Newsletter # 0207

What Is Holism?

Some five thousand years or more before Jan Smuts coined "holism" in 1928, there existed healing traditions in India, China, Australia and the Americas that wove their health concepts around the core of harmonious living within the natural realm; where the body, mind, spirit and all aspects of a person were viewed as an integral part of the whole person.    The word Holistic has been tossed about since the 1970's and commonly refers to a natural means of doing something, whether it's referencing education, medicine, building, psychology or eating.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word Holism and the adjective Holistic are derived from the Greek word Holos which means whole.    In 1928 Smuts defined holism as "The tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts through creative evolution."   Simply stated it means that no complex system can be determined only by the sum of it's components.   The essence or energy of the whole is suggested and present in all parts of a system, and are microcosms of the whole.   Socrates in the 4th century BC cautioned against treating only one part of the body   "for the part can never be well unless the whole is well."   These phrases define holism, but do they truly give the whole picture?

To understand what something is we must also know what something isn't.  Reductionism is the opposite of Holism, and is a process that breaks down complex systems and analyzes the smallest parts in isolation, it is the way western medicine sees things. Even simple systems work in whole concepts rather than isolated segments. Think about something as simple as a cake. What is the most important component in a cake? Is there any one ingredient of prime importance or does a cake requires many ingredients, each one equally important and vital to the essence of a whole cake?   Can a cake be a cake if any of it's individual ingredients are viewed in isolation?   Is flour a cake?   Are eggs a cake? Don't the individual ingredients creatively evolve into a cake?  Aren't those ingredients something greater than the sum of it's parts when blended together?   Doesn't everything affect a cake?   Don't we need to consider the whole picture and all of the ingredients in correct proportion, the temperature of the ingredients, the blending method, the room temperature, the length of cooking, method of cooling and even our frame of mind?

System theory can take hundreds of materials such as, mortar, blocks, screws, nails, lumber, roofing, and it's obvious from a glance that these materials are going to eventually be some type of structure, but without looking at the whole picture we may miss if it's going to be a barn, an office building, church or a home.   With a far more complex system such as a human being or other animal, isn't it easy to understand and appreciate that we are surely more complicated than buildings or cakes?   If it's important to look at the whole in simple systems such as baking a cake or constructing a building, how then could the importance of looking at the whole person and everything that effects that person, including the cake he eats, be of less importance?   The interconnectedness of the human body, mind and spirit is more than, greater than and different than the sum of each part and can only be viewed in relation to all other aspects of life.

Neither life, nor the earth, nor humans, nor other animals are linear and isolated, all are part of the whole circle and cycle of life, we are eternally bound by a web that weaves us together, we are related.   Everything operates in a circle, day progresses to night and then again to day, seasons flow into one another and back again, tides ebb and flow.   That is the rhythm and cycle of earth, life and all it's forces.   The earth is made of systems such as land, water, plant, mineral, air & animals.  What happens to one system causes a circular rippling effect along that web.   Dropping a small stone into a still lake will cause an ever widening circle, creating circles within more circles until the impact reaches the opposite shore or obstacle and launches rippling circles in other directions.. The circles within circles radiate out until they come full circle impacting all of the other systems.   For example, it's scientific fact that clear cutting forests hundreds or thousands of miles away drastically affects local weather patterns.   Weather becomes inconsistent & unpredictable, altering wind patterns, snow pack & rainfall; we begin to experience hotter hots, colder colds, cold when it should be warm, warm when it should be cool, more rain and less snow, spring popping up in the middle of winter or a summer snow storm.   These changes affect temperature, wind, rain, snow, the soil and water availability; water insufficiencies or surplus limit the potential crops or flora that can be grown and food availability impacts all of us and all our relations.

There are symptoms when an animal, human or other system becomes sick.  When the earth is sick, the birds, fish, animals and plants begin to mutate or disappear, migration patterns change, unusual diseases appear, our whole system loses balance and weakens, causing other systems to fail which if not corrected will cause decay and death.  When we see ancient forests being clear cut and other forests dying that are filled with beetles, the tendency is to identify & blame the symptom as being the cause.   In this case are the beetles the cause or one of the symptoms?   Traveling backwards, retracing steps within the circle will enable us to clearly see the whole picture and identify the root cause that made the earth sick and the trees die.   Without knowing the cause how can we make corrections that heal?   In this example the beetles are killing forests, but they are opportunistic attacking only compromised hosts and are not found in significant numbers in healthy forests.   What made the forest unhealthy?   The weather changes were only symptoms of a greater imbalance.  When looking at the whole picture could it be more easily understood that the beetles and weather changes are symptoms of the clear cutting?   But the clear cutting is also just a symptom of the corporate profit quest.   In further scrutiny of the whole picture you might speculate if the corporations are the cause and at fault for ignoring the next seven generations for immediate stockholder profit.   Do the popular corporate slogans such as “forests are renewable resources”  provide fog factor and pretext to enable the clear cutting?   Does our failure to examine & protest popular slogans and the validity of the serious consequences associated with the obliteration of entire eco systems instead point the finger of accountability at something else as the original cause?   If everyone things the same thing, it generally shows no one is doing much thinking.   Everything is part of the whole, woven into the same web, and whether we like it or not, whether we fully understand it or not, it's one of Nature's Laws and we ignore it at our peril.

