Ayurveda, homeopathy, yoga: they make us feel better but caution is needed against smoke sellers
The holistic disciplines they are those approaches to care in which we do not dwell on the single disorder, but take into consideration theper person as a whole, that is, in his organic aspectsbut also in those psychological, mental and spiritual. Holistic disciplines include, for example, Ayurvedic medicine, acupuncture, foot reflexology and aromatherapy. Unlike traditional medicine, based on scientific data, the foundations of holistic practices are based on ancient knowledge that science considers insufficiently founded, so as to define them as pseudoscienze. In any case, given the great variety of practices and the lack of a stable regulatory system that regulates and verifies the qualification of operators, it is necessary to pay close attention to the competence of the people we trust.
WHAT ARE HOLISTIC DISCIPLINES As their name itself says (holistic comes from the Greek
onlymeaning whole), these practices consider l
man as a whole organism and not as a sum of the parts. To cure a symptom or a disease, therefore, it is necessary to take it into consideration in its entirety, therefore in its organic but also mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. Illness or ailment occurs when these aspects are in
disharmony between them: to help the patient regain his well-being, it is necessary to restore the balance where it has been compromised. Holistic medicines, by their very nature are therefore a subject of
very controversial debate: even if some of them are based on scientific presuppositions, the methods and presuppositions are not yet considered sufficient to recognize them as scientific disciplines in all respects, but we stop to consider them forms of alternative and complementary medicine.
WHEN THEY CAN BE USEFUL Since they do not fit into a strictly scientific perspective, these disciplines
they are difficult to evaluate according to the classic criteria of therapeutic efficacy, as occurs instead for other traditional medical approaches. However, they can be very useful in some situations: for example, when we have been diagnosed with a disorder, we can try to cure it with
natural remedies before resorting to actual medications. However, if, in the doctor’s opinion, progress is insufficient, if the disease is serious or if treatment is urgent, traditional medicines must be taken without delay. Alternative medicines can be useful in treating some psychosomatic disorders, after the possible organic causes of the symptoms have been excluded, such as headache, irritable bowel, anxiety, insomnia. In these cases, precisely because of their ability to take into consideration multiple aspects of the same problem, holistic medicines
can get good results. For example, acupuncture, homeopathy or aromatherapy can help us solve our problem: it’s all about finding the most suitable discipline and above all the
really skilled operator and able to help us. Alternative disciplines are also useful as forms of preventive medicine, because they help to adopt a correct lifestyle and the adoption of techniques that stimulate a global state of psychophysical well-being.
THE PLACEBO EFFECT There is still a lot of friction between holistic medicines, including homeopathy, and the “official” one. Given that these therapies often demonstrate a certain effectiveness, but the reason is not well understood, many doctors are convinced that their effectiveness is mainly linked to the so-called
placebo effect; this is based on the subjective conditioning of the patient who, in the belief that he has taken a drug that will make him feel better, notices a real and often substantial improvement in his condition. It is a much more common phenomenon than one might think, especially in pathologies in which the psychosomatic component is relevant, but it also occurs in organic diseases, albeit to a lesser extent.
WHEN THEY ARE USELESS AND EVEN HARMFUL – Unfortunately we often read in the newspapers cases of patients suffering from very serious illnesses who have lost their lives after abandoning traditional medicine, even if this offered concrete possibilities of recovery, to rely on alternative practices that are at least questionable. In these cases, only the operator’s preparation and ethics can convince the patient that the only source of healing can come from science.
BEWARE OF FALSE EXPERTS – Unfortunately, in our country, the legislation that regulates the activity of holistic operators is still uncertain and deficient. In the absence of recognition of holistic disciplines as medical practices in all respects, their exercise in many cases is free, with the consequent difficulty in verifying the real competence of the operator. They are exceptions
acupuncture e
homeopathy, for which a medical degree is required; also to become
osteopathy it is necessary to follow a special degree course and enroll in the dedicated professional register, while disciplines such as
Reiki,
aromatherapythe
foot reflexology and others of the kind, require only short courses of study and do not require enrollment in a professional register: the competence of the operators, in these cases, is more difficult to verify. Therefore, we must remember that the holistic operator must never replace our family doctor, especially when it comes to formulating a diagnosis or if there is a suspicion of a serious illness.