What are the differences and connections between alternative therapies and overall health

To put it simply, the core difference between the two is that they have completely different attributes - alternative therapy is a set of specific and implementable intervention methods, while holistic health is a set of systematic concepts and practice frameworks for looking at health. The connection between the two is that qualified alternative therapies are often common carriers for the implementation of the concept of holistic health, and the core logic of holistic health is the underlying support for the long-term role of alternative therapies.

Over the years I have been working in health management, I have seen too many people who confuse the two. Last month, a girl who works in Internet operations came to me to complain, saying that no organic problem could be found for migraine for three years, and the more painkillers she took, the more painkillers she took. A friend recommended moxibustion as an alternative intervention. After half a month of continuous moxibustion, it really relieved a lot. After staying up for three long nights on a project, the pain was worse than before. She insisted that alternative treatments are all IQ taxes. In fact, the problem with the method is that she regarded the alternative therapy of moxibustion as another "painkiller" and only used it for the symptom of headache, without understanding the logic of overall health. During that period, she drank three glasses of ice cream every day, slept less than 5 hours a day, her shoulders and neck were as hard as stone slabs, and her mood was tense all year round. If these root problems were not adjusted, even moxibustion every day would not be able to block the hole.

To put it bluntly, alternative therapies are essentially tools, which correspond to the definition of "various types of intervention methods other than conventional Western medical treatment." The scope is very wide, ranging from the familiar acupuncture, massage, herbal supplements, aromatherapy, to the highly controversial homeopathy and crystal healing. Tools naturally have reliable and unreliable distinctions. , the controversy over this category in the academic community has never stopped: the analgesic and postoperative adverse reaction relief effects of acupuncture have long been recognized by the WHO, and are supported by a large amount of evidence-based evidence. However, homeopathic medicine has been falsified by many authoritative journals such as The Lancet, and the effect is no different from placebo. If you don’t take it seriously, you will be wronged sooner or later.

Holistic health is not a specific method at all. Its core is to treat people as a complete system with interconnected parts, rather than a spliced body of various organs. Your problems are never caused by a broken "part", but an imbalance caused by the combined effect of physical state, emotional stress, living habits and even the surrounding environment. When making adjustments, you will not just focus on the disease, but will restore balance in all dimensions. Of course, this concept is not without criticism. After all, the definition is too broad. Many unscrupulous merchants will sell IQ tax products under the banner of "holistic conditioning" and dare to claim that they can cure all diseases without even an ingredient list. Ordinary people should be careful of this kind of trap.

As for why people always tie the two together, to put it bluntly, they are highly compatible. The treatment logic of conventional Western medicine is more towards symptomatic treatment. It kills bacteria for bacterial infection and lowers blood pressure for high blood pressure. It is indeed effective. However, in the face of such chronic symptoms and sub-health conditions where no organic problems can be detected, there is often no good solution, and many proven alternatives are available. Alternative therapy itself has its own overall adjustment properties. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, regulating the spleen and stomach will not only prescribe you medicine to aid digestion, but also adjust your work and rest and eating habits along the entire digestive circuit. It fits well with the concept of overall health and has gradually become a commonly used combination. But don’t think that alternative therapy is equal to overall health. I have also encountered someone promoting a certain “alternative anti-diabetic medicine” before, saying that it can lower blood sugar without controlling diet or exercising. This essentially treats alternative therapy as another special medicine, which completely goes against the core of overall health. If you really believe it, it will delay regular treatment, and the gain is not worth the loss.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the relationship between the two is just like when you are traveling by car. Alternative therapy is the navigation, air pump, first aid kit and other equipment in your car, while overall health is the travel route and safety guidelines you have planned in advance. Without a random route, no matter how good the equipment is, it may go astray and cause an accident. Without the equipment at hand, it will be difficult for you to deal with emergencies such as a tire blowout. Only by setting up the two can you drive to your destination steadily.