Doctrine of prevention and treatment that emphasizes looking at the whole person
body, mind, emotions, and environment
rather than a single function or organ.
It promotes use of a wide range of health practices and therapies, including acupuncture , homeopathy , and nutrition, stressing "self-care" with traditional commonsense essentials. In the extreme, it may accord equal validity to a wide range of health-care approaches, some incompatible and not all scientific. It does not ignore mainstream Western medical practices but does not see them as the only effective therapies. See also alternative medicine .