Holism, Health and Cannabis

· 3 min read
Holism, Health and Cannabis

Holism is approximately the big picture; it pertains to the idea that nothing happens in vacuum pressure. When seeking answers to a problem, 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 come in intimate interconnection, such that they can not exist independently of the complete, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, that is thus regarded as greater than the sum of the its parts.

And when holism is approximately health:

The treating of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, instead of just the symptoms of a disease.

Another way to consider holism is by using 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 an obvious boundary; there is an outside and an inside. This content inside a system (for example: weather, animals, and plants) comprises of interrelated, interdependent parts that directly reflect the entire context, within that they exist, (for instance: an ecosystem).

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

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

Holistic Health: Treating the complete Person

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

Millions of people get positive results using the medical-model. The only real problem is that this model considers, almost exclusively, just the health of the body. And when it comes to mental health, the normal solution is to prescribe antidepressant medicine.

Why is this a problem? We humans are complex beings. We have minds, emotions and a soul, the personal, intangible relationship to a macro reality beyond ourselves. What's more, who we are, is constantly influenced within the contexts of family, community, country and world.

A holistic approach to health and wellness addresses the reality of these multiple interrelated and interdependent parts that make us who we are. The malaise of any one of them can directly (and negatively), affect the health of other areas of our life.

For this reason alone, the initial focus of holistic care is on the individual and not the issue or disease. Stress, anxiety, and depression, for instance, 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 opted from 1 in 50 people 30 years ago to at least one 1 of 9 between your years 2011 and 2014, and today 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 therefore assessing one's lifestyle regarding home, relationships, finances, work, etc. becomes a crucial task to find out their impact. The bottom-line is to find the real cause (s) and set up a restorative plan.

Cannabis and Holistic Health

The medicinal use of cannabis is a world aside from its recreational use. Oftentimes, the lower the volume of THC used in any medicinal formulation, the greater the desired effect. The saying is: Start low; go slow. Treatment is never one-size-fits-all as the current interplay of someone's body, mind and soul are of primary consideration.

Historically, the entire ancient cannabis plant was useful for a beneficial impact on someone's overall, general condition, far beyond mere symptom control. This helps it be a perfect match to the holistic method of health.

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

Once the whole of the cannabis plant is used as medicine it includes a synergistic or 'entourage' effect which accounts for why the therapeutic usage of cannabis provides relief to a wide variety of conditions.

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

I believe that increasing numbers of people are discerning the difference between the medical and holistic types of health. Each has its time and place. When discovering the many benefits of medicinal cannabis, our overall wellness, lifestyle and broader culture can transform for the higher.

Susan is a 2018 graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy with over 45 years of personal involvement in the spectral range of wellness modalities.  mdma online purchase  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 living experience of inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.