ABSTRACT
Holistic approaches to health require both a willingness to look beyond the obvious, and an acceptance that uncertainty is part of the cost of transcending the fixed boundaries of individual pathology. It remains a curious anomaly that scientific medicine’s deep knowledge of disease and its treatment has not been matched by a similar knowledge of health and of ways that it can be maintained or augmented. The priest-doctors of ancient Egypt clearly understood the importance of preventive medicine. They encouraged the use of hygienic practices to preserve the health of their people. The health-based paradigm of complementary medicine has been strongly welcomed by many within Western communities. The core values of complementary medicine are reflected not so much in their unusual techniques or exotic pharmacopoeias, but in their expression of holistic principles. The scientific and technological developments of the past century have completely altered the way that humanity lives upon the earth.
