Dr. Brian Hill explains the benefits of holistic medicine.
Maintaining one’s health can be incredibly difficult for people from all walks of life. Even for someone who is an avid athlete, a health-conscious foodie, or a regimented vitamin-taker, discovering how to maximize personal health and well-being can seem rather overwhelming when considering how many things play a role in one’s health. Holistic medicine challenges people to take a step back and examine the big picture when contemplating health care. More specifically, holistic medicine is defined as looking at the whole person in the approach to health care. there might be more than one approach to staying healthy.
One form of holistic healing that can help with the mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies is mind and sense therapies. This approach includes things that stimulate and care for the mind and senses. This includes meditation, hypnosis, art, dance, visualization, and guided imagery. At Hill Rehab & Therapy, Brian is not only a physical therapist; he also happens to be a consulting hypnotist. These mind and sense therapies help with both mental and with physical symptoms.
“The whole person can be defined as consisting of all four bodies: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual,” Brian Hill, a physical therapist with Hill Rehab & Therapy, explains. “Each of these areas of a person’s being is vital to achieving and maintaining overall health.”
A big part of what makes holistic medicine appealing is its ability and willingness to incorporate all types of medical practices into one cohesive treatment plan. This can include, but is not limited to, traditional medical practices, alternative medicine, and aspects of both eastern and western medicine.
“I often take into account the four human bodies as well as the energy bodies of chakras, acupressure points, Chi, etc.,” Brian says.
Ultimately, holistic medicine aims to maximize the body’s natural ability to heal itself and seeks to instill confidence in patients so they can take control of their own health care and well-being. There are a lot of ways that this can be implemented. Traditional methods include pharmaceuticals, Western medical practices, and advanced treatment options like chemotherapy for cancer patients or insulin injections for diabetics. Alternative options can include ancient herbs, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage, naturopathic medicine, etc.
“The whole person can be defined as consisting of all four bodies: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.”
Brian Hill, Hill Rehab
Today, the amount of information that is available to people vastly exceeds what was available 50 years ago. As information becomes more available to people, different means of medicine and avenues for health care are being more widely explored and implemented. As people are becoming more informed, they are coming around to the notion that there might be more than one approach to staying healthy.
One form of holistic healing that can help with the mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies is mind and sense therapies. This approach includes things that stimulate and care for the mind and senses. This includes meditation, hypnosis, art, dance, visualization, and guided imagery. At Hill Rehab & Therapy, Brian is not only a physical therapist, he also happens to be a consulting hypnotist. These mind and sense therapies help with both mental and with physical symptoms.
“In my experience, it is common that by the time someone is experiencing negative physical symptoms, they have already experienced unbalance or unalignment in one, if not all, of their other bodies (mental, emotional, or spiritual),” Brian says.
Experiencing imbalance or unalignment occurs when the mind, body, and spirit are not in harmony, leading to physical discomfort, emotional unrest, or a sense of disconnection from one’s self. Often, having an issue with the emotional or mental component of someone’s body can trigger or worsen physical symptoms. In turn, when the mind and spirit are in balance, negative physical symptoms can lessen.
Regardless of what approach to medicine a patient takes, making lifestyle changes is an important part of making improvements to the whole self. Everyone can benefit from moderate exercise, healthy nutrition, stress management techniques, and high-quality, adequate sleep. Making some or all of these lifestyle changes can be included in a holistic plan in tackling personal health care.
There has been a dramatic change in how people approach their wellness in recent years. It is no longer a one-size-fits-all industry. Different patients are prioritizing different things and people from all walks of life are incorporating both traditional and alternative approaches into their care plans. It’s important when creating a plan for better health that patients consult with their health care providers and determine what makes sense for their bodies, minds, and spirits. In considering all the areas of a person’s body, the big picture of wellness can be examined more thoroughly and treated according to a patient’s personal medical history and goals.