My Dream

Holistic Medicine Meets Western Medicine

A groundbreaking move was made by the American Board of Holistic Medicine (ABHM) in December, 2000; the first ABHM board review of holistic medicine, The “Art, Science, and Practice of Holistic Medicine” was presented in Denver, Colorado. Approximately 200 MDs sat for the first ABHM certification examination.

The opening statement of the Art, Science, and Practice of Holistic Medicine course included this statement:

Holistic medicine is based on the core belief that unconditional love is life’s most powerful healer. At its essence, the practice of holistic medicine embraces a spirit of interdisciplinary and physician-patient cooperation; balances the mitigation of causes with relief of symptoms; integrates conventional and complementary therapies; and facilitates the experience of being fully alive. It is at present not possible to fully academically test candidates for these core issues in holism. It has been the intent of the directors of the ABHM, however, to carefully structure the testing for skills in complementary medicine, the interview and the required paper for candidates for the board examination, in the content of this review course itself, to be a total learning experience for those in attendance to foster the enhancement of the practice of holistic medicine.

The review course and the board certification examination will begin to incorporate reasonable standards into American medical practice and education, health planning, and research, regarding the application of the body of knowledge which encompasses the field of holistic medicine. The ABHM founders envisioned a paradigm shift in the direction of incorporating holistic principles into the practice of medicine in the United States. Standardization of the curriculum and the certification examination will help the public demand and professional interest in the inclusion of “alternative” medical practices in the integrated delivery of the best possible medical care.

This board certification examination opened a new chapter of holistic/energy medicine in the history of science. The ABHM board of trustees established twelve principles of holistic medical practice; twelve areas of the science of holistic medicine were approved; and three components of holistic health — body, mind, and spirit — were defined. During the first board review course intensive, thirty-two specific holistic courses were presented by thirty medical and osteopathic doctors. Each physician presented a course designed to introduce his or her specialty, and taught a complementary allopathic to holistic approach. The learning objective of this intensive review course of holistic medicine was that the participants should be able to, “…describe the areas encompassed by holistic medicine; and implement a personalized program for creating a condition of optimal health.” (The Art, Science, and Practice of Holistic Medicine, 2000)

The twelve ABHM principles of holistic medical practice are:

 

  1. Unconditional love is life’s most powerful healer.
  2. Optimal health is much more than the absence of sickness.
  3. Illness is viewed as a manifestation of the whole person, not as an isolated event.
  4. Holistic physicians embrace a variety of safe, effective options in diagnosis and treatment, including:
    • education for lifestyle changes and self-care
    • complementary approaches; and
    • conventional drugs and surgery.
  5. Searching for the underlying cause of disease is preferable to treating symptoms alone.
  6. Holistic physicians expend as much effort to establishing what kind of patient has a disease as they do establishing what kind of disease a patient has.
  7. Prevention is preferable to treatment and is usually more cost-effective. The most cost-effective approach evokes the patient’s own healing capabilities.
  8. A major determinant of healing outcomes is the quality of the relationship established between physician and patient, in which patient autonomy is encouraged.
  9. The ideal physician-patient relationship considers the needs, desires, awareness and insight of the patient as well as those of the physician.
  10. Physicians significantly influence patients by their example.
  11. Illness, pain, and the dying process can be learning opportunities for patients and physicians.
  12. Holistic physicians encourage patients to evoke the healing power of love, hope, humor and enthusiasm, and to release the toxic consequences of hostility, shame, greed, depression, and prolonged fear, anger, and grief.