Holistic health is a practice that acknowledges the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit! It’s based on the idea that a whole system is made up of interdependent parts. For example, the ecosystem here on Earth is made up of air, forests, water, plants, and animals. For life to continue to flourish, all those pieces need to be in harmony. If something happens that affects one of these parts, it’s felt throughout the whole system! Similarly, the human body is a system of connected, interdependent parts.

Holistic health practices focus on healing and balancing all of these aspects of wellness — looking at health as a whole, rather than pieces that function separately. A holistic health practitioner is likely to prescribe both traditional medicines, as well as lifestyle changes such as improved nutrition and sleep, connection to a community, spiritual support, energetic healing, mindfulness, and more to help balance physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual health.

Holistic health as we know it today began with ancient healing practices that originated thousands of years ago. These ancient practices stressed living a healthy, balanced life. Traditions such as Ayurveda, acupuncture, the study of chakras, meridian lines, and energy healing originated in the East, in countries such as India and China. These practices made their way around the globe, but as scientific medical advances were made in the West, healthcare began to focus mainly on quick fixes through pills and medicine instead of healing through lifestyle changes.

As time has gone on, people have begun to circle back to that original knowledge of healing by holistic means. A holistic health lifestyle has grown in popularity each year, as holistic methods offer easy-to-implement lifestyle changes that support the whole person.