^{- Susan Walter M.B.A. - American Holistic Health Association (AHHA)}           

1. An introduction to holistic health
   
   
2. Arange of holistic occupations
   
   
3. employment opportunities / qualifications and experience
   
   
4. internal / external influences
   
   
5. conclusions
   
   
6. recommendations
   
   
7. references
   
   

An Introduction to Holistic Health.

Holistic health is a philosophy of well-being that considers the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of life as closely interconnected and balanced. The term holistic health or holistic healing comes from the word whole, meaning complete. Practioners of holistic health therapies integrate a number of conventional and alternative therapies to prevent and treat many ailments, and to try to promote an optimum level of health and wellbeing for each individual client.

Holistic physicians embrace a variety of safe, effective options in diagnosis and treatment, and take account of physical, dietary, environmental, emotional and lifestyle aspects of the client's life. Holistic medicine stresses the patient's role in his/her own health through such means as positive attitudes, sound diet, and regular exercise and focuses upon client education.

• Views the client as being ultimately responsible for his/her own health.
• Develops a partnership with clients, using therapies which feel comfortable to them.
• Recommends therapies that look at the cause of the illness, as well as it's symptoms.

The holistic practitioner may choose or recommend from a variety of both conventional and "alternative" treatments and therapies. Together, the practitioner and patient/client work to develop an optimal course of treatment. This partnership is a powerful approach to healing and is the cornerstone of the holistic philosophy.

- Above definition taken from the American Holistic Medical Association http://holisticmedicine.org/

Holistic Health is actually an approach to life. Rather than focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this ancient approach to health considers the whole person and how he or she interacts with his or her environment. It emphasizes the connection of mind, body, and spirit. The goal is to achieve maximum well-being, where everything is functioning the very best that is possible. With Holistic Health people accept responsibility for their own level of well-being, and everyday choices are used to take charge of one's own health.

- Above definitions taken from the American Holistic Health Association www.ahha.org

A Range of Holistic Occupations

There is a huge range and incredible diversity in the therapies and healing systems that are available to people these days. The following list describes only a small portion of what is generally available, and that come under the very broad mantle of "holistic health".

ACUPRESSURE - An ancient technique of oriental Chinese medicine, utilizing manipulations on specific points along the energy meridians on the body. The purpose is to stimulate or sedate the flow of the chi or vital energy along these pathways in order to restore health and stimulate the bodies own healing abilities.

HYPNOTHERAPY - Hypnotherapy processes interact directly with inner consciousness to find core issues that cause problems in a client's life. Clients can examine beliefs and thought processes that are giving rise to emotional, physical, mental and spiritual problems and make changes at the core level from which the outer manifestation originates.

MASSAGE THERAPY - A process of manual manipulation of the body's muscular and soft tissue structure through a variety of techniques ranging from relaxation to clinical and therapeutic applications. The benefits are increased range of motion and flexibility, stress reduction, and improved circulation helping to achieve an overall feeling of well-being.

NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING - To support you in lifestyle changes, a nutritional counselor will assess and recommend according to an individual's personal needs. Through the use of several diagnostics they will determine various nutrient supplementations to aid in digestion, assimilation and metabolism; other herbal therapies and exercise programs to help you restore and attain optimum body functioning and performance.

REFLEXOLOGY - A science that deals with the principles that there are reflexes in the feet and hands relative to every organ, gland or part of the body. By stimulating these points with a technique used by the thumb and fingers of a practitioner, reflexology stimulates blood supply throughout the body, increases circulation and helps nature to balance.

YOGA - Meaning union with the divine, yoga is a philosophy and discipline applied to the development of mind, body, and spirit. Through practices of holding a variety of body positions or asanas, and the centering of the mind and breath in a meditative way, the practitioner increases body awareness, posture, and flexibility of body and calmness of mind.

The following is an in depth description of one of the therapies included in the previous list. It is a very good example of the characteristics and benefits of most alternative therapies that are commonly practiced in the modern world.

Acupressure is an external therapy that is applied to the surface of the body. The practitioner performs manipulations on certain points or area's of the patients' body with his or her hand, elbow or other part of the body according to the requirement of the treatment. The pressure of the manipulation either acts on the body directly or on the channels and collaterals to regulate diseased organs and tissues. Acupressure can be used in both the prevention and treatment of disease.

