The word Holistic is derived from the Greek word 'holis'
which means whole.

To use the word whole is to recognise the fact that in nature each individual item is composed of a number of distinct but interdependent parts. For example, the sun, stars, moon, and planets are part of a whole we call the universe; while air, wind, water, land, birds, animals, flowers, vegetation, and human beings are all part of the whole we call planet earth.

Similarly human beings are made up of interdependent parts, which form a whole. These parts - mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical - rely upon and affect each other. When one part of a human being is not working at its best its deficiencies could affect other parts. So, if the parts that make up the human being that is you are overlooked, overworked, or overstressed, imbalances may occur within you. You may feel you are not at your best.

The term Holistic Health is used to describe an approach to health, which looks at individual human beings as being made up of interdependent parts. It is not a replacement for conventional medicine; but is complementary to it. The concept behind Holistic Health is not new - it goes back thousands of years; and is seen by many as being derived from the laws of nature.

Holistic Health looks at the causes of a problem - not the problem itself. Central to Holistic Health is the concept of balance: - that is the balance of energy within the parts that form the whole human being.

Imbalances in human beings do not necessarily emerge over-night. They tend to evolve over time. Unresolved emotions or feelings from long ago which have slipped from conscious into sub-conscious memory, all may have an impact on the balance in energy of a person's being. Childhood trauma, stressful relationships, work issues, bereavement, divorce and sudden shocks - all can have an impact on the whole that is an individual human being.

Let us take an analogy. Imagine, yourself as a small pond. There is clear water on the surface, but the bottom is clogged up. Sludge and muck have settled there over time. If that sludge and muck is not cleared away, it will eventually build up until the pond is completely clogged up and fails to function as it should. The surface will no longer be clear, but murky, dull and lifeless, possibly with algae floating on its surface. For the pond to become properly clear again it is not enough to skim the surface - it is necessary to clear away the accumulated muck and grime from the bottom of the pond as well.

When adverse emotions, thoughts and feelings are filed away and held onto, they - like the sludge and grime in the pond - may interfere with the clarity and proper functioning of a human being. Quite simply, they can bring you down, and most of the time - without you even knowing it until it is to late. The purpose of Holistic Health is to counter this by restoring clarity and balance within the main energy points in your body - called Chakras.

Of course for some lucky people near perfect living conditions - a healthy diet, a stress-free lifestyle - combine with other factors in such a way that they never seem to suffer from imbalances. But most people at some time are conscious of not feeling at their best and of imbalances within their being.

When imbalances do occur many people tend to assume that they will just go away as the body has its own innate healing processes. All will be well, they think if they ignore things. But if you overlook imbalances they may manifest themselves in physical ills - frequent colds, headaches, stomach disorder etc. These physical reactions may be signals that your body is sending out to tell you that all is not well: that there is an imbalance in your body-mind-spirit. It is important to take notice of these signals; to ignore the possibility that something is wrong could mean that more serious problems developing later on.

When and if problems do occur you will, of course, visit your medical doctor to get your symptoms treated, but that is not all you can do. As well as treating the medical problem you may be able to tackle the processes that may have led up to it.

Taking a tablet to cure a headache, or a medicine for an upset stomach may cure that problem that time; but it may also be helpful to use the approaches of Holistic Health to try to ensure that the headache or upset stomach does not reoccur.

There are many causes of ill health -some hereditary, some environmental and some life-style. Some reports suggest that up to half of a person's state of health is contributed to by their own life-style choices such as nicotine, drugs, alcohol, lack of exercise, or inadequate rest. Other factors, of course are hereditary illness, environmental factors and the nature of medical care.

The life-style choices people make can be physical or mental. Cells in the body are replenished each day, and every second the body is building new cells from within itself; that is a physical process. Similarly a person's attitude to life is constantly being built up and replenished from what is seen, heard and experienced both physically and emotionally.

Holistic Health involves a commitment made by ourselves to ourselves: - giving the body, mind and spirit the building blocks necessary to keep our physical beings in as healthy a state as possible. As part of that process Holistic Health aims to create a positive state of mind. Exercise, plenty of rest, nutritious food are all involved in creating that state of mind.

Holistic Health is actually an approach to living, a life-style transformation, changes that you can make in everyday living. Rather than focusing on a specific part of the body, the ancient approaches of Holistic Health consider the whole body and aim to raise its functioning to the maximum level possible.

In Holistic Health a symptom is considered to be a message that something is wrong below the surface. Holistic Health seeks to find the root cause and when that is found to give attention and care so that a healing process can be started.

But prevention is better than cure. Before problems arise Holistic Health may give the body an additional boost. Its treatments support and replenish the body's natural healing system by focusing on the whole body and the whole situation rather than just on any particular illness.