Disease Prevention is Better for Health

After working as a nurse on the oncology unit in the hospital (many years ago) and then as a home care nurse, I realized that intervention at that point was too late and it made more sense to prevent problems and disease. The USA has epidemics of chronic diseases such as cardiac disease, diabetes, asthma, and obesity, to name a few. These diseases are often preventable and can be treated better than has been the norm. As a nurse practitioner working in primary care I wanted educate and care for patients at an earlier point- prevention is key and health problems can be addressed earlier. However, I soon found out that the traditional system in which I was educated did not have answers to many questions and people often did not get well.

A Holistic Health Approach

Using a holistic approach to health means that integrative physicians or NPs use allopathic (conventional) medicine, including prescriptions as needed, Chinese medicine, diet and lifestyle management, herbal medicine, and healing therapies such as acupuncture, massage, detoxification, chiropractic, among others. All have their place in the quest for health. There are limitless specialists to whom to refer for a multitude of other modalities. Each specialist has chosen his or her passion and developed the skills to be the best he can be in that realm.

The Patient as Partner

The role of the patient is to become a partner with the integrative physician in his or her own journey toward health. This is an active role, and a partner can provide information, encouragement and follow up to help you meet your goals.

Here are important questions to ask yourself when deciding to take charge of the health of your mind, body, spirit and emotional selves:

• What makes sense and resonates with you?
• Who do you trust?
• What do you know about the different traditional, alternative, complementary, and integrative approaches that are available?
• How do you find out what you need to know?
• How much time, money, and energy are you willing to invest in your current and future health?
• How good is your support system? How much encouragement do you have?

To be healthy means more than just being free of disease.

The whole person: body, mind, spirit, and emotions must be optimally healthy. That is a holistic health approach, the health of the whole person, as we are a sum of all the parts that contribute to our overall health and wellbeing.