What is Complementary Health?
Complementary Medicine (CM) or Complementary Health (CH), as the name suggests, looks at complimenting existing medicine practices with additional holistic and non-conventional type therapeutic methods, ensuring people experience a better standard of overall health management and well-being (adding value).
Complimentary approaches (with proven health benefits) are added to conventional health treatments to 'compliment" with wellness benefits and greater level of relaxation and the removal or minimised impact of stress (nourish and enrich).
Combining old (ancient methods) with new (modern practices), western medicine becomes an innovative hybrid. It expands how we utilise, benefit and open our minds and thinking towards medicine, health, and treatment best practices. It's not about changing, removing or replacing our current use of scientific-based medicine, it's about health getting upgraded and boosted - maximising its benefits, possibilities and potential. Effectively, people can be empowered with more choice and control of their health by "cherry picking" the best parts of all western, eastern and less conventional approaches and combining them together for optimum results and what works best for you - best practice medicine.
Whole person health is a fundamental aspect that makes complimentary and Integrative approaches so brilliant in modernized thinking and logic. It looks at an individuals health through a broader lens, in a much greater scope than just a health issue or symptom and treatment. It considers all key specific factors and influences of someone's life, health and well-being, as well as ensuring the person themself remains at the forefront and the priority throughout. This will be explored and explained further in more detail further in this section.
Why is Complementary Health the way to go?
Complementary therapies are not just something to use once you get sick or unwell. The methodology also promotes a preventative (proactive) approach to health management and integration of practices into everyday living. for better health and well-being.
CM / CH applies proactive and preventative principles and practices to health. "Avoid, limit and minimise" the impact and risk (if possible) for many preventable conditions and issues caused by stress for example.
Stress releases hormones in the body. Prolonged stress (or chronic stress) is significantly harmful and poses significant risk untreated on you personally, your lifestyle and ability to function normally or at your best, your body, your heart, your overall health, your well-being, your mindset, your well-being and your emotional stability.
Link to stress relief and reduction techniques.
By making your health a proactive priority, through beneficial, relaxing and enjoyable therapies and techniques available through CH, you also will compliment and assist the various systems (immune, nervous system, energy flow etc) referred to as the integrated system of your entire body. Additional benefits of removing or reducing stress, prevent mental and physical health risks that stress poses on you (CH centres on and around the whole person). Complimentary approaches highlight and provide an awareness, importance and a preventative process for better health. Therefore, compliments and enhance conventional medicine, your importance you place on wellness and everyday living, with direct and indirect influences that protect and benefit your life and contribute to your overall health.
'Complementary medicine, health and therapy' refers to a group of therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines that exist largely outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided.
As with most modern, significant and evolving cultural change or advancements, the governing bodies and political systems in each country (especially Australia which has a history of being slow to adapt to global change in many technological or cultural advances) will often be slow and lag behind. It is hoped this 'feet dragging' and reluctance is only due to a cautionary naivety to endorsing CM and CH (as is being seen in the US , Europe and UK), and is not politically, economical ties They will also differ in their handling, recognition and integration significantly too.
The W.H.O (World Health Organisation) defines Complementary medicine as:
The terms “complementary medicine” or “alternative medicine” refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country’s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health-care system. They are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries.
