Holism, Health and Cannabis

Holism is about the big picture; it pertains to the idea that nothing happens in vacuum pressure. When seeking answers to an issue, holism puts the emphasis on the 'whole' as opposed to the parts.

The English Oxford Dictionaries define holism:

The theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they can not exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts.

And when holism is approximately health:

The treating of the complete person, considering mental and social factors, instead of just the symptoms of a disease.

Another way to consider holism is to apply the analogy of systems both natural and manmade (i.e. an ecosystem a health system, a family group system, a solar system, etc.).

A system is a complex 'whole' with a clear boundary; there is an outside and an inside. This content inside a system (for example: weather, animals, and plants) is made up of interrelated, interdependent parts that directly reflect the overall context, within which they exist, (for example: an ecosystem).

Whenever the complete of anything produces an outcome higher than some of its parts could accomplish, individually, we call that synergy, (for example: a thunderstorm, the music of an orchestra).

The contrary to holism, reductionism, instead analyzes something by its component parts.

Holistic Health: Treating the Whole Person

The traditional approach of the medical system has taught us to identify health from a reductionist perspective. We go to the doctor to get some specific part of our body fixed because it has stopped functioning well and may be causing us pain.

cali weed  of people get positive results using the medical-model. The only real problem is that model considers, almost exclusively, just the fitness of the body. And when it involves mental health, the normal solution would be to prescribe antidepressant medicine.

Why is this an issue? We humans are complex beings. We've minds, emotions and a soul, the non-public, intangible relationship to a macro reality beyond ourselves. Also, who we are, is continually influenced within the contexts of family, community, country and world.

A holistic approach to health and wellness addresses the reality of the multiple interrelated and interdependent parts which make us who we have been. The malaise of anybody of these can directly (and negatively), affect the health of other parts of our life.

For this reason alone, the initial focus of holistic care is on the person and not the problem or disease. Stress, anxiety, and depression, for example, often end up translating to a physical symptom. It's all connected.

In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national survey, in September, 2017, The American Psychiatric Association reported that antidepressant use had gone from 1 in 50 people 30 years back to at least one 1 of 9 between the years 2011 and 2014, and now in 2018.

This is clear evidence of the rise in mood disorders for Americans.

Why the increased use? As mentioned, nothing happens in a vacuum and so assessing one's lifestyle regarding home, relationships, finances, work, etc. becomes a crucial task to determine their impact. The bottom-line would be to find the root cause (s) and set up a restorative plan.

Cannabis and Holistic Health

The medicinal usage of cannabis is a world apart from its recreational use. In many cases, the lower the amount of THC found in any medicinal formulation, the greater the desired effect. The saying is: Start low; go slow. Treatment is never one-size-fits-all because the current interplay of someone's body, mind and soul are of primary consideration.

Historically, the whole of the ancient cannabis plant was used for a beneficial impact on a person's overall, general condition, far beyond mere symptom control. This makes it an ideal match to the holistic method of health.

Not unlike the complexity of the human being in context of our various lifestyles, cannabis a complex plant of the plant kingdom. It's effectiveness as an overall tonic is due to the actual fact of cannabis containing approximately 100 molecular compounds, with THC and CBD most researched and understood.

When the whole of the cannabis plant can be used as medicine it includes a synergistic or 'entourage' effect which accounts for why the therapeutic use of cannabis brings relief to a wide variety of conditions.

In this way therapeutic cannabis use stands in stark contrast to traditional medicine that typically isolates plant compounds and manufactures them in pharmaceuticals to target one symptom or bodily system.

I believe that more and more people are discerning the difference between the medical and holistic types of health. Each has its time and place. When discovering the many great things about medicinal cannabis, our your overal wellness, lifestyle and broader culture can transform for the better.

Susan is a 2018 graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy with over 45 years of personal involvement in the spectral range of wellness modalities. Her mission today is to intervene in the noise of modern life and help people identify and remove stressors that trigger their dis-ease while providing strategies towards a full time income experience of inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.