The future of holistic medicine

Holistic medicine approaches the whole human, an entity harmoniously composed of a body, mind and spirit. The mind and spirit are both states of energy. We hypothesize that the mind is the expression of the spirit and the spirit, itself, is defined as the potential energy of one's field. Accordingly, holistic medicine can be considered to be a 'medicine of fields,' or 'energy medicine.' The fundamental idea behind energy medicine is not pathogenesis on which Western medicine is based, but salutogenesis, a theory proposed by Aaron Antonovsky. According to salutogenesis, illness is not static physical damage but a story generated from the dynamics of one's life. Medical practitioners and patients should explore the way of acquiring better health from the story. Energy medicine has not been scientifically proven yet, and it will take a long time to do so. Medicine is the activities of the field woven by a patient, his or her family, friends and medical professionals. When all those involved become powerful, vulnerable and aware of 'memento-mori,' and aim at 'shukyaku-bunri,' they will reach ideal holistic medicine. People's awareness and interest have been rising worldwide in complementary/alternative medicine (CAM), and a trend is now moving toward integrated medicine. We believe that this trend will pave the way for the next era of holistic medicine.