Holism, Health and Cannabis
Holism is approximately the big picture; it relates to the idea that nothing happens in a vacuum. When seeking answers to a problem, holism puts the focus on the ‘whole’ rather than the parts.
The English Oxford Dictionaries define holism:
The theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, that is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts.
And when Buy weed in Australia is about health:
The treating of the complete person, considering mental and social factors, instead of just the symptoms of an illness.
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 system, a solar system, etc.).
A system is really a complex ‘whole’ with a clear boundary; there is an outside and an inside. This content inside a system (for instance: weather, animals, and plants) comprises of interrelated, interdependent parts that directly reflect the overall context, within that 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 original approach of the medical system has taught us to identify health from the reductionist perspective. We visit the doctor to obtain some specific part of the body fixed since it has stopped functioning well and could 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. So 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 have 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 fitness of other areas of our life.
For this reason alone, the first focus of holistic care is on the individual and not the issue or disease. Stress, anxiety, and depression, for example, often find yourself translating to a physical symptom. It’s all connected.
According to 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 1 1 of 9 between the years 2011 and 2014, and today in 2018.
This is clear proof 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 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 apart from its recreational use. Oftentimes, the lower the quantity 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 as the current interplay of someone’s body, mind and soul are of primary consideration.
Historically, the whole of the ancient cannabis plant was useful for a beneficial impact on someone’s overall, general condition, far beyond mere symptom control. This makes it an ideal match to the holistic approach to 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 as an overall tonic has to do with the fact of cannabis containing approximately 100 molecular compounds, with THC and CBD most researched and understood.
Once the whole of the cannabis plant can be used as medicine it provides a synergistic or ‘entourage’ effect which makes up about 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 models of health. Each has its time and place. When discovering the many benefits of medicinal cannabis, our your overal 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 spectrum 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 connection with inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.