TREATING THE WHOLE PERSON:
H
HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS
MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT
True wellness means factoring in all aspects of health and how they relate to each other, writes Lynette Dicey
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olistic health is about treating the whole person, caring for their physical, mental and social health at the same time. The focus, says Ashley Butler Lobb, national nutrition and wellness expert at Dis-Chem, is on the mind, body and spirit rather than simply suppressing a disease or a particular symptom. “Holistic health and wellness are rooted in the understanding that these three parts of the human body are interconnected and that issues in one area have the ability to affect another,” she explains, adding that if one is to be truly “well”, all of these aspects need to be well cared for. Stress, as a key player in mental health, is a psychological response, she says, impacting physical health through increased blood pressure, poor sleep, heachaches, fatigue and even weight gain or weight loss. “It works both ways: being physically unwell with something like cancer, hypertension or weight loss can affect mental health, leaving you feeling anxious, unable to concentrate, or even depressed,” says Butler Lobb. Equally important as mental and physical health is social health, defined as our ability to interact and form meaningful relationships with others. “Spirituality and healthy interpersonal relationships have the ability to boost your mental and physical health,” says Butler Lobb. The Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted physical health most obviously and prominently, also had catastrophic effects on both mental and social health. Enforced lockdowns and social distancing resulted in higher incidences of depression and anxiety.“One of the biggest learnings from the pandemic was just how important mental health is and the impact it can have on our holistic wellbeing,” says Butler Lobb. “Many people struggled emotionally throughout the pandemic; stress was at an all-time high, exacerbated by prolonged periods of isolation. As mental health waivered and stress levels increased,
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THE FIGHT FOR HEALTH & HAPPINESS chain of Hofit Barouchi turned drop 51kg and gain a whole lot of joy, writes Lynette Dicey I way:feelinglovethisstrong,beautifulandlikemyspiritcanflyagain
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immunity dropped and people were tested from a physical, spiritual and emotional perspective. Those who were better able to care for their mental wellbeing, alongside their physical and social wellbeing, had a better chance of staying healthy.”
devastating life events,
depression into a determination to
ASHLEY BUTLER LOBB National nutrition and wellness expert at Dis-Chem When it comes to diet, eating healthy foods is a no-brainer. Diet has a direct effect on both physical and mental health, which can in turn also impact social health. “Given that diet has such a big impact on our health it should be given priority and treated with care,” says Butler Lobb. Aim for a balanced diet and avoid foods that add no real value. Avoid foods that contain trans fats, typically foods that have been deep fried and are responsible for heart disease by increasing “bad” cholesterol and decreasing good cholesterol.Obesity, caused by a poor diet, is a leading cause of depression as well as heart attack and stroke. It impacts an individual’s social health which in turn impacts mental health. Given this direct link between diet and holistic wellness it’s important that we make the right food choices,” she says. Food should be the primary source of nutrition, with supplements only used to fill any identified gaps that can’t be filled with food.“Dietary supplements should only be used to meet an increased demand for certain nutrients under specific conditions such as vitamin C in winter, or due to a deficiency in diets such as vitamin B12 in a vegan, or more protein for athletes, she says.“Different supplements have been specially formulated to assist different areas of our wellbeing. The best advice is to consult with a registered dietitian or doctor to get expert guidance on what your specific dietary needs are and to establish the best way to meet these needs.”
The Covid-19 pandemic with its lockdowns and social isolation has been hard on many people, including Johannesburg-based Hofit Barouchi, who has been dealt a series of hard knocks in recent years. It was while she was on a two-week spiritual retreat in Peru, deep in the Amazon, that the Covid-19 pandemic was announced. Peru, like many other countries around the world, responded by implementing a hard lockdown. With funds that were only intended to finance her two-week stay, the healer and personal coach was forced to pay her way to escape the Amazon jungle, only to be accosted by heavy-handed Peruvian police who confiscated her passport and any fresh produce she had available.
SUPPLIEDPicture: Moderate consumptioncoffeecouldsaveyourlife
Surviving on a diet of bread, butter and jam, it took three tumultuous months for Barouchi, an Israeli immigrant and mother of three, to get word of her plight to the Israeli Embassy. However, it was only after intervention from both the South African and German embassies in Peru that she was extricated from her ordeal and repatriated to SA. The same day that she arrived back in SA, her partner was knocked off his bicycle. His concussion and punctured lungs were injuries that would prove fatal. Emotionally broken, Barouchi says it was hard to even contemplate carrying on living. Her weight, which had ballooned to more than 130kg, was an additional burden. “I knew that I needed to get rid of the excess weight I was carrying because of the health risks it posed. On a personal level, I knew that to lose that weight required that I heal myself on many levels, she says. She joined her local Planet Fitness gym and embarked on a two-and-a-half-year journey to transform her mind, body and soul. Conceding that entering a high-end gym was daunting at first, Barouchi was determined not to lose focus. She tried different classes and finally settled on a combination of boxing, step classes, body conditioning and water-based exercises in the mornings, and circuit training in the evenings. “At first nothing happened, but slowly over time I realised it was getting easier to breathe. Then my weight started shifting, and as I started to lose weight my diet changed and became healthier and started seeing real Two-and-a-halfprogress.years later, and 51kg lighter, Barouchi says she has developed a passion for going to the gym. “It’s become part of my life and gives me enormous joy,” she says. I love feeling this way: strong, beautiful and like my spirit can fly again. She’s also learnt a number of valuable lessons. “It’s important to be kind to yourself. Don’t fight your body. Set one small goal and if that doesn’t work, try again. Celebrate even the little successes. Each kilogram that you lose is a wonder. Celebrate the beauty of your body and give yourself time to achieve your goals.”
