Everyone slips into a mild depression at least once in a lifetime, regardless of what caused it in the first place. Schizophrenia affects around 1% of the population and having panic attacks is more and more often encountered both in young adults and the elderly. Around 40% of the population experiences at least one panic attack per year. These numbers are quite worrying and they ask for raising awareness regarding mental health disorders and treating them accordingly.
Many people fear that they are going to be judged if they see a psychotherapist or if they get antidepressants. This is the reason why the accent should be first placed on alternative and complementary medicine, for the mild cases. Of course, when traditional medicine is required, it must be applied, but patients can combine it with alternative or complementary treatment schemes to make the process of healing easier and faster.
People are usually scared of what they can’t control or of things that they don’t fully understand. Because mental health still tends to be a taboo subject, there’s no wonder why people are not well-informed about this topic. In many cases, they don’t even know that they suffer from a mental health disorder, such as depression. Depression is difficult to recognize if the symptoms are not very evident, but if the disease is left untreated, it can develop into something else that will affect the person even more. Comorbidity that is associated with depression, anxiety or other conditions that are considered mainstream today can dangerously affect one’s quality of life. This article will present the many benefits of alternative and complementary medicine.
What principles one must follow during a holistic approach?
The number one approach in terms of alternative treatment for people who struggle with mental health issues is represented by holistic medicine. Holistic medicine involves making some changes in one’s life, including habits, dietary plan, physical movement and also activities such as yoga and meditation to cleanse both the body and the mind of that person. Holistic approaches are meant to bring balance in the life of the person who is currently going through the devastating effects of a mental health disorder. Centers like The Holistic Sanctuary follow these principles so that they could treat patients that suffer from depression, curing from drug addiction or other mental health issues. Holistic medicine is based on several principles that need to be followed throughout the whole treatment. Some of these principles are:
You have healing powers
The premise of holistic healing is to believe in the inner powers that each person has. Activating these healing powers represents the first step towards a better mental and physical health, and in order to do that, a strict routine must be followed. Believing in these powers and trusting the healing process is where the journey begins.
All diseases can be treated or at least relieved
Another principle of holistic treatments necessitates the belief in their healing capacities. If a person doesn’t strongly believe that holistic treatments can help them, the treatment won’t be useful in any way. Diseases can be cured or their symptoms can be relieved, regardless of the stage.
Holistic healing targets the cause of the disease, not its symptoms
This is one of the most important principles in holistic treatments and it refers to healing the cause of a disease instead of its symptoms and effects. This forces the patient to find the cause of their mental health issue and get rid of it in the fastest and most efficient manner.
Benefits
There are numerous benefits of holistic approaches, but a few must be mentioned because they apply in most cases:
Neurochemical benefits
The fact that holistic approaches combine dieting with meditation and other sorts of physical activities. It activates some neurochemical processes that help the body and the mind heal faster. It is known that the sudden elevation of cortisol, which mostly happens because of the daily stress that people face, can affect one’s immune system, can increase the blood pressure and encourage weight gain. Mentally, high levels of cortisol lead to mental health disorders. Reducing the level of cortisol through holistic approaches is a safe method with immediate results. The cortisol levels can fall by up to 50% if the right alternative treatment methods are selected.
Strengthening the connection between the mind and the body
Because holistic treatments encourage both cleansing the body through consuming healthy foods and the mind by practicing meditation and yoga, the connection between the two is regained at a more profound level. Of course, in order to achieve this result, patients must follow the principles of holistic treatments. Alternative and contemporary healing methods can take longer to work, but combined with traditional methods they offer the complete solution for improving one’s mental health visibly.
Promoting mindfulness
Managing depression in holistic centers is much easier because patients get to practice mindfulness. At home, people find it hard to focus on the things they are grateful for because they enter an infinite loop that is filled with negativity and bad thoughts. Holistic rehabs can help them fully, without much effort involved. This is the result that people seek for in most cases and it was never so easy to achieve it.
Improving one’s level of fitness
As mentioned before, alternative therapy is a sum of multiple practices that help the mind and the body to recover. Considering that yoga and physical movement are involved, the level of fitness of the patient will improve, and more endorphins are going to be released into the body.
Final word
The first step towards a great mental health is keeping a balance in your life, while trusting your powers and being surrounded by people you trust. This way, your mind will become more open and you will start accepting situations as they are. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step towards getting better and getting treatment. Mental health disorders will influence every decision people make, along with their quality of life.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
