Well, the quarter is almost over (2 weeks left!) and I feel like I might be ready to explain what Holistic Health Education (HHE) is all about.
Did you know that the US spends billions of dollars on health care each year? We have the most advanced bio-medical research and technology, and yet we are only ranked 37th for overall quality of health care?? Obesity and diabetes are becoming an epidemic. Something is obviously not right. As I have been learning in class, the Western (allopathic) medical model is only focusing on disease and how to cure it, instead of focusing on prevention, the individual, and the mind, body and spirit.
Western medicine only treats the patient once the symptoms appear. This means, they constantly have to put out fires. This also makes it harder to heal the person (think about, it’s harder to get rid of cold then it is to prevent it, now think about more extreme examples), not to mention very expensive (surgeries, prescriptions).
In HHE we realize that the mind, body and spirit all affect each other and the health of the individual. The first step should be prevention, such as educating people about: optimum nutrition, fun movement, the value of community and positive thoughts, way to release stress, the importance of having a job that you love, and having a meaning in life. It’s also important to note that HHE doesn’t ban the Western Approach to health care, it just recognizes that there is more to health care than popping pills or quick fixes. Western health care has it’s place, but it’s only a part of the big picture, and should be the last resort in some cases.
As a holistic health educator I want to empower the people I am educating. I want to let them know their options, including the Western approach when needed, and teach them about prevention and all the aspects of our lives that have an effect on our body, mind and spirit. I feel that the patient can be their own healer, sometimes even more so than a doctor can heal them, so I would like to help my patient to connect back to there internal wisdom to figure out what they need as a unique individual.
Fresh Living Now 