In many ancient systems of medicine (such as China) treatment has been carried out with the view that mind, body and soul are united as a whole and should not be seen in isolation from each other.
You cannot treat an area; all of them are linked together.
Prevention and treatment must be based on the mind, body and soul, and millions of people around the world now recognize this opinion.
If you accept this concept you will be healthier, you will avoid diseases and you will be happy.
Health and fitness in general combine physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of our being.
A global approach to wellness
Mind-body-soul healing focuses on the interactions between the brain, mind, body, and the ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors affect us as a whole.
It promotes an approach that enhances the self-awareness of each person and their ability to perform self-care.
Mind-body-soul medicine generally focuses on intervention strategies that are believed to promote overall health.
These include areas such as:
Relaxation, imagery, meditation, tai chi yoga, Rekki, hypnosis, biofeedback, yoga, qi gong, autogenic training, spirituality and proper nutrition.
Illness is seen as an opportunity for personal growth, transformation and the transition to a happier and healthier being.
Health care acts as an important part of this transformation.
The history of complementary medicine
In 2002, more than 34% of the US adult population used relaxation techniques, imagery, biofeedback, and hypnosis.
The concept that the mind is important in the treatment of disease is integral to the healing approaches of traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic treatments that date back thousands of years.
In Greece, as early as 400 BC, Hippocrates recognized both the moral and spiritual aspects of healing.
This is probably one of the first statements about what we now consider to be alternative medicine.
In the 16th century a different direction was being taken that emphasized the opposite, the separation of mind, body and soul, in the treatment of disease.
During the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, advances in science saw an emphasis on science as the answer to everything.
Technological advances in medicine, including the discovery of bacteria and antibiotics, have changed the notion that they can influence health.
In the 1920s, the work of Walter Cannon revealed the relationship between stress and neuroendocrine responses in animals, and alternative healing became public again.
During World War II, alternative medicine got another boost in popularity.
During the battle on the beaches of Anzio, morphine for wounded soldiers was in short supply, so an interesting substitute was used.
Henry Beecher, MD, discovered that much of the pain could be relieved simply with saline injections.
He used the term placebo effect.
His subsequent research showed that up to 35% of a therapeutic response to all medical treatment could be the result of belief.
The will to live is often cited and this comes from the mind, not just the body.
Our mind has a great influence on our bodies and this view has gained more and more popularity in recent years.
The rise of complementary medicine
Since the 1960s, and the rise of the hippy generation and all things alternative, mind-body interactions and their impact on overall health have been back in vogue.
Today more people than ever are embracing alternative medicine and there is a rejection that science cures all.
People are now seeing and accepting what the cultures of our ancestors saw:
That mind, body and soul are one.
consider this
How many times have you heard of someone having the sheer will to live, when they should have died?
The reason is that they focused on both mind and body to survive.
If you want to fight disease, be healthier, think of your body, mind and soul working as a whole and you will accept what the Chinese have known for thousands of years.
