Moving towards a more holistic approach to health and healing has been a long-term goal of mine for years. I’ve worked on transitioning out of reaching for “quick fix” Western medicinal options and using nutrition as a tool for improving my health.
Let’s start with the basics – What does holistic mean? The dictionary definition is two-fold:
- Philosophy – Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
- Medicine – Characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease.
{Golden Turmeric Latte from Elana’s Pantry}
For me, that means not treating or masking symptoms of an ailment, and instead approaching it as a piece of a larger puzzle. An easy analogy would be, rather than reaching for an Advil when I have a headache, I try to determine why I have a headache and work to solve that underlying problem. Am I dehydrated? Hungry? Did I have too much sugar yesterday? Too much sun? Am I low on any micro or macro nutrients?
A big part of treating my imbalances and working towards wellness is knowing my body and it’s needs, as well as having a basic understanding of nutrition.
Simply put – Food is medicine.
How we fuel our bodies can solve a number of our daily health complaints and in this series I’ll be focusing on holistic remedies and holistic nutrition background.
A few things that we’ll be covering – Antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and antimicrobials, as well as spices and home remedies like valerian root, elderberry syrup, belladonna, and aloe vera.
Note: I am not offering treatment plans and I’m not suggesting that self diagnosis is something that should be utilized in serious medical cases. Please see a doctor or naturopath if you have any questions about a major health concern. This series is intended to be informational and educational only.
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