Developing a more appropriate model for primary care requires that we create a new diagnostic algorithm and clinical care model that serves the core of personalized health care - the individual. For any model to be successful it must provide the foundation on which to build a system that has the depth and breadth necessary to meet the unique demands of a broad population on a personal level. The core of any new model of primary health care need not be redefined or reinvented as the definition presented in the Declaration of Alma-Ata, adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care in 1978, is more than sufficient starting with the section highlighted below. “Primary health care is essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of selfreliance and self-determination. It forms an integral part both of the country's health system, of which it is the central function and main focus, and of the overall social and economic…
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For the first time in human history chronic disease is the leading cause of medical need, responsible for 68% of all deaths globally according to 2013 WHO statistics. Cardiovascular diseases are now the number one categorical cause of death worldwide. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of a burgeoning health trend that is dominating both individuals and businesses. As the Harvard Business Review has suggested "we have largely ignored one of the most important fixes to our health care system" "every dollar we invest in our workers’ health, we see a return of more than $4 in reduced health care costs, lower absenteeism, and improved productivity" HBR Article Research over the past decade suggests that conditions like heart disease, joint disorders and digestive disorders are near the top the list of U.S. healthcare costs at $107 billion, $62 billion and $51 billion respectively. If we dig into how chronic diseases affect our daily lives, we see issues such as migraines, which influence the daily lives of approximately 17% of the population at a cost of care and lost productivity estimated as high as $17 billion per year. It is estimated that almost 10% of the U.S. population…
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Quality of life is our mission at Everspring Health. Within that pursuit lies the concept of Everspring Living, a mindful intent to make quality of life an accessible and realistic part of our daily experience. We often view health, or lack there of, as something that gets in our way, something that distracts or detracts from our daily experience. What if we had more energy? What if we had better clarity of mind? What if having better stability in our health enabled us to pursue a more productive and fulfilling path? In order to create this experience Everspring Health provides a model of healthcare that truly focuses on healthy living, prevention and quality of life. Everspring Living is not a practice of trying to catch disease early, rather active practice of mindfulness and awareness that seeks to prevent disease from happening in the first place. Everspring Living is the holistic mindset behind Everspring Health, a mindset for daily living with the intent to cultivate the best possible experience of spirit, mind and body integration. When considering integrative healthcare, the pursuit of quality of life gives us a benchmark from which to measure and gauge our progress. When dealing with chronic…
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Wednesday, 15 October 2014 00:00
Holistic Medicine Principles
Principles embraced by the Members of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine Optimal Health is the primary goal of holistic medical practice. It is the conscious pursuit of the highest level of functioning and balance of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of human experience, resulting in a dynamic state of being fully alive. This creates a condition of well-being regardless of the presence or absence of disease. The Healing Power of Love. Holistic health care practitioners strive to meet the patient with grace, kindness, acceptance, and spirit without condition, as love is life's most powerful healer. Whole Person. Holistic health care practitioners view people as the unity of body, mind, spirit and the systems in which they live. Prevention and Treatment. Holistic health care practitioners promote health, prevent illness and help raise awareness of dis-ease in our lives rather than merely managing symptoms. A holistic approach relieves symptoms, modifies contributing factors, and enhances the patient’s life system to optimize future well-being. Innate Healing Power. All people have innate powers of healing in their bodies, minds and spirits. Holistic health care practitioners evoke and help patients utilize these powers to affect the…
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Holistic Medicine Principles
Principles embraced by the Members of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine
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Optimal Health is the primary goal of holistic medical practice. It is the conscious pursuit of the highest level of functioning and balance of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of human experience, resulting in a dynamic state of being fully alive. This creates a condition of well-being regardless of the presence or absence of disease.
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The Healing Power of Love. Holistic health care practitioners strive to meet the patient with grace, kindness, acceptance, and spirit without condition, as love is life's most powerful healer.
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Whole Person. Holistic health care practitioners view people as the unity of body, mind, spirit and the systems in which they live.
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Prevention and Treatment. Holistic health care practitioners promote health, prevent illness and help raise awareness of dis-ease in our lives rather than merely managing symptoms. A holistic approach relieves symptoms, modifies contributing factors, and enhances the patient’s life system to optimize future well-being.
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Innate Healing Power. All people have innate powers of healing in their bodies, minds and spirits. Holistic health care practitioners evoke and help patients utilize these powers to affect the healing process.
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Integration of Healing Systems. Holistic health care practitioners embrace a lifetime of learning about all safe and effective options in diagnosis and treatment. These options come from a variety of traditions, and are selected in order to best meet the unique needs of the patient. The realm of choices may include lifestyle modification and complementary approaches as well as conventional drugs and surgery.
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Relationship-centered Care. The ideal practitioner-patient relationship is a partnership which encourages patient autonomy, and values the needs and insights of both parties. The quality of this relationship is an essential contributor to the healing process.
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Individuality. Holistic health care practitioners focus patient care on the unique needs and nature of the person who has an illness rather than the illness that has the person.
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Teaching by Example. Holistic health care practitioners continually work toward the personal incorporation of the principles of holistic health, which then profoundly influence the quality of the healing relationship.
- Learning Opportunities. All life experiences including birth, joy, suffering and the dying process are profound learning opportunities for both patients and health care practitioners.