Holism is about the big picture; it relates to the idea that nothing happens in a vacuum. When seeking answers to an issue, holism puts the focus on the 'whole' rather than the parts.
The English Oxford Dictionaries define holism:
The theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood regardless of the whole, that is thus regarded as greater than the sum of the its parts.
And when holism is approximately health:
The treating of the complete person, considering mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.
Another way to consider holism is by using the analogy of systems both natural and manmade (i.e. an ecosystem a health system, a family group system, a solar system, etc.).
A system is a complex 'whole' with an obvious boundary; there is another and an inside. This content inside a system (for example: weather, animals, and plants) comprises of interrelated, interdependent parts that directly reflect the overall context, within that they exist, (for instance: an ecosystem).
Whenever the complete of anything produces an outcome greater than any of its parts could accomplish, individually, we call that synergy, (for example: a thunderstorm, the music of an orchestra).
The opposite to holism, reductionism, instead analyzes something by its component parts.
Holistic Health: Treating the complete Person
The traditional approach of the medical system has taught us to recognize health from the reductionist perspective. We visit the doctor to obtain some specific part of our body fixed since it has stopped functioning well and could be causing us pain.
Millions of people get excellent results using the medical-model. The only real problem is that model considers, almost exclusively, just the fitness of the body. And when it comes to mental health, the normal solution would be to prescribe antidepressant medicine.
Why is this a problem? We humans are complex beings. We have minds, emotions and a soul, the non-public, intangible relationship to a macro reality beyond ourselves. What's more, who we are, is constantly influenced within the contexts of family, community, country and world.
A holistic approach to health and fitness addresses the reality of these multiple interrelated and interdependent parts which make us who we have been. The malaise of anybody of them can directly (and negatively), affect the health of other areas of our life.
For this reason alone, the initial focus of holistic care is on the person and not the problem or disease. Stress, anxiety, and depression, for instance, often end up translating to a physical symptom. It's all connected.
In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national survey, in September, 2017, The American Psychiatric Association reported that antidepressant use had gone from 1 in 50 people 30 years back to 1 1 of 9 between the years 2011 and 2014, and now in 2018.
This is clear proof the rise in mood disorders for Americans.
Why the increased use? As mentioned, https://www.buudabomb.com/ happens in a vacuum and so assessing one's lifestyle regarding home, relationships, finances, work, etc. becomes a crucial task to find out their impact. The bottom-line is to find the real cause (s) and establish a restorative plan.
Cannabis and Holistic Health
The medicinal use of cannabis is a world aside from its recreational use. In many cases, the lower the volume of THC found in any medicinal formulation, the greater the desired effect. The word is: Start low; go slow. Treatment is never one-size-fits-all because the current interplay of someone's body, mind and soul are of primary consideration.
Historically, the whole of the ancient cannabis plant was useful for a beneficial impact on a person's overall, general condition, far beyond mere symptom control. This helps it be a perfect match to the holistic approach to health.
Not unlike the complexity of the human being in context of our various lifestyles, cannabis a complex plant of the plant kingdom. It's effectiveness as an overall tonic has to do with the fact of cannabis containing approximately 100 molecular compounds, with THC and CBD most researched and understood.
When the whole of the cannabis plant is used as medicine it offers a synergistic or 'entourage' effect which makes up about why the therapeutic usage of cannabis brings relief to a wide variety of conditions.
In this manner therapeutic cannabis use stands in stark contrast to traditional medicine that typically isolates plant compounds and manufactures them in pharmaceuticals to target one symptom or bodily system.
I believe that more and more people are discerning the difference between the medical and holistic models of health. Each has its time and place. When discovering the countless benefits of medicinal cannabis, our overall wellness, lifestyle and broader culture can transform for the higher.
Susan is a 2018 graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy with over 45 years of personal involvement in the spectral range of wellness modalities. Her mission today is to intervene in the noise of modern life and help people identify and remove stressors that trigger their dis-ease while providing strategies towards a living connection with inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.
Holism, Health and Cannabis
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3 min read