It’s important not to demonise stress: not all stress is bad. In fact, some stress is good and keeps us motivated. And sometimes there isn’t much you can do about stress if it is caused by circumstances outside your control. Stress is a normal part of life. However, prolonged periods of heightened stress can become physically harmful, ultimately affecting our physical and social health, as well as our mental wellbeing,” explains Butler Lobb. For this reason it’s important to practise effective stress management to control the impact it has on your life. But, as Butler Lobb points out, stress management doesn t look the same for everyone and what works for one person may not work for another. Identify what works for you. For some people this may be exercise and the endorphins it releases, which make you feel calmer. For others it may be time spent with family and friends and the support this provides. Good-quality sleep and a healthy diet can also help with managing stress better.“There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but managing stress effectively has the potential to positively impact your overall wellbeing,” she says. “Spirituality and healthy interpersonal relationships have the ability to boost your mental and physical health”
PARTNERSHIP HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS
Hofit Barouchi says she gym.goingpassiondevelopedhasafortothe
For many of us, coffee is a guilty pleasure. However, new research indicates that a moderate intake of coffee between 1.5 and 3.5 cups a day may in fact reduce the risk of dying within the next few years by 30%. As this was an observational study, researchers could not provide a cause-and-effect relationship between coffee drinking and a lower death risk. The study, over a seven-year period, analysed data from 170,000 coffee consumers from the UK who did not have cancer or cardiovascular diseases at the start of the study. Other studies have found that moderate coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson s disease and depression. However, the jury is still out on the effects of coffee on children, while excessive caffeine consumption could increase anxiety in those who suffer from panic or anxiety disorders. Lynette Dicey
HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS Relax in the spa gazebo at Bushmans
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Pictures: THE RED CARNATION HOTEL COLLECTION YOGA YOUR SECRET WEAPON AGAINST STRESS & ANXIETY Bushmans Kloof offers canoeing and wild swimming. Take time out with yoga and meditation to find your centre and increase wellness. Picture: 123RF.COM/DOLGACHOV
The programme includes yoga, fitness and meditation, dietary re-education, nutrition talks and spa treatments. Situated at the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains, 270km from Cape Town, Bushmans Kloof offers an ideal wilderness getaway to escape, restore and relax. Guests can also take part in rock art walks, nature drives, mountain biking, canoeing, hiking, fishing and archery as well as swimming in rock pools. A spa offering soothing and restorative treatments is complemented by indigenous Rooibos products.Animmersive and transformative experience, the retreat promises to provide guests with greater control over their overall health and wellbeing and leave them better able to manage the stresses and strains of modern life. Lynette Dicey For information, email Bushmans Kloof on info@bushmanskloof.co.za Kloof.
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ong renowned for improving flexibility, the age-old practice of yoga has a number of mental health benefits. Its emphasis on deeper breathing practices and meditation acts to calm and centre the mind, which helps to reduce anxiety and depression. All exercise lowers stress levels by increasing the production of feel-good endorphins, but research is showing that yoga may provide additional benefits, elevating mood levels through the release of a brain chemical called gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA) which is typically associated with better moods and decreased anxiety, as well as a dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Stress manifests in many different ways including back or neck pain, insomnia, headaches and even problems with concentration. Those who regularly practise yoga report that they are better able to relieveYogastress.helps brain cells develop new connections which can help to improve cognitive skills including learning, memory and attention, suggesting that yoga may even counteract age-related declines in memory and other cognitive skills. Meditation, on the other hand, reduces activity in the limbic system. This translates to a less emotional and more tempered response to stressful situations. Some small research studies have also found that yoga can help to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition to increasing muscle strength and tone and flexibility, there are numerous other physical benefits to yoga, such as lessening chronic pain, including back pain, arthritis, headaches and even carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s also thought to lower blood pressure, reduce insomnia and provide protection for injury. A number of studies also reveal that yoga can ease the symptoms of depression in the same way that medication and psychotherapy do. There are numerous types of yoga to choose from, which makes it ideal for those just starting out with an exercise regime. Neither fitness levels nor body size matters, given that there are modifications for just about every yoga pose for beginners through to advanced level. The best way to learn yoga is through in-person lessons with a qualified teacher who can correct poses to avoid injury and ensure the best results. Lessons are also available online, though these are ideally not advised for beginners until they have mastered the basics. For those wanting to immerse themselves in the practice of yoga, consider a getaway such as the Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve Wellness Retreat, where guests get to reset and restore their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing and participate in daily yoga classes with guided meditation and breathing practices with experienced yoga practitioners.
