Holism, the one, single entity.
There is much talk of an holistic approach to medicine.
However this concept is widely misunderstood. A clinic is not holistic by virtue
of being composed of a number of practitioners working in different disciplines
although individuals within that group may themselves be holistic practitioners
for example homoeopaths, acupuncturists, aromatherapists.
Thus a hospital with
an ear specialist, an orthopaedic specialist, an ophthalmologist, oncologist etc.
is not holistic, we are more than the sum of our parts (Jan Smuts). According
to the doctrine of holism we need to understand what it means to be a complete
person within the context of a whole: the individual, family, clan, cultural group
etc. and how stresses within this whole can manifest as diseases in the individual.
When we are ill we need to understand why we are ill. Often we say that it is
the heavy food or the coffee that caused our upset stomach. In this way
we blame the food or eventually our stomach for not handling the food. We analyse
a situation and believe the part is to blame rather than the whole. We also
believe that our different components have nothing to do with one another.
Thus we think that eczema and a stuffy nose are unrelated even though they may
follow sequentially. If we understand that we are a unit and that every part of
us is connected to every other part, then we have to understand that every part
of our bodies is connected to our thoughts and emotions.
That which is more than the sum of the parts is what organizes them. We are living
in what organizes the body and this entity can only function when we are engaged
with it and through it with our environment. If we are ill it is because
the organs are not being organized. The government of the body is collapsing.
Perhaps the workload on the body, mind or emotions is more than they can handle
or possibly they were shocked or strained beyond their capacity to respond appropriately.
When we can no longer respond freely on any one level (spiritual, physical or
emotional) and must suppress our expression as free human beings, our systems
start producing symptoms of un-ease.
An important tool in understanding holism is Hering's
Law of Cure. For further information refer to Vithoulkas, George: 1980, "The
Science of Homeopathy", New York, Grove Press
To learn more about the holistic approach to healing, see our selection of courses in Cape Town.
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