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Holistic is an adjective that describes things related to the idea that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. In other words, that the entirety of something must be considered instead of just considering its parts.

This philosophy is called holism, and that’s where the word holistic comes from. Holistic can be used generally to describe approaches that incorporate elements of holism, but it is especially used in the contexts of psychology and alternative medicine.

Example: Chiropractors often take a holistic approach to treating injuries by considering the entire body instead of just the affected area.

Holism was coined by Jan Christian Smuts in his 1926 book Holism and Evolution (Smuts completed the work between serving terms as prime minister of South Africa). The first part of the word, hol, refers to “whole,” and the suffix -ism means “principle” or “doctrine.” In holistic, the suffix -istic is used to make it an adjective.

In medical contexts, holistic describes an approach that attempts to treat the overall well-being of a person, including physically, psychologically, and socially. Because this approach differs from traditional Western medicine, holistic treatments are often associated with alternative medicine. Many practitioners of holistic medicine operate under the philosophy that the body must be treated as a whole unit, taking into account the complex interactions of its parts. A similar approach is associated with the use of the term holistic in psychology: the mind is studied as a single unit, rather than a combination of its different parts or functions.

Holistic is sometimes used more generally in the context of business and other fields. This usually involves analyzing an organization, project, or process as a whole, especially in order to be more effective or efficient (as in We need to take a holistic approach to this restructuring process). However, holistic in this context is sometimes seen as a buzzword, especially since it may be unclear what exactly it is supposed to mean.

When holistic is used in the context of alternative medicine, some people may perceive it as being unscientific.

What are some other forms of holistic?

• holistically (adverb)
• holism (noun)
• wholistic (alternate spelling)

What are some words that share a root or word element with holistic?��

• hologram
• holocaust
• simplistic

What are some words that often get used in discussing holistic?

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• psychology
• medicine
• approach
• chiropractic
• treatment
• mind
• body
• spiritual

Holistic is often used in reference to alternative medicine, but its use has become more common in many other contexts.

It breaks my heart that music, for example, is so significantly under-valued in state schools. This has happened under all governments, not just the current one. Cuts have always been made to the arts. We bypass holistic development and fixate on exams to validate school success

— Vanessa Bailey (@vbaileyactor)

I am fully invested and dedicated to spiritual healing and holistic health. This ain’t no part time gig. I’m all in.

— IG: M.IAMOUR ☥ॐ (@EuphemiaSpeaks)

a part of being a good curator is contributing to and supporting a diverse set of communities even when you aren’t directly involved. having a more holistic understanding of where people congregate and why will help you make smarter more informed decisions while curating

— yellowtechnica (@yellowttech)

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True or false?��

If you take a holistic approach, you primarily focus on the individual parts of something.