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The study, the first large-scale study examining health risks over a longer period of time, investigated the health records of about 1.25 million people diagnosed with Covid-19, primarily from the US, and tracked the neurological and psychiatric diagnoses in these patients for up to two years. Their risks were matched with a control group diagnosed with a respiratory infection other than Covid. The study confirmed that, though the Omicron variant resulted in milder illness than the Delta variant, survivors were at similar risk of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Lynette Dicey
“Mainstream medical professionals are governed, which protects the public from scams and unproven remedies.”
People who have had Covid-19 are at greater risk of suffering from mental health and neurological conditions including seizures, dementia, brain fog and psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia for up to two years after infection, according to a recently published study by the medical journal Lancet Psychiatry.Thestudy also found that after having Covid-19 adults also have an increased risk of depression or anxiety. Encouragingly, though, this was found to be short-lived and did not persist for more than a month or two.
‘Covid-19 poses mental-health risks up to two years after infection’
The distinction, she says, is important.
123RF.COM/VISJAFILIPRUMINPicture:
‘HOLISTIC
Alternative healers, she says, are often not held accountable for the harm that may come to a patient who suffers as a result of a therapy that has not been proven and recognised as effective and safe.
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TABITHA HUME Clinical dietitian
Don’t spend your money and risk your health on quacks peddling ‘alternative therapies’, warns clinical dietitian Tabitha Hume. By Lynette Dicey 123RF.COM/LIGHTWISEPicture:
Hume concedes that while some “holistic” therapists may, in fact, be qualified doctors, they use the terms “holistic”, “whole body” or “integrative” to open the door to selling expensive and frequently unnecessary supplements whose efficacy is based on preliminary and flimsy research which they espouse as fact. While everybody wants to be heard, taken seriously, cared for and feel like their healing is a whole-person process, she warns that it is important to be aware and not be taken for an expensive ride. “I’m not saying alternative therapies don’t work. I personally know that some do. But remember that these are alternative, not holistic, therapies.”
Those patients who had the Delta variant were at a higher risk of developing neurological and psychiatric conditions, with an increased risk of anxiety, insomnia, brain fog and seizures. Though children were not at greater risk of any of these disorders after being infected with Covid-19, it did find they may be at risk of epilepsy and seizures.
BEWARE THEHOCUSPOCUS OF HEALERS’
“Constipation is often not the result of insufficient fibre but rather a condition called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or a low-carb diet, among many other reasons, says Hume. She also takes exception to so-called holistic healers who provide nutritional advice but don’t have the requisite five-year dietetics degree from a medical school. “For some reason, they think that being a ‘holistic healer’ means they are qualified to treat disorders with therapeutic nutrition advice. It’s interesting that these ‘healers’ tell everyone that they are reacting to wheat, gluten, sugar, dairy, acidic foods, nightshades and soya. “First, it’s almost impossible to be intolerant of all of these foods all at once, and second, eliminating all of these foods from a diet is likely to lead to dietary deficiencies and unhealthy food obsessions. Hume says not only is this unnecessary but is also not ethical nutrition therapy. “Ethical nutrition therapy aims to include as many food varieties as possible, while at the same time treating the original problem, using widely-accepted therapeutic nutrition rather than just a so-called healthy, balanced diet.”
It s also, she points out, illegal for those who are not registered as dietitians to provide nutritional advice for physical problems and ailments.
The challenge, she says, is that many “holistic” healers demonise mainstream medication. “This is particularly dangerous because ‘holistic’ should theoretically mean including all proven medical therapies. People who say they don t believe in mainstream medicine or doctors are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.
he term holistic in the context of health and wellness has been somewhat abused over the years, becoming an umbrella term to include any “alternative” therapy that is not mainstream medicine, even those healing techniques that have not been recognised as effective or safe, says registered clinical dietitian Tabitha Hume. “It has been long recognised that healing a sick person requires input from many avenues, including physical, psychological, psychiatric, spiritual and nutritional,” she says, explaining that this is known as holistic healing because it brings in all aspects of professional treatment. “Good general practitioners and specialists will refer patients to physiotherapists, psychologists, chiropractors and dietitians, among others where necessary. However, increasingly, the term is used to also incorporate unsafe health practices.Humecites colonic irrigation as an alternative practice that is not medically recognised because of the harm it can cause. “In a nutshell, colonic irrigation sloughs essential microvilli, evacuates good bacteria and stretches the lower colon unnecessarily. It is also often inflammatory and unnecessary,” she warns. Patients who suffer from constipation should rather see a registered dietitian to find out what is behind the constipation, rather than just being washed out, she advises.
The term holistic in the context of health and wellness has been somewhat abused over the years, becoming an umbrella term to include any “alternative’’ therapy that is...
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