The Father Of Holistic Medicine & Therapy Today

By Author: Chang Mclaughlin
Total Articles: 2
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A holistic doctor may use all forms of holistic therapy, from regular medication to alternative therapies, to treat a patient. For example, when a person suffering from chronic pain or cancer pays a visit to a holistic doctor, instead of walking out solely with medications, the doctor will likely take a look at all the potential factors that may be causing the person's ailments, such as other health problems, diet and sleep habits, stress and personal problems, and preferred spiritual practices. The treatment plan may involve Medication, Cymatics, Radio frequency treatment among others to relieve symptoms, but also lifestyle modifications to help prevent the headaches from recurring.

This is the first in a series of articles on holistic remedies history and uses. Most of us understand the surprising benefits of non-traditional approaches to healing, but not the background and methodology employed in such treatment modalities. My goal is to provide a basis of understanding for how the approach of holistic medicine works.

Increased attention has been given to the approach of holistic medicine to improve the lives ...
... of individuals. Often the term is comingled with the concepts of integrative medicine, alternative medicine, and complementary medicine. The aspect that differentiates holistic medicine from the others is that physical health is not the primary focus of treatment; rather the therapy is targeted to enhance the spiritual, mental, and physical of being. These areas were identified as the core segments of holistic therapy by Evarts Greene Loomis, who is often referred to as the "father of holistic medicine" movement.

Loomis' beliefs were shaped during his impressionable years at Haveford College near Philadelphia, PA. Loomis was moved by a pamphlet about the Alsatian German-French theologian Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer earned the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his conceptual views in his work "Reverence for Life." Schweitzer's work was centered on the concept that Western Civilization was decaying as the result of the abandonment of the belief that all life should be respected. Schweitzer dedicated his life to ease the suffering of natives who lacked access to skilled medical holistic therapy. Loomis was so moved by the works and views of Schweitzer that it is reported that he phoned his parents and informed them that he would be changing his major from biology to pre-medicine after reading Reverence for Life.

Loomis' body of work likely helped to mold his views. He served in holistic medicine World War II as a surgeon with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Association in Algeria. He worked in the city of Tenchung, China as the director of a hospital and clinic that tended to the needs of American and Chinese civilians and military personnel. He relocated to California after his service to further develop his ideas as he felt other areas of the United States were too conservative.

His time in China encouraged Loomis to pursue his passion of helping others through the healing power that he felt nature provided. In a vision he saw a sanitarium located "below a triangular mountain peak" and began site research to establish his practice. After purchasing land in Hemet, California, Loomis and his wife began to administer holistic medicine to those that were interested. Loomis focused much of his counseling on the benefits of nutrition and the benefits of exercise to improve the lives of his patients.

Loomis' therapy center, known as Meadowlark, was the location of the discussion that formed the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA). A group of doctors gathered in 1977 to organize the structure for the association; Dr C. Norman Shealy was the founding president of the AHMA. Shealy presented Loomis with the AHMA Pioneer award in 1995 for his contributions to holistic medicine.

Holistic Medicine