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INTRODUCTION

The phrase “holistic health” means creating a balanced lifestyle by treating the whole person. The term was coined in 1926 to describe the direct connection between physical illness and the mental, emotional and spiritual self. For centuries, Eastern medical practitioners have embraced the belief that a person can’t be truly well unless both the mind and body are working in harmony. But it’s only during the past several decades that the effectiveness of holistic health has been recognized by countless American health care providers.

Why is understanding holistic health so important? Because if any one of the components that make up a healthy person breaks down, it affects the entire being, not just the disrupted part of the person. It’s like your car. The parts have to work together in harmony to make it possible for you to drive it. Start the engine, release the brake, and put the car into gear. If anything goes wrong with, say, the steering, the entire car is in trouble, even though that’s only one component of the entire car.

Let’s take that idea a step further, and use the analogy of an airliner. There are thousands of parts that make up a plane. When something major happens, like engine failure, you will probably crash. But even the smaller parts, like nuts and bolts, are essential to making the plane fly smoothly and, more importantly, land safely. The entire airplane must be maintained equally, not just the major, more visible parts.

Holistic health is like that. All of the parts of an individual, both external and internal, should be running smoothly, so that you don’t crash. Of course, the physical body must be in tune, but you need to keep the spiritual and emotional faculties that make up who you are “tuned-up” as well. Otherwise, there will be disharmony in your life.

Let’s examine holistic health from three different perspectives: the past, present, and future. How we comprehend each of these three elements makes up a different dimension of who we are. The first two, the past and the present, have had a direct effect on who you are right now. Your perception of the future also plays a significant role in the way you view the world and who you are as a person. I’ll explain more about that later.

The focus of this book, Holistic Health, is on the big picture. It is on understanding all of the many facets of our lives that need to be taken into consideration if we are to experience an overarching sense of health and happiness. Holistic Health is the foundation upon which everything else I have been teaching is built. In other words, each of the topics I have covered in other books, like Living a Peaceful Life, Anger Work: How To Express Your Anger and Still Be Kind, Meditation for Health and Happiness, How to Live a Positive Life, and so on, are a piece of the puzzle. Holistic Health, is a look at the puzzle box lid. It shows you the picture of the whole puzzle at once.

This book is broken into sections which each cover a necessary building block for achieving overall health and happiness. As I touch on topics that I’ve covered in more detail in my other books found on doctorpuff.com, I will let you know. If you haven’t already read these publications, and you would like more information about these subjects, please take the time to read any or all of them.