Let’s look at the meaning of Holistic:

1. Holistic: Of or relating to holism
2. Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts <holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body> <holistic ecology views humans and the environment as a single system>

And if we study the definition of Holism:

1. A theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles.
2. Study or method of treatment that is concerned with wholes or with complete systems : a holistic study or method of treatment.

To simplify the elements of holistic health I created the Pyramid of Health. It encompasses the major factors of your wellbeing. Structure of the body

Proper alignment and functions of the joints of the arms, legs, and spine are crucial for a few reasons:

• Nerve communication through out the body from the brain and spinal cord. They tell everything in your body how to work and interference in these channels of communication will cause any part of the body to not work optimally.
• The flow of the acupuncture meridians, blood, lymphatic fluid, and cerebral spinal fluid, foundations for muscles to attach to, alignment of fascia all depend on the joints of the body to be aligned and functioning well.
• Alignment of the organs are also important and misalignments can cause health problems.

Physiology

Problems with metabolism, digestion, hormones, chemistry, nutrition, toxicity, hydration, etc can cause health problems. Some of these can also be detected sub-clinically or functionally because there can be problems before a lab test will show it, before it becomes a “pathology”.

Energetics

We also have an energetic anatomy of the body. Some gifted people can see this or perceive it in different ways. These energetic structures relate to our physical body and influence it.

• The aura is an energetic field that surrounds the body like a sphere or an egg. It has several layers relating to different aspects of the body.
• The chakras are seven energy wheels or vortexes that are in certain positions within the body and extend out. They relate to the layers of the aura, meridians, and organs.
• The meridians are channels of energy that travel in defined pathways through the body and stem from the chakras. The meridians relate to the organs and glands of the body. They travel in similar ways to blood vessels and nerves.

Mental/Emotional

Sometimes your mind can become stuck in a pattern that is not desirable because the way you think has an influence on your body.

• Mental stresses from the life you live can cause almost any type of health challenges to occur.
• Depression and or anxiety can be devastating if they go unchecked.
• PTSD is the result of trauma and can be a factor in other aspects of health
• Even conditions like phobias and schizophrenia can be helped when the body regains healthy balance and resiliency.

The Will

The will keeps your mind aligned and in spiritual terms is influenced by your higher Self, the universal consciousness, or God depending on what your philosophical view is about these things. This is your underlying guidance to wellbeing.

Zooming out to the big picture of health and wellbeing

When I am working with someone in a holistic sense, I am looking at the macroscopic view of their total being and life. This is how I can best determine why they have the challenges that they do.

Each one of these elements has an effect on the others. It is difficult to say that only one aspect has a problem. If you have a spinal misalignment it will change your physiology, mental, and energetic balance in your body.

For example, it may cause a digestive disturbance and anxiety. So you go to a doctor for help with your digestion and are put on a medication. Then anxiety is taking its toll and you go to another doctor for a medication to help with your emotions. Both of these medications have other side effects that cause more symptoms so you go back to the doctor and are put on something new which compounds your health problems even further.

If the digestive problem was stemming from a misalignment of the spine that was causing stomach and emotional problems, a few visits to a doctor that knows how to look for these things can correct it all very conservatively.

There are times when medical help is needed but it is not a dire emergency conservative care should be tried first.

The same goes for any of the other elements of health:

Physical

• Muscles, joints, organs, nerves, vessels,

Physiological

• Metabolism, blood chemistry, lymphatics, cerebral spinal fluid, hormones, nutrition, toxicity

Mental/Emotional

• Mental trauma, emotions, mental patterns, societal patterns

Energetics

• Aura, chakras, meridians, cords, tears, blockages, electromagnetic disturbances form environment

Spiritual

• Energetic attachments, subtle energetic bodies, past life agreements, karma, akashic records, soul fragmentation and retrieval

An imbalance in any of these will cause secondary problems in the others.

“The mind is the builder', Edgar Cayce

The mind is in control of all of these. It channels your will from the higher aspects of your being and can change anything about you and your life depending on the Level Of Consciousness that you are in.

There are many ways of working with mental blocks in the mind and old patters that might not serve the body anymore. This makes it easier for you to overcome challenges you want and help bring about wellbeing in your life.

When work with the mind is combined with restoring the resiliency of the other elements of your health, it creates the most direct path to your wellbeing.