holistic medicine

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For more information on holistic medicine, visit Britannica.com.

The words "holism" and "holistic" are derived from the Greek word holos, meaning "whole." Jan Christian Smuts coined the term "holism" in a book published in 1926 titled Holism and Evolution. Holism is based on an understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Practitioners of holistic medicine focus on the whole person, not just a specific disease, and believe that mind, body, and spirit are inseparable. They also believe that good health is not merely the absence of disease, that the body has an innate power to heal itself, and that lifestyle factors contribute to health and illness.

(SEE ALSO: Alternative, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine; Theories of Health and Illness)

Bibliography

Smuts, J. C. (1999). Holism and Evolution: The Original Source of the Holistic Approach to Life. ed. Sanford Holst. Sherman Oaks, CA: Sierra Sunrise Books.

— MARY JO KREITZER

An approach to medicine that emphasizes treating the person as a whole, with special attention to the interconnections of the mind and body and of the systems within the body. Holistic medicine stresses the patient's role in health care through such means as positive attitudes, sound diet, and regular exercise.

A comprehensive approach to health care and prevention of disease employing conventional and many of the alternative medicine modalities, including acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy, massage, nutraceuticals and physical therapy which integrates the body as a whole, including mind and spirit, rather than separate systems.

• Disciplines and Specialties - holistic medicine: system based on treatment of whole body rather than of parts