Holistic & Integrative Health
Health is influenced by more than a single organ, symptom, or diagnosis. Holistic and integrative health looks at the interconnected dimensions of a person, physical, mental, lifestyle, and environmental, together, rather than in isolation.
What This Topic Area Covers
This is the umbrella topic area for whole-person and integrative approaches to health: how different dimensions of wellbeing relate to one another, and how appropriate complementary practices can fit alongside conventional medical care.
Key Subtopics
- Whole-person and holistic health principles
- Integrative medicine: bringing appropriate approaches together
- Preventive and lifestyle-oriented health
- Panchakosha, a traditional five-layer framework for understanding human experience
- Mind-body relationships
An Important Boundary
Integrative health means bringing appropriate approaches together while retaining appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. It does not mean rejecting conventional medicine. The Panchakosha framework (Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, and Anandamaya Kosha) is a traditional way of contemplating the physical, energetic, mental, intellectual, and deeper dimensions of human experience. It is described here as a traditional whole-person framework, not as literal anatomy or a scientifically established diagnostic model, and it is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Related Whole-Person Approaches
This perspective connects with every other topic area on this site, and with Dr. Sarang Patil’s broader Sampurna Swasthya framework.
