The 8 pillars of holistic health care for optimal wellbeing

The philosophy of holistic health care recognizes that the body and mind are interconnected and that everything we do, from the food we eat to the thoughts we think, impacts our overall health.

We can gain more control of our wellbeing and quality of life by addressing 4 aspects of our physical health and 4 aspects of our mental health.

4 Pillars of Physical Health

1

Diet

Essential nutrients and functional food, together with gut microbiota play a vital role in immune function, hormone function, tissue building, digestion, and mood. Eating a nutrient rich balanced diet that includes a variety of foods from all food groups is the first and probably the most important aspect of holistic health and vitality.

2

Dental

Our mouths are home to a vast community of microorganisms, some of which are beneficial and others that can lead to gum disease. Gum disease causes tooth loss and is also linked to heart disease, stroke, cognitive decline, diabetes and respiratory infections. By practicing routine dental care we can protect our oral health and overall health.

3

Exercise

Regular exercise promotes longevity and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Exercise helps strengthen our muscles and bones, improves our cardiovascular health and eliminate stress hormones. Physical training is a form of mind-body medicine as it releases feel-good hormones that improve stress resilience, sleep quality, and mood.

4

Posture

Maintaining good posture can reduce muscle strain, improve our breathing and digestion, boost our overall appearance and increase positive mood. Sitting upright increases rate of speech, reduces self-focus and helps to build resilience to stress. Integrative health therapies such as chiropractic, yoga, and Pilates can help us rehabilitate our posture and liberate our movement to live more active and fulfilling lives.

4 Pillars of Mental Health

1

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is an essential practice of functional medicine, as it helps us to detoxify our bodies, strengthen our immune system, and improve our cognitive function. The neuroprotective aspects of sleep can greatly reduce our risk of developing a variety of stress related health problems.

2

Meditation

Alternative therapies such as meditation and visualisation techniques have been found to dramatically reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Eliminating excess levels of stress hormones, AKA the silent killer, can dramatically reduce the risk of stress related conditions, such as heart, gut and other chronic diseases.

3

Mindfulness

Developing a positive attitude is a cornerstone skill in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT harnesses the power of your subconscious mind to identify and disarm negative mental triggers, retraining your brain to form positive neural pathways. Studies show that CBT effectively reduces a variety of adverse behavioral conditions.

4

Social

Social engagements, such as spending time with loved ones, helping others, and building strong social connections, are an important pillar of holistic health because positive social interactions release feel-good hormones that improve our mood and boost our overall feeling of emotional well-being.