst for my research, and the subsequent development of a cure. My own experience tells me that after so many years of traditional medical care for only the physical side of the chronic pain problem, I couldn't have had the near miraculous recovery that I did, without considering both the body and the mind.

I hope that those suffering from chronic pain will stop to consider that maybe their pain, which has no well defined cause (trauma, cancer, severe osteoporosis, etc.) could find resolution through reducing their physical tension while better managing their emotions.

Holism - give it some thought...

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