A look at Holistic Medicine throughout history by Aida Gadelkarim? Aida Gadelkarim and other holistic health experts have multiple ways of healing, but they share a common base approach. They believe in the ancient principle that healing is most effective when you factor in the whole person, rather than focusing on specific illnesses, body parts, or symptoms. Socrates said in the 4th century B.C., “The part can never be well unless the whole is well.” Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who lived in the 4th century B.C., stressed the healing power of nature. He believed in encouraging the self-healing efforts of the body. Other early physicians were more interested in actively stepping in to correct illness. These two approaches—support versus intervention—were debated for centuries until the scientific revolution of the 19th century. Aida Gadelkarim chooses to use methods of support when treating her patients
Long before X-rays or penicillin, doctors recognized the importance of spiritual and emotional well being in order to achieve good physical health. Two of the most well documented ancient holistic health traditions are Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda. Aida Gadelkarim believes that holistic health is a state of balance, not only an absence of illness. A holistic health education teaches the interconnection of body, spirit, mind and environment—just as it has for thousands of years, and Aida Gadelkarim works hard to share this with her clients.
Aida Gadelkarim believes that it is worth noting that TCM started almost 5,000 years ago and has continued to develop into a complex system of diagnostic and treatment methods that are still heavily used today. From the very beginning, TCM viewed the human body as a small universe of interconnected systems, including physical elements as well as subtle energies, such as “qi,” or life force, and “shen,” or spirit.
There are three ancient medical traditions in holistic health that Aida Gadelkarim likes to focus on:
1. Herbal medicine – Herbal medicine emphasizes holistic balance and is the oldest form of health care known to mankind. Indigenous people all over the world and throughout history have drawn on the medicinal properties of plants. Herbalism is a critical element of TCM and Ayurveda.
2. Ayurveda – Ayurveda is the ancient medical tradition of India. Ayurveda traces its origins to a text written by Sushruta, the “father of Surgery,” in the 6th century B.C. The healing practice incorporates beliefs in the five great elements of the universe, the seven primary constituent elements of the body, and the three “doshas,” or biological energies, that each represent. Using a system of eight treatment disciplines, Ayurvedic holistic health practitioners guide their patients to balance and moderation.
3. Western herbalism – Western herbalism originated in ancient Greece and Rome, then spread throughout the rest of Europe and eventually to North and South America, focusing on the medicinal attributes of plants and herbs.
With the discovery of germs as a disease-causing agent, Aida Gadelkarim notes that Western medicine became thoroughly focused on intervention. Diseases were treated as invaders to be destroyed with medicines such as penicillin. Physicians paid less attention to healthy lifestyle choices, environmental factors, and emotional health, which are areas Aida Gadelkarim chooses to focus on. The emphasis was on symptoms and syndromes. Patients were discouraged from participating in their own health care and began to believe that medicine should simply “fix” them, which Aida Gadelkarim says should not be the case.
It took almost a century for the limitations of this approach to become clear. Aida Gadelkarim points out that some scientific medical cures proved more harmful than the diseases they sought to treat. Other diseases and chronic conditions failed to respond to scientific treatment.
Eventually people began to seek alternative forms of medicine. This led to a renewal of interest in holistic health education in the West and eventually for Aida Gadelkarim. The first National Conference on Holistic Health was conducted in California in 1975. The American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) and the Holistic Medical Association were formed soon after.
Holistic Health Today
Aida Gadelkarim believes that we live in a time of great imbalance. There are more pollutants and chemicals in our food and environment than ever before. We face epidemic rates of obesity and chronic disease. Most people have poor diet and exercise habits. Almost everyone in our fast-paced society struggles to manage daily stress, and many are afflicted with chronic depression and anxiety.
Because of all this, consumers are concerned for their health. There has never been a greater need for the holistic health approach, and people are demanding medical alternatives and actively seeking better options for their personal wellness. This has resulted in constant research and development in the wellness industry, and Aida Gadelkarim is one of it’s premier providers.
Even with this industry boom, very few medical doctors practice holistic health care, so professionals like Aida Gadelkarim, trained in holistic health schools are in high demand. These holistic health practitioners offer healing alternatives such as massage therapy, nutrition, chiropractic medicine, acupuncture, meditation, and homeopathic medicine. While no holistic health practitioner or wellness professional can be an expert in every form of health restoration, each offers a unique toolbox of skills and knowledge to help patients achieve whole body health and balance.
About Aida Gadelkarim: Aida Gadelkarim has a Bachelor’s of Science in Business, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. Since 2010, Aida has worked for Botanicals MBS, where the
main focus is holistic medicine, natural beauty products and services. Botanicals MBS offers a variety of therapies Shockwave Therapy, Vitamin Infusion, Herbal Supplements, Micro-needling, PRP, PRF Hair Restoration, Meso Skin Therapy, and Acupuncture. Since 2017, Aida Gadelkarim has been a part of All-Heart Women’s Group, an LLC that manages the development and implementation of various women’s health and educational apps.