Holistic Health is defined as the individual realization of continually higher expressions of health in body, mind and spirit. It is more than the absence of illness or disease. Holistic health is an ongoing state of wellness which involves taking care of the physical self, expressing emotions appropriately and effectively, using the mind constructively, being creatively involved with others, and becoming aware of higher levels of consciousness. This is being in harmony with ourselves and our environment, at all levels.
Western medicine attempts primarily to alleviate the symptoms of disease, devoting less than 10% of available resources to preventive medicine. Holistic healing emphasizes the whole person, seeking to foster a state of health in which individuals are integrated and balanced in all aspects of their being, thus experiencing love and fulfillment in their daily existence.
Utilizing the best that is available in physical, psychological, and spiritual healing and continually finding better ways to integrate these services is a major process of holistic health. Holistic healing deals directly with the root causes of disease states, which in most cases are chronic stress and psychosomatic problems.
Central to the concept of holistic health is the premise that individuals heal themselves and that they can do so by developing healthy life patterns and attitudes, and by becoming the director, effector and evaluator of their own uniquely designed wellness program.
Holistic health does not stand in opposition to traditional health care methods, but serves instead as a bridge between traditional and alternative methods.
The Association
The Association for Holistic Health (AHH) is a non-profit California corporation, incorporated in 1976, to promote and support holistic health. We are committed to responsible integration of the various disciplines of healing in order to ensure continued progress in professional methods, standards and ethics.
A vital aspect of our work is the stimulation of national health policy in holistic and humanistic directions. We provide an information network and forum for individuals and organizations dedicated to promotion of holistic health. We are establishing training programs to help individuals make the transition from traditional to holistic health care.
The Association grew out of the interest and energy generated by the Physician of the Future Conference (1975) that was sponsored by the Mandala Society in cooperation with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
An Invitation
We invite you to join the AHH. We believe your participation will be most important to you and us. The AHH provides us the means to join together and be part of what may well be the most important endeavor of our time – making true holistic health available to us all.
We encourage you to look over the memberships listed and to join the Association as a member in the category that best suits you.