Acupressure is well suited for the treatment of chronic stress-related disorders of the digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems. Acupressure is not especially useful for those seeking a mild, relaxing massage because it is usually more task focused than other types of bodywork.

Contraindications include conditions involving fractures, phlebitis, infectious conditions, open wounds, and lesions.

Acupressure's simplicity and focus on specific problems, rather than a more generalized treatment, make it both an excellent alternative and/or extension of the Swedish-style massage. Acupressure requires almost no equipment or special medical facilities, and by utilizing treatments of shorter duration, it can be used in a variety of settings, including home, office, clinic or hospital. It is well suited for both the professional massage therapist and the active, health conscious individual.

Because it is an external therapy, it allows the patent to avoid medicines or invasive surgical procedures, which may cause other kinds of physical damage. Acupressure has almost no side effects if the diagnosis and manipulation are correct.

Modern medical research has demonstrated that Acupressure improves skin respiration, and increases skin temperature, brightness and elasticity. After treatment, the circulation of blood and lymph is accelerated. The number of phagocytes (white blood cells) is significantly increased. Gastro-intestinal peristalsis and digestive gland secretion also improve. The therapy improves both general and local metabolism, as well as bio-electrical conductivity, and blood circulation to the heart, brain and kidneys.

Employment Opportunities / Qualifications and Experience.

Through correspondence with various employment agencies, and in reading various forums / bulletin boards concerning job opportunities in Ireland, it seems that employment opportunities are somewhat sparse compared to other areas of healthcare.

It would appear that most people who work in the industry are self-employed to one degree or another. These people either work from home, or through home/office visiting, or by renting out a room in holistic centres in order to offer their services to the general public.

Most job forums list the available jobs in categories. The only category available for the listing of holistic / complimentary therapies is "Healthcare / Childcare / Nursing jobs", or "Medical Professionals & Healthcare".

The majority of jobs listed under these categories fall into either one of two categories, the first being vacancies within hospitals and clinics that include the established professions of traditional western medicine, (i.e. nurses, surgeons, radiographers, etc.); the second being jobs within the second category - those of roles within health spas and salons - which call for mostly for beauty therapists, with only a few opportunities for massage therapists.

There are also a number of employment opportunities in gyms and leisure/fitness centres for aerobics instructors, people offering sports massage, and people who are able to offer general lifestyle advice as well as give fitness instruction.

There are a number of consultants and organizations providing training and advice to people who would like to set themselves up as a self-employed practitioner of holistic health therapies. It is through this method that most people find gainful employment in this area. People find clients through listings on various directories for alternative health and through word of mouth.

In terms of the qualifications needed to pursue a career in this area, there are a handful of certification bodies that are widely recognized around the Europe and further. While it is not essential to hold any particular qualification to practice most forms of holistic therapies, however it is certainly essential when being employed by a clinic, spa, or salon.

The most important qualification desired by any employer, and the foundation for nearly every other qualification for various therapies, is a certificate in anatomy and physiology. This ensures that the practitioner has an understanding of the underlying principles of the human body and it's systems, how they work, and an understanding of the diseases, disorders, and conditions that exists and their causes.

Many other courses and certifications are commonly available. There are a number of full-time courses available that provide training and certification in a number of therapies within this field.

As alternative / complimentary therapies become more and more popular, the general public is becoming more discerning in their choice of practitioner and a broad knowledge of various therapies and their respective qualifications is serious advantage.

Despite these factors, the main advantage to gaining employment and/or a client base is experience, and luckily, this industry is very supportive of people who would like to start practicing themselves, as an integral part of the philosophy of holistic health is encouraging people to develop their own healthy practices.

Internal/External Influences.

The main influence on the field of holistic health is the public's awareness of the range of therapies available, their benefits and how they work. The public have become more aware of the alternatives to traditional prescription based / pharmaceutical medicine.

This awareness has led to an open market for therapists of all kinds to practice their various disciplines as more and more people are increasingly turning to alternative therapies for the treatment huge number of ailments. It has also led to people becoming more discerning of the calibre of practitioner they seek help from, demanding a broader range of knowledge, and qualifications from their practitioners, leading to increased competition.

