Holistic medicine adopts a very personalized approach to the health of an individual. It encompasses all the aspects of a person’s life that are deemed to affect the health. These include emotional, spiritual, social, nutritional, mental and other factors that affect the mind and body. Holistic medicine treats a person as a whole and not just a given disease. This form of healing holds an individual and his lifestyle responsible for the manner in which his body ages with time. Holistic medicine techniques have not been properly evaluated and their efficacy can vary with the person. Acupuncture, yoga, biofeedback, bodywork, chiropractic, faith healing are forms of holistic medicine.

Holistic medicine or a holistic approach to medicine is that which takes into consideration not just the physiological aspects of a person but also psychological, social, economic and other aspects that go into the making of a human being. It adopts a more philosophical approach to treatment and is an important element in various alternative medicine systems such as Ayurveda and TCM. The holistic approach emphasizes treatment of the person as a whole and not just the physiological symptoms of a condition. Holistic medicine envisages the well-being of a person as being more than the absence of disease or physical pain.