Holism is approximately the big picture; it relates to the theory that nothing happens in vacuum pressure. When seeking answers to a problem, holism puts the emphasis on the ‘whole’ rather than the parts.
The English Oxford Dictionaries define holism:
The theory that parts of a whole come in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the complete, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as higher than the sum of the its parts.
And when holism is approximately health:
The treating of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, instead of just the symptoms of an illness.
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 really a complex ‘whole’ with a clear boundary; there is an outside and an inside. This content inside a system (for example: weather, animals, and plants) comprises of interrelated, interdependent parts that directly reflect the entire context, within that they exist, (for example: an ecosystem).
Whenever the complete of anything produces an outcome greater than some of its parts could accomplish, individually, we call that synergy, (for instance: a thunderstorm, the music of an orchestra).
The contrary to holism, reductionism, instead analyzes something by its component parts.
Holistic Health: Treating the Whole Person
The traditional approach of the medical system has taught us to recognize health from a reductionist perspective. We go to the doctor to get some specific part of our body fixed because it has stopped functioning well and could be causing us pain.
Millions of people get excellent results using the medical-model. The only problem is that model considers, almost exclusively, just the health of the body. So when it involves mental health, the typical 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 continually influenced within the contexts of family, community, country and world.
A holistic approach to health and wellness addresses the reality of the multiple interrelated and interdependent parts that make us who we have been. The malaise of anybody of them can directly (and negatively), affect the fitness of other parts of our life.
For this reason alone, the first focus of holistic care is on the individual and not the issue or disease. Stress, anxiety, and depression, for example, 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 opted from 1 in 50 people 30 years back to at least one 1 of 9 between your years 2011 and 2014, and today in 2018.
This is clear evidence of the rise in mood disorders for Americans.
Why the increased use? As mentioned, nothing happens in a vacuum and so assessing one’s lifestyle regarding home, relationships, finances, work, etc. becomes a critical task to find out their impact. The bottom-line would be to find the root cause (s) and set up a restorative plan.
Cannabis and Holistic Health
The medicinal usage of cannabis is a world aside from its recreational use. Oftentimes, best dispensary near me how much THC found in any medicinal formulation, the greater the desired effect. The saying is: Start low; go slow. Treatment is never one-size-fits-all as the current interplay of someone’s body, mind and soul are of primary consideration.
Historically, the entire ancient cannabis plant was used for a beneficial impact on someone’s overall, general condition, far beyond mere symptom control. This makes it 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 is due to the fact of cannabis containing approximately 100 molecular compounds, with THC and CBD most researched and understood.
When the whole of the cannabis plant can be used as medicine it provides a synergistic or ‘entourage’ effect which accounts for why the therapeutic use of cannabis brings relief to a wide selection of conditions.
In this way 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 increasing numbers of people are discerning the difference between the medical and holistic types of health. Each has its time and place. When discovering the countless great things about medicinal cannabis, our overall wellness, lifestyle and broader culture can transform for the higher.
Susan is really a 2018 graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy with over 45 years of personal involvement in the spectrum 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 experience of inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.