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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Advocating Holistic Rehabilitation
Holistic, or integrative, medicine makes use of complementary (CAM) and alternative medicine therapies taking into account the whole personality (body, mind, and spirit). Nowadays holistic alternative healing is collaborating with conventional medicine. A lot of MD offices include a ND (naturopathic doctor) on staff to address the growing demand from their patients.
Holistic medicine represents ancient medical science originated in the East more than 5 centuries ago. The term ‘holism’ was introduced by Jan Christian Smuts (‘Holism and Evolution’, 1926) as "the tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts ". Starting from the 1970s, holistic approach in medicine has gained a lot of followers in the West. In 1978 American Holistic Medical Association was founded.
The principles of holistic medicine can be formulated in several basic points:
With the development of holistic medical knowledge it proved to be incredibly efficient in drug and alcohol addiction treatment. In 2007 the Alliance for Addiction Solutions (AAS) was established as a non-profit organization promoting effective nutritional and other holistic natural methods for the treatment of addictive disorders. As it’s stated on their site, ‘AAS envisions widespread, easily accessible treatment centers where nutrient therapy, acupuncture, exercise, dietary counseling, comprehensive detoxification, identification and correction of allergies, and a broad range of multidisciplinary approaches are readily available’.
Nowadays holistic medicine methods are widely applied in drug rehab treatment centers. Such facilities use dual diagnosis, which consists of identifying both substance abuse problems and co-occurring mental health disorders. Screening for toxicities, nutritional deficiencies, and other biochemical imbalances becomes standard procedure in medical offices and schools. The central idea of such a treatment is eliminating biochemical imbalances which provoke addictive behaviors. This goal is achieved by innovative integration of brain-body energy natural techniques that address the individual physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Holistic rehab programs have incredible success rates (70% of non relapse patients on long-term basis comparing to 3-5% in traditional rehab centers). According to this method’s followers, for every drug that a patient abuses there is a natural substance that can achieve the same effect. Unlike traditional rehab centers, holistic facilities provide drug-free detox replacing substances by natural nutrition components amd food supplements combined with adequate exercise and psychotherapy. What is done conventional rehabs do with chemicals, holistic centers achieve with natural therapies. The conjunction of these methods allows to address the underlying causes of addiction rejunevating patient’s ability to experience joy without drugs.
Holistic rehab method also has a strong spiritual foundation. All the world religions have a concept of a divine power in each and every being, which could be also successfully applied in the case of substance abuse treatment. Regardless a patient’s religion, this method is based on the so-called higher power. 12-step psychological program includes the process of praying, doing good deeds, forming friendships and sharing experiences with peers.
One of the first specialists to adopt holistic approach to drug rehab treatment was a Russian specialist Dr. Jacob Marshak. He developed a method of regulating patients’ cycles of agitation and relaxation by means of yoga, special nutrition and supplements. Dr. Marshak also tailored his original 12-step psychological program to the needs of the patients that go through detox process.
Holistic medicine represents ancient medical science originated in the East more than 5 centuries ago. The term ‘holism’ was introduced by Jan Christian Smuts (‘Holism and Evolution’, 1926) as "the tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts ". Starting from the 1970s, holistic approach in medicine has gained a lot of followers in the West. In 1978 American Holistic Medical Association was founded.
The principles of holistic medicine can be formulated in several basic points:
- Optimal health (conscious maintenance of the highest balance level of functioning);
- The healing power of love as life’s most powerful healer;
- Whole person treatment as the unity of body, mind and spirit;
- Prevention and treatment (as opposed to merely managing symptoms);
- Innate healing power (one’s own natural energy);
- Integration of healing systems (a combination of all safe and effective options in diagnosis and treatment from a variety of traditions);
- Relationship-centered care (practitioner-patient relationship based on a partnership);
- Individuality (the unique nature of the person rather than the illness);
- Teaching by example.
With the development of holistic medical knowledge it proved to be incredibly efficient in drug and alcohol addiction treatment. In 2007 the Alliance for Addiction Solutions (AAS) was established as a non-profit organization promoting effective nutritional and other holistic natural methods for the treatment of addictive disorders. As it’s stated on their site, ‘AAS envisions widespread, easily accessible treatment centers where nutrient therapy, acupuncture, exercise, dietary counseling, comprehensive detoxification, identification and correction of allergies, and a broad range of multidisciplinary approaches are readily available’.
Nowadays holistic medicine methods are widely applied in drug rehab treatment centers. Such facilities use dual diagnosis, which consists of identifying both substance abuse problems and co-occurring mental health disorders. Screening for toxicities, nutritional deficiencies, and other biochemical imbalances becomes standard procedure in medical offices and schools. The central idea of such a treatment is eliminating biochemical imbalances which provoke addictive behaviors. This goal is achieved by innovative integration of brain-body energy natural techniques that address the individual physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Holistic rehab programs have incredible success rates (70% of non relapse patients on long-term basis comparing to 3-5% in traditional rehab centers). According to this method’s followers, for every drug that a patient abuses there is a natural substance that can achieve the same effect. Unlike traditional rehab centers, holistic facilities provide drug-free detox replacing substances by natural nutrition components amd food supplements combined with adequate exercise and psychotherapy. What is done conventional rehabs do with chemicals, holistic centers achieve with natural therapies. The conjunction of these methods allows to address the underlying causes of addiction rejunevating patient’s ability to experience joy without drugs.
Holistic rehab method also has a strong spiritual foundation. All the world religions have a concept of a divine power in each and every being, which could be also successfully applied in the case of substance abuse treatment. Regardless a patient’s religion, this method is based on the so-called higher power. 12-step psychological program includes the process of praying, doing good deeds, forming friendships and sharing experiences with peers.
One of the first specialists to adopt holistic approach to drug rehab treatment was a Russian specialist Dr. Jacob Marshak. He developed a method of regulating patients’ cycles of agitation and relaxation by means of yoga, special nutrition and supplements. Dr. Marshak also tailored his original 12-step psychological program to the needs of the patients that go through detox process.
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