ABSTRACT
This book presents attitudes, information, and tools for a holistic approach to medicine, health, and mental health. In our discussions among ourselves and with the contributing authors we defined three aspects of a holistic approach. First, such an approach involves expanding our focus to include the many personal, familial, social, and environmental factors that promote health, prevent illness, and encourage healing. Second, a holistic approach views the patient as an individual person, not as a symptom-bearing organism. This attitude emphasizes the self-responsibility of the person for his or her health and the importance of mobilizing the person's own health capacities, rather than treating illness only from the outside. Third, the holistic approach tries to make wise use of the many diagnostic, treatment, and health modalities that are available in addition to the standard materia medica- including alternative medical and healing systems as well as psychological techniques and physical modalities. Some of these methods of treatment and health practices are already accepted, others are accepted but not applied in practice, and still others need further research to explore the range of their uses.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part One|35 pages
Holistic Medicine
part Two|67 pages
The Context of Health
part Three|195 pages
Modalities for Health and Mental Health
part |83 pages
The Role of the Mind
part |56 pages
The Role of the Body
part |53 pages
Healing Inputs
part Four|91 pages
Applications Throughout the Life Cycle
part Five|72 pages
Alternative Medical Perspectives
part Six|37 pages
Social and Political Implications