Holistic Health in Australia - Essay Example

Running Head: HOLISTIC HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA Holistic Health in Australia Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Holistic Health in Australia 2 Introduction 2 Importance of holistic health 3 Factors that contribute disparities in achievement of holistic health in Australia 5 Socio economic status 5 Gender differences 7 Lifestyle 8 How disparities in achievement of holistic health in Australia can be reduced 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Holistic Health in Australia Introduction Holistic health is the harmony and balance within every aspect of self including body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Every person has a unique balance that determines his weaknesses and strength. A holistic approach creates respect and awareness for the influence every aspect of an inviduals life has on other people. It addresses the entire lifestyle of an individual, reflecting on exercise, diet, spiritual outlook and emotions, and the way an individual interacts with friends, family, society, co-workers, and nature. Modern medical doctors treat the body and overlook the mind. They treat symptoms of with surgery or drugs rather than searching for the cause of the symptom. Holistic health approach does not view the mind, spirit, and body as detached entities and support surgery and drugs after other remedies have been sought. It searches for the causes of symptoms other than just covering up the symptoms with drugs. The mind, spirit, and body are intertwined and dependent on one another (Dugdale, 2008). Holistic health is at times referred to as alternative health, natural health or complimentary health. Wellness approaches in holistic health are considered to be healthy, wholesome and not toxic or harmful to the environment or individuals. They promote harmony and balance for the planet, individual, and the nature. A holistic approach endorses people to engage in personal care and enlighten themselves on their health. It advocates for people to be active participants of their health care and treatment, other than granting full power to health care providers. Being healthy does not essentially mean absence of illness or disease. It is all about living optimally and completely and being able to deal with limits one faces and pursuing options that enable wellbeing (Bartlett, 2004). Importance of holistic health Holistic health care is growing rapidly because people have a strong desire to take grater care and control of their personal wellbeing and health. Taking a holistic approach to personal life helps an individual to create a balance in personal life, relationships, work environment, community activities, and family People are also concerned with holistic because of the real or perceived need to avoid unwanted negative effects of conventional therapeutic drugs. This is achieved through consultation with properly trained practitioners and by improving nutrition, and changing lifestyle by reducing stress and increasing exercise. Holistic approach treats the person, stimulates the natural abilities of the body to internally heal itself. The fastest means of restoring wellness by avoiding exposure of the body thing that are the underlying cause of physical problem and providing the body with nutrients it require to rebuild and repair itself ( Simmers, 2008). Holistic medicines are therapies that try to treat and cure the patient as a complete person. Instead of treating a disease, holistic medicine looks at mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of an individual before recommending a treatment. A professional using a holistic approach treats the signs of a disease and also looks for the primary cause of the disease. Holistic medicine tries to prevent diseases by emphasizing on optimizing health. The systems of the body are viewed as interdependent entities of an individual’s whole being. The natural state of the body health, and a disease or illness causes an imbalance in its systems. Holistic therapies emphasize good and proper nutrition and on avoidance of things like chemicals which harms the body. The techniques used in holistic therapies are non invasive. There aren’t restrictions to the variety of disorders and diseases that may be treated and cured in a holistic manner, because the holistic healing balances the mind, emotions, body and spirit so that an individual’s whole being is able to function smoothly (Renaldo, 2008). When a person receives holistic treatment for a certain condition or illness, further health problems are improved with no direct treatment because the performance of the immune system is improved. A well balanced holistic health regime considers every aspect of people’s health and incorporates nonpharmaceutical and noninvasive healing methods are able to entirely eliminate even acute health problems safely. If a person is under treatment of allopathic medicine, holistic therapies can support the body and alleviate symptoms that usually arise from surgery and drug treatment. Holistic therapies aim at the actual source of a disease, to avoid recurrence. Holistic health practices do not overlook the practice of allopathic medicine because they can complement each other. Factors that contribute disparities in achievement of holistic health in Australia Socio economic status Holistic health is unequally attained by people of different socio-economic status in Australia. Persons of lower education, occupational status, and income are unable to achieve good holistic health than people of higher socio-economic status who have higher education, income and occupational status. Lack of adequate resources whether low literacy, financial hardships, social marginalization, or limited access to holistic health care is connected with chronic stress. Exposure of the body to chronic stress leads to continued tear and wear of the body tissues. Stress which results from low socioeconomic status have increasing physiological impacts, such as adverse autonomic, metabolic and brain problems. High socioeconomic status is linked with better psychological coping, with inclusion of perceived control and self efficacy, which is associated with reduced mortality and improved holistic health. People of low socioeconomic status have reduced access to better and quality health services. These people have low income which makes them to have reduced health care, to lack health insurance cover and regular health care (Chall, 2001). Low income and lack of an insurance cover lead to reduced preventive care for adults and children. People with little education in Australia are at high risk of joblessness and low income. These people reside in housings which do not have clean water and proper sanitation which exposes them to waterborne diseases which negatively affects entire health and wellbeing. Children living within communities of low socioeconomic status, usually attend schools where risk factors of diseases are at an increase. People of low socioeconomic status are greatly likelihood of being exposed to drug trafficking, violence and crimes and less exposed to effective role models. This can lead to poor holistic health as they people lack money to acquire proper health care. Low socioeconomic status inequalities continue to childhood holistic health. Children from low socioeconomic families are at great risks of deaths resulting from sudden infancy deaths child abuse and infectious diseases. They are at high risks of exposure to household smoke which can lead to asthma. They also experience developmental delays, conduct disturbances, and learning disabilities. They usually live in families with regular