Since holistic health started becoming popular in Ireland a number of years ago, the number of holistic centres, clinics etc. has increased, and this too has led to higher competition in the industry. This is becoming progressively a more influential factor as holistic health rises in popularity. It will become harder to find employment in this field as further competition raises standards.

In the next few years, a major influence on this area will be the government regulation of the industry by the Health Services Executive, which will require all therapists to be registered by law if they want to practice professionally.

At present, only five professions are subject to statutory registration: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists. New legislation will be introduced soon for the registration of health and social care professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and child care workers.

According to information taken from Oasis.gov.ie : "The primary purpose of statutory registration is to protect and guide members of the public so that they can be confident that the professional treating them is fully qualified and competent. Registration also provides the facility for legal action against the very small number of professionals who may harm patients or clients and bring their profession into disrepute through professional misconduct or serious illness."

The Minister for Health and Children has established a forum involving representatives of alternative or complementary medicine therapies to explore how best to provide for a system of registration. This forum explores the following considerations:

• The categories of therapists to be covered.
• The evidence base for each therapy.
• Educational qualifications, training and experience of therapists.
• The scope of practice involved.
• Protection of the public and promotion of a quality service, including the efficacy of the therapies offered.
• Regulations governing alternative therapists in other countries.

Conclusions

There is a huge range of therapies available, and there are extremely beneficial techniques being pioneered all the time, increasing the scope of the number of ailments that holistic health can treat, and the efficiency with which it can treat them.

Holistic health is becoming very popular as people become more health conscious and more aware of the many alternatives and options that exist as techniques and traditions from different cultures spread across the world.

Medical institutions are starting to incorporate alternative therapies to compliment traditional forms of treatment, and health insurance companies are recommending individual practitioners of various disciplines. This is leading to a further increase in the use these therapies.

As more people become interested in studying complimentary therapies, more and more graduates are seeking employment, or otherwise offering their services to the public, creating a more competitive industry and raising industry standards.

While most of the therapies used in holistic health practices have developed over hundreds, sometimes thousands of years, we are only beginning to see an emerging structure within this fledgling industry which ties all these therapies together into a comprehensive service.

The industry is very unstable at the moment as it is going through a lot of change, including the impact of statutory registration of practitioners, and the establishment of standardised, internationally qualification e.g. ITEC. It will take a number of years before the growth rate for both the demand for these therapies and the number of practitioners settles down.

Recomendations

It is recommended that a person wanting to work in the field of holistic health examines the number of different disciplines that exist and are being practiced and the courses available, and has an idea of how they would like to help people. For example, do you want to help ill people through diagnosis and recommendations for treatment or are you interested in advising individuals in good shape how to enhance their level of wellness. For the former you need training that may include supervised clinical experience. For the latter, a variety of home study courses or weekend workshops can provide you with a broad understanding of healthy lifestyle options. Also, If you want to be a healer, do you want hands on healing methods like massage, or do you prefer verbal or more subtle techniques, e.g. NLP, or counseling?

It is recommended that the person be very clear about the various levels of training and expertise in any particular discipline. For example, in the field of Chinese Medicine there are various types of training offered. One involves years of extensive training similar to that of a medical doctor. The other is usually a one to two year or less part time course providing a broad overview of some of the basics of the Chinese approach to health and healing.

It is also recommended that a person seeking employment in this field develops a broad range of skills in different therapies, and to try to be as dynamic as possible in their applications. They should continue ongoing training to further broaden their range of skills, which is essential as competition and standards increase.

Bibliography / References

• Chinese Tuina - by Ping Chen - ISBN: 7030056744
• Practical Tuina Acupressure, A Textbook for the Enquiring Student - James O'Sullivan
• Alternative Medicine: the definitive guide - by Burton Goldberg, Max Allan Goldberg - ISBN: 1587611414
• Definitions for Holistic Health Practices were taken from :
  Foot Notes for Health - http://www.footnotesforhealth.com/
• Information on statutory registration of Complementary Therapists taken from
  Oasis - Irish Government Information on Public Services - http://www.oasis.gov.ie/
• American Holistic Health Association - http://ahha.org/
• Tui Na - Chinese Bodywork Therapy - By Bill Helm
• http://www.acupuncture.com/qigong_tuina/tuinabodywork.htm