Holistic Wellness: The Importance, Benefits, and How it Affects You in the Long Run.
- Brooke Legates
- Jan 15
- 5 min read
In recent studies, Holistic Wellness has become more popular in the United States compared to modern medicine. Many medical professionals have started to recognize it's importance in healthcare compared to modern medicine and not only this, the wellness markets have been noticing an immense sale in their products. A crunchy mom's dream come true. Now what exactly is holistic wellness? It by definition is "An approach to wellness that simultaneously addresses the physical, mental, social, and spiritual components of health." It promotes prevention of diseases, lifestyle modifications, and empowerment for each individual to care for their own health and overall wellbeing! It is different than modern health care and many people don't realize by just how much. There is a lot to it and after I started my journey with holistic wellness I realized how important it is to share it with others!
Now there is a lot more to Holistic Medicine than what people think. If you pay attention to politics or tik tok...RFK (Robert F. Kennedy) has talked about America's problems with modern medicine and how unhealthy it has made Americans. He has also mentioned Nutraceuticals. It's actually not often that we have heard it brought up in politics until recently because more and more Americans have started to take notice of modern medicine. Many have brought it up in debates to get answers to why our government is so involved with big pharma. Not only has it been covered in politics lately but you may hear about it in conspiracy theories as well. Especially the conspiracy theories with the ones comparing it to big pharma or pharmaceuticals in general. There are many things I would like to cover here and I would like to start by telling you about my journey into holistic wellness and how it has changed my life!
I have had a few health issues throughout my life that required extended use of medication between asthma, severe allergies, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, costochondritis, and a few others. Once I graduated high school and moved to the west coast I was on a lot of medications. It got to a point where when one medication didn't help I was just prescribed something new that would help for a little while and then the pain would come back again. Or for me to notice a medication would cause an issue and just be prescribed another medication for the issues the other medications would cause. It was a never ending cycle. It was a constant battle of finding new medications and then doing what I could to find relief. I was fed up with the cycle and needed a change. I began my journey into looking into a more natural based life and started changing what I ate, looked into more natural relief for my ailments, read the books and to my surprise I started gradually feeling better. More than I ever did when taking the medications. Many don't realize just how much a natural lifestyle can change your life! Especially if you struggle with things like chronic pain, inflammation, and anxiety or depression. The cures you can find in modern medicine for illnesses and diseases you can also find in natural medicine or nutraceuticals. Many that choose nutraceuticals over modern medicine feel the same benefits without the toxic side effects.
Now what is so important about holistic wellness? Well there are many things about holistic wellness that is important! If you are interested in starting a journey into holistic wellness this information is all for you! It's not just about taking a pill with side effects and not knowing anything about it. Holistic Wellness is about looking deeper into the root of the issues instead of modern medicine where it is more about putting a band-aid over the problem. Let's dive into holistic wellness! If you go to a holistic doctor for an ailment or any complaint. They won't just look into the surface. They will look deeper. Holistic wellness looks into your physical health, spiritual health, mental health, and social health. One of the best benefits of going into holistic health they will go over your lifestyle choices as well and connect how every part of your lifestyle choices connects to each part of your health. Now let's get to the benefits!
How are the benefits short term and long term? Let's go over them here! Short term benefits that you can expect from holistic wellness can include stress reduction if you are dealing with a lot of stress. Many see their stress reduce very fast! Pain relief is another wonderful benefit from holistic wellness. There are many medications throughout modern medicine that can cause body inflammation short term and long term which in turn just causes more health issues leading to more medications. An improve in mental health and mental clarity is another wonderful benefit choosing holistic wellness. Many notice they start feeling better within a week!
Long term benefits of choosing holistic wellness can include (and this one is usually the most favorite) it is easier on your finances. How you may ask can this be easier on your finances? Well, when you begin making your lifestyle changes you will decrease your risks of paying for expensive medical treatments down the road, not only this but depending on your insurance company that you have, they will pay for your treatments like acupunctures, holistic therapies, and massages. It is worth looking into your insurance company and what they will cover. Another wonderful long term benefit is the minimal side effects. Honestly, this is my favorite. You don't have to worry if the side effects will be toxic to your short term and long term health. Another is the overall improvement of your mental and physical health. This is one that I have looked forward too! Overall you notice you can think clearer than before, you begin to notice some of those aches and pains disappearing, the anxiety starts to fade and the depression. Many find that they are more satisfied leaving the doctor because they actually have a doctor that will listen to them and not just a prescribe a medication and go on with their days. They actually have personalized care and wellness plans that work for them!
Now if you are interested in Holistic Wellness how can you move forward and what is needed to be done? Let's go over this next. When I started my journey into holistic wellness I began by researching before I fully dived in. I will link the books and websites below that I did my research with. Next, after you start your own research it is time to research your options for a provider and making sure your health insurance covers your provider! You may find that your health insurance doesn't. In my case this is how Tricare is. If you're health insurance does not cover holistic medicine you have options! There is the option of discussing an appeal with your insurance company, finding in network providers that offer discounts, and you also have the option of switching insurance providers as well! Depending on the state that you live in you also may have the option to appeal the insurances decision with holistic medicine.
After you complete your research, find a provider, and make sure you insurance covers then you must make the differences that you and your provider discuss with your lifestyle habits including diet, exercise, social health, mental health and overall wellbeing. For many that begin this journey they notice differences almost immediately in how they feel mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It truly makes the difference. Especially when you begin to put the effort into yourself for your overall health! Here below I will link a few books that have helped those starting out on their holistic journey! If you have any questions or comments feel free to put them in the comments below! I hope you enjoy!
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