marital conflicts and are greatly exposed to community and inmate partner violence. Low socioeconomic status leads to overcrowding in the residential areas which is connected with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. By their preteen age, the children of low socioeconomic status are at more risk behaviors and lower holistic health (Kendall, 2008). Gender differences Women have unequal and different to access and use of holistic health resources, including basic health services for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition, childhood diseases and communicable diseases. Also, women have unequal and different opportunities for the promotion, maintenance, and protection of their holistic health. In Australia, programmes and policies usually perpetuate gender stereotypes and do not put into consideration the socio- economic differences and other differences in females. Women are unable to achieve good holistic health because of gender bias in health systems and provision of inappropriate and inadequate medical care and services to women. Women have limited power on their reproductive and sexual health which exposes them to greater health problems during pregnancies and at birth (Eliopoulos, 2009). The society has negative attitudes towards girls and women and they usually experience violence from their male counterparts which affects their physical, emotional, and social health. Lack of food and unequal distribution of food and health services for women and girls, inadequate access to proper sanitation and safe water, especially in rural and poor urban centers all overload women and their entire families. Holistic health is important in leading a fulfilling and productive health. Discrimination against girls in Australia, usually resulting from preference of male children leads to poor access to holistic health care services which endangers their current well being and health. Adolescent females require, but usually lack access to essential nutrition and health services as they grow up. Access to counseling, reproductive, and sexual health services and information for adolescent girls are inadequate or completely unavailable and a woman’s respect, confidentiality, and privacy are usually not considered. Adolescent females are both psychologically and biologically more susceptible than males to violence, prostitution and sexual abuse along with the consequences of premature and unwanted sexual relations (Tierney, 2006). Lifestyle A person’s way of life can limit him from achieving holistic health. Through leading a healthy lifestyle, a person not only lives longer but also enjoys life as he stays healthier (Jones2009). Achieving and maintaining a healthy body is not about absence of diseases but is also about nutrition and physical exercise. Holistic health is about constant lifestyle that one adopts and maintains. Physical exercise helps the body to remain physically fit and reduces overweight which can lead to diseases like obesity in both adults and children. Exercise is important for management of depressions and stress, preventing diseases and healing injuries. Lack of regular physical exercise can lead to stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. Nutrition is a behavioral health matter since nutrition and diet affect how people act, think, feel, and look. Whatever food the body is given predicts how well it can perform cognitively, physically, and emotionally. Poor nutrition such as lack of proper diet can lead to malnutrition or overweight. Most of people in Australia take food of poor nutrition which hinders them from achieving holistic health. Poor nutrition leads to lower core strength, poor behavior, less alertness, reduced muscle response time, more body fat and lowers mental health (Dyro, 2004). How disparities in achievement of holistic health in Australia can be reduced Unequal achievement of holistic health as a result of gender differences arises from discrimination of women and girls and less concern on their reproductive health. Holistic and reproductive health includes mental, social, and physical wellbeing and not simply infirmity or disease. The Australian government is supposed to establish education centers where educate men and women can be informed on the importance of effective, safe, and affordable ways of family planning so as to reduce health problems associated with the reproductive cycle. It should also ensure that there is equal distribution and achievement of health care services regardless of gender differences. The center should address gender and sexual based violence, including psychological and physical abuse, and trafficking in girls and women which exposes women and girls to mental and physical trauma, unwanted pregnancies, and diseases. These situations usually deter women and girls from attaining health services and also isolate them from their families (Daniels2008). People should be educated on the importance of adequate physical exercise and a proper balanced diet on their entire health. Personal lifestyle is the most significant thing that affects an individual holistic health. Personal responsibility can be promoted by empowering the person such as increasing his capability to cope with emerging challenges such as stressful life experiences and diseases. Measures like frequent health screening, wise use of medications and appropriate medical consultations will enable people to lead a healthy life. Strategies that can be used to promote personal responsibility are by fostering public education and enhancing people’s access to information on health. People of low socioeconomic status are unable to adequately achieve holistic health because they do not have enough resources. Their health can be improved through funding so that they are able to achieve health services at an affordable price or freely. Primary health care should be funded and this will promote alternative health treatments where applicable and reach people who are currently not achieving good holistic health care (Edelman 2008). The funding will reward holistic care centers and be will be adequate to offer competitive and fair wages for recruitment and retaining of competent health staff. Health care resources should be improved to make sure that the public health system is accessible and effective to all Australians regardless of their socioeconomic and gender disparities (Dugdale, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to note that health issues need to be highly taken care of . It should be a collective responsibility. Holistic health in Australia should be provided to everyone regardless of gender, race, and age among other factors. The government should be able to create awareness among the citizens and ensure that there is equal provision of holistic healthcare. Disparities should never be allowed. References Bartlett, J. (2004). Invitation to holistic health: a guide to living a balanced life. New York: Random House Press. Simmers, S. (2008). Diversified Health Occupations, 7th Edition, London: Cengage Learning. Renaldo, D., (2008). Golden Rules for Vibrant Health in Body, Mind, and Spirit: A Holistic Approach to Health and Wellness. New Jersey: Basic Health. Daniels, N., (2008). Just health: meeting health needs fairly. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kendall, D., (2008). Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 7th Edition. London: Cengage Learning. Chall, P., (2001). Sociological abstracts, Volume 49, Issue 2. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Dugdale, P. (2008). Doing Health Policy in Australia. New Jersey: Allen & Unwin. Eliopoulos C. (2009). 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