My “Why” Part 2 of 8: Holistic Care
by Dr. Sarah Shimanek, PT, DPT, WCS, PRPC
The past couple of weeks, I have been talking about why I do what I do, which comes down to elevating the standard of healthcare by focusing on eight areas I feel are key to successful care: Listening, Holistic approach, Coaching, Healing, Support, Caring, Safety, and Thoughtful and thorough care. Last week, we focused on Listening, and this week, we are going to focus on having a truly Holistic approach. Have you ever had a doctor miss something important when they were treating you? Or know someone who has? That’s why we look at a holistic, or whole person view.
Holistic: “characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of an illness.”
So, what does Holistic even mean? The word holistic gets thrown around a lot, and it doesn’t always mean much. It’s often just a marketing ploy because it sounds good. But the official definition is “characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of an illness.” I would extend my definition a bit and include all systems of the body, as well as social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual factors.
So, why does it matter if we look at all systems of the body? I mean, what if I just cut my finger? Why would my social situation matter then? Well, let’s say you cut your finger and go to the doctor because you need stitches. Sure, they can just sew you up and send you on your way. But if they take the time to ask a few extra questions, maybe they find out that you cut your finger while creating an art piece of found art, and there was a rusty old hubcap you were working with that sliced into your finger. Now you also need a tetanus shot in addition to the stitches. And if they neglected to ask about the circumstances, you could end up with lockjaw.
Maybe that’s an extreme example, but I wonder if you know someone who has experienced a mistake from a medical provider because they weren’t asking the right questions.
Ask the right questions
Let’s take it to the field of pelvic health. I had a patient once who came in because she was experiencing painful sex, something we see quite often. But despite it being a relatively common symptom, its causes can be varied and complex. This particular patient had a lot of stress at work, which elevates cortisol levels, which causes tension in her muscles, including her pelvic floor. She also had an old hip injury, which caused muscle tension around her hip and pelvic floor. She had also fallen off her exercise routine, causing more weakness in her abdominal muscles, putting more pressure on her pelvic floor, increasing the tension. Additionally, years of trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant caused her anxiety around sex, which was creating a neurological response that increased muscle guarding and sensitivity in her pelvic area.
To find out all of these factors, I had to make sure to ask questions about her work life, personal life, sex life, exercise routine, and more. And I had to do a thorough physical screening, which included her core and hip muscles to see how they were contributing. And then we did address all of the factors over the course of treatment so that she made more lasting improvements, rather than just treating the initial symptoms. Could we have just treated her tight muscles and ignored the other factors? Yes, but then the tension would keep coming back.
But in this example, we truly assessed and treated her whole self, including all her systems, as well as psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual factors to create true and lasting healing, and she not only was able to have pain-free and pleasurable sex, but also subsequently got pregnant after years of trying unsuccessfully.
She got pregnant after years of trying unsuccessfully.
When we treat the whole person, we achieve lasting impacts and give you the tools to maintain that improvement over the course of your life. If you’re looking for truly holistic care, contact us today to make an appointment.