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Conceptualizing holism in international interdisciplinary critical perspective and allopathic medicine to improve population health. Given that the basis of holistic philosophy is unity and oneness, a health-care system that incorporates the most effective aspects of various systems of medicine would have powerful potential to improve population health on many levels. If practitioners were to also take social inequities into account, this integrative health-care could truly become a means for individuals to take action for wellness, as well as a means to create structural changes toward equitable resource distribution. I have written elsewhere (Shroff, 1996) about a health-care system that incorporates public health approaches and integrates best practices from multiparadigmatic medical systems. This article also reviewed the interdisciplinary nature of the concept of holism, illustrating the philosophical and scholarly unity in the notions of unity and oneness, interconnection, inseparability of mind and body. Modern physics, particularly quantum mechanics, is at the forefront of the scientific frontier that has arrived at the same conclusions as philosophical ideas from Hinduism, Buddhism, Indigenous, African and other cosmologies. Systems science, an interdisciplinary enterprise, is also part of this movement away from a reliance on reductionist thinking. Although holistic thought-forms are ancient, they have modern applications. One of the most significant applications are holistic health practices that are re-emerging the world over. This article has explored the underlying context of this resurgence. About the Author Farah M. Shroff, PhD, is a public health researcher, educator and activist. She teaches at the University of British Columbia’s Medical School. She has a keen interest in Health for All and divides her research program into: a) social justice issues related to health and b) holistic health: mind/body approaches to health. She has written about Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, midwifery, nursing, health advocacy, HIV/AIDS and more. AUTHOR COPY Note 1 Marti Kheel (1989) warns that Hippocrates’ contributions are often idealized as holistic. She argues that Hippocratic ideas marked the beginnings of a dualistic mentality that separated mind and body, human being and nature. She notes that in Hippocratic medicine, the patient’s symptoms were aggravated to the point of a healing crisis. Purgings, bleedings, induced vomitings and other ‘heroic’ feats were used in this task. ‘The notion of “aiding” nature had already led to the practice (by male physicians) of giving her a “helpful” shove. Meanwhile, r 2011 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1477-8211 Social Theory & Health Vol. 9, 3, 244–255 253
Shroff witches and faith healers were branded by Hippocrates as charlatans and quacks’ (p.101). Kheel thus links the demise of holistic healing to some of the principles espoused by Hippocrates. She also links patriarchal domination to the destruction of holistic healing, which was practised primarily by women. She asserts that the Greeks were the beginnings, in the ‘Western’ world, of wararchy: cultures based on war-worship, which moved away from the Goddess-worshipping cultures of the pre-patriarchal world. This mentality is perpetuated by metaphors such as the ‘war’ against disease. References Asante, M.K. and Mazama, A. (eds.) (2009) Encyclopedia of African Religion, Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Barnes, P., Powell-Griner, E., McFann, K. and Nahin, R. (2004) Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States, 2002. Seminars in Integrative Medicine 2(2): 54–71. Bateson, G. (1972) Steps to an Ecology of Mind. Novato, CA: Chandler Publication. Brodd, J. (2009) World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery. Winona, MN: Saint Mary’s Press. Bruce, A. (2005) Beyond the Bleep: The Definitive Unauthorized Guide to What the Bleep do we Know!? New York, NY: Disinformation Company. Capra, F. (2002) The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living. New York, NY: Doubleday. Carlson, L.E., Speca, M., Faris, P. and Patel, K.D. (2007) One year pre-post intervention follow-up of psychological, immune, endocrine and blood pressure outcomes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Brain, Behavior and Immunity 21(8): 1038–1049. Crawford, R. (2006) Health as meaningful social practice. Health 10(4): 401–420. Deshmukh, V.D. (2006) Neuroscience of meditation. The Scientific World Journal 16(6): 2239–2253. Dua, A. (2006) Feminist Psychology. New Delhi, India: Publications. Dunkenberger, T. (2009) Tibetan medicine-application in the West. Journal of Traditional Tibetan Medicine 2: 12–15. Dusek, V. (2006) Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. Edmison, K. (2004) Growing a Healthy Ministry: A Resource for Congregations and Communities. Kelowna, BC: Wood Lake Publishing. Esmail, N. (2007) Complementary and alternative medicine in Canada: Trends in use and public attitudes, 1997–2006. In: Public Policy Sources, Number 87. Vancouver, BC: The Fraser Institute. Gaan, N. (2005) Relevance of Environment: A Critique on International Relation Theories. Delhi, India: Kalpaz Publications. Garner, M.J. et al (2007) Chiropractic care of musculoskeletal disorders in a unique population within Canadian community health centers. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 30(3): 165–170. Goel, M.L. (2006) Oneness in Hinduism, http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/128.htm, accessed 4 May 2010. Gyatso, T. and Hakim, C. (2010) Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. Healey, R. (2009) Holism and nonseparability in physics. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2009/entries/physics-holism/, accessed 27 November 2009. Hunter, L.M., Logan, J., Goulet, J.-G. and Barton, S. (2006) Aboriginal healing: Regaining balance and culture. Journal of Transcultural Nursing 17(1): 13–22. John, P.J., Sharma, N., Sharma, C.M. and Kankane, A. (2007) Effectiveness of yoga therapy in the treatment of migraine without aura: A randomized controlled trial. Headache 47(5): 654–661. AUTHOR COPY 254 r 2011 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1477-8211 Social Theory & Health Vol. 9, 3, 244–255
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