What does an integrated, holistic healthcare mean
Let us begin with what we are not- 'Alternative' or 'Complementary'. Alternative medicine basically amounts to using an alternative for what is considered standard care. An example of this would be the use of St. John's-wort instead of Prozac to treat depression. Complementary care is the use of an alternative method alongside standard medical care in the hope of achieving better results. These methods are focused on managing the symptoms of a disease.
Holistic healthcare is entirely different. Its aim is to observe the nature of the person who is seeking help. Integrated Holistic healthcare studies the patient's unique life story, their constitutional uniqueness, and the way in which he or she has dealt with the challenges along that path, and fix the root cause of their health imbalances.
Integrating the philosophies, techniques and scientific applications of Western medicine, Eastern medicine, homeopathy, bioenergetic medicine, nutrition, biochemistry, psychoneuroimmunology, and kinesiology, one is able to understand imbalances leading to dysfunction (disease) with an unprecedented level of depth.
The origins of most health problems observed today are multifactorial in nature. Labeling the compilation of symptoms as a diagnosis is merely for semantic purposes. The label itself rarely gives any information about the cause of the disorder or the unique way in which the patient may be experiencing this imbalance. For this reason, the treatment applies to the person, not the disease.
We assess your unique health history, constitution, physical health, biochemical health, mental/emotional health, epigenetics, lifestyle, and more. This allows us to view your health and health problems like a complex web, where each part of the web affects every other part; we try to get to the root cause/s of your health problems instead of just treating the symptom. At Synergy Holistic Health, we appreciate symptoms. Think of symptoms like words, and holistic healthcare like a language of symptoms.
A simple example is having hip pain and a bunion on the big toe on the same leg. All too often patients get lost in the land of specialist doctors that see symptoms as a nail because they only have a hammer. An orthopedist may suggest hip surgery, a podiatrist may suggest bunion surgery, a physical therapist may suggest mobility for the hips, ankle, and toes. Meanwhile, the toe and hip symptoms could have one related cause- either muscle imbalances never diagnosed or addressed, ligamentous laxity due to high cortisol, joint misalignment, incorrectly sized shoes, a trauma never asked about, etc. Addressing the root cause will save you time, money, and increase your results from care.