The difference between alternative therapies and holistic health lies in their correct use

Many people are confused about the boundary between alternative therapies and overall health, and even think that things like acupuncture, aromatherapy, and dietary supplements are either all IQ taxes for alternative therapies, or they are all standard features of overall health. In fact, the core distinguishing criterion is really whether the setting and boundaries are used correctly, and it has little to do with the specific therapies used.

I have been working in the health management industry for almost 6 years. The most typical example I have seen is Brother Zhang, a type 2 diabetic patient who came to us for consultation last year. I heard from a health blogger that cinnamon powder can naturally lower blood sugar, so I stopped taking metformin for 3 years and drank a large dose every morning and evening. After drinking a spoonful of cinnamon water for half a month, I felt dizzy and unable to stand and was sent to the emergency room. My fasting blood sugar soared to 18.2. This method of skipping formal diagnosis and directly replacing conventional treatment with non-mainstream methods, no matter what is used, is an alternative therapy that goes astray and violates the red line of health.

Later, Brother Zhang became afraid after being discharged from the hospital. He took anti-diabetic drugs as prescribed by the doctor, and asked us to make overall metabolic adjustments. We added 3 grams of cinnamon powder per day to his diet plan, combined with a sugar-control diet, brisk walking training three times a week, and breathing relaxation before bed. Three months later, the glycated hemoglobin dropped from 7.9 to 6.6. Even the attending physician praised him for his good adjustment. The cinnamon intervention at this time is a supplement to mainstream medical treatment. Together with diet, exercise, and psychological adjustment, it adjusts his overall metabolic state from a systemic level, which is naturally part of overall health.

Controversy between the two has never stopped in the industry. Some friends who practice Western medicine think that all non-clinical guideline-recommended intervention methods are deceptive and should not have anything to do with overall health. Others who work in naturopathic medicine feel that mainstream medical treatment is too troublesome. Only alternative therapies are the core of overall health. In fact, neither side has touched the core yardstick of "correct use." To put it bluntly, overall health treats people as a complete system and does not just focus on a certain indicator or a certain disease. Whether it is mainstream medical treatment, dietary intervention, exercise regulation or safe and proven natural therapies, as long as it can help people improve their overall physical and mental state within the applicable boundaries, it can be included in the category of overall health. The essence of alternative therapy is to elevate a certain type of non-mainstream intervention method to a position beyond its capabilities, skip professional evaluation, and use it to replace the formal treatment that should be used. The essence is that the usage is wrong, not the method itself is completely wrong.

It's a bit like changing the lightbulb in your living room at home. You can reach it by stepping on a 20cm small stool, but you insist on moving a 2m herringbone ladder to use it as a footstool. It's not that the ladder is bad, but that you are using it in the wrong situation. You still insist that the ladder is dangerous. How does that make sense? I have met too many people who misapplied alternative therapies and eventually fell into trouble. I have also seen too many clients who have relied on integrated health plans that integrate legal natural therapies to cure sub-health problems such as chronic fatigue and menstrual disorders for many years. There is no absolute good or bad method. It is just whether the person using it understands whether the intervention method in hand is a patch to make up for the shortcomings, or whether it can directly replace the new material of the load-bearing wall.