The many interdependent complex elements that comprise a human, such as mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, environmental, professional, energy, beliefs, hereditary, hormonal, constitutional, dietary, cultural, religious, educational, health aspects, including all of the individual parts of that person, are continually interacting with everything and everyone in his past and present environment.  The whole person is bound & related to everything else in the same web.   When one part of a person is not working, that part has not failed in isolation, the problem is systemic and all other aspects of that person are impacted.  For example, a person may develop a stomach or headache because they are stressed over a test or interview.  Suppressing those emotions and anger can often wreak havoc with our immune systems and contribute significantly to serious long term disorders such as migraines, arthritis or even cancer.  Stubbing your toe on a stump can cause a chain reaction within the whole person, the pain causes them to alter their walking to shift weight from the injured part, this puts pressure on their other leg, muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, bones, their back, hips, neck & shoulders, throwing their back out, giving them a headache, causing them to become irritated, clumsy, more emotional and stressed, thus they may smoke more, drink more coffee, turn to pain killers, anti depressants, eat less nutritious foods because it hurts to stand and cook thus causing further imbalances.....If they visit a doctor of western medicine and he sees a highly rattled, frustrated, stressed person that is depressed, it's likely that they would be given Prozac for starters to suppress those symptoms and then maybe toss in some antibiotics, just in case.   But what about the toe, isn't it the cause of a everything else?  Didn't the toe affect the whole person?

Holistic Health systems are simple and based on the same law of nature, that a whole is made up of interdependent parts, and considers symptoms as important indications that something needs attention.  The symptom is used to discover the cause of what really needs balancing.   That's why it's important NOT to suppress the symptom, we need the symptom.   For example taking an aspirin for a headache would be like removing the fuse that controls your car's gas gage.   While you would no longer be annoyed by the symptom  (flickering light )  of an empty gas tank, the original cause (empty tank) still exists and your new problems would just be beginning.   Laws of nature are factual, exist and function according to rules whether all people are familiar with these rules or not.

Modern Western medicine is about 85 years old and treats each symptom as a unique and unconnected phenomenon.   The whole person is not considered and the underlying cause is ignored, the sole focus is suppression of the main isolated symptom.  How many symptoms could be associated with that injured toe?   Another common example, a skin rash will generally be treated with cortisone and the symptoms will be suppressed, but not without a cost.  Sadly, some of the potential life changing side effects from Cortisone include:

osteoporosis

spontaneous fractures

mental disturbances

psychoses

neuropathy

posterior subcapsular cataracts

acne

excessive hair growth

diabetes

hypertension

metabolic disturbances

protein & fat utilization disturbances

reactivation of tuberculosis

retention of salt and water straining heart & kidneys

reduction of resistance to carcinogenesis

liver damage

kidney damage

blood damage

bone, nerve & vital organ damage

causes adrenal atrophy

disturbs biochemical stability

causes joint tissue degeneration

long term use makes recover impossible

Because the original symptom of a skin rash is gone, Western medicine considers it cured.   Yet in considering the above staggering  "side effect"  possibilities, it's easy to see how other symptoms could invariably pop up only to be suppressed by another drug, and when that symptom is  "cured"  other drugs will be quickly dispensed to suppress the ever changing new symptoms.  With so many symptoms is it any wonder why some people are on a dozen or more drugs for the remainder of their life?   Is this logical & healing or does it cause more harm?   Albert Einstein noted that   "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results = insanity"

Holistic practitioners have used natural and indigenous ingredients for thousands of years with incredible effects.  Most of the world today still relies on natural medicines, simple foods & herbs to help build and maintain strong bodies, healthy & protective immune systems.  Native medicines vary somewhat depending on local availability of herbs & foods but utilize similar concepts of keeping the body balanced and in harmony with medicinal herbs that are considered cleansing, toning, warming, cooling, calming, supportive or stimulating to various body systems & organs.   Holistic health is an on going process and an approach to healthful living that balances interactions of Mind Body Spirit and the person's interaction with his environment to create the most favorable conditions in which the person's body can heal itself.  Optimal well being is not just about the absence of disease but about individual accountability and commitment for the whole person and their lifestyle choices.  Each choice is connected to all of your past choices, there are future ramifications and consequences of your choices on the whole person.   Do you believe that making the wrong choices associated with alcohol, drugs, toxins, environmental pollution, smoking, promiscuity, negative thoughts, consumption of   "non foods"  high sugar intake, low self esteem will diminish your quality of life and set the stage for dis-ease?

Life is sweet, meant to be shared and enjoyed to the fullest, all living creatures will eventually die.   The circle of life begins at birth, ends at death and continues into the spirit world.   There are no magic health bullets that anyone can take for instant good health or to reverse a lifetime of bodily abuse.  Your body and your maker are the only source of   "cure"  for anything that ails you.   If your body gets the right fuel and the right exercise it will be healthier.   Every body is different, your diligence, persistence & knowledge will help you discover what your path to good health is and how you can develop and maintain good health.    Foods & herbs are merely the fuel, your body is the vehicle, your mind is the driver and your creator is the engineer...when all work in harmony the results complete the holistic circle and are as nature intended.

Can you begin to imagine a world without dogs & cats?  Think it can't happen here?  Think again.  What if there were mandatory spay and neuter programs of all dogs and all cats?  That means ALL dogs and ALL cats without  "authorized & approved"  breeder exemptions, without personal choice.  How long would it take before attrition would eliminate all dogs and all cats?  And if there were laws in effect that required spaying and neutering there could be no future births and within a very short time, our world would be changed and millions of Americans would no longer enjoy the companionship of dogs and cats.  An equally unthinkable scenario could be that only certain "acceptable" breeds would be allowed and the others would no longer be required.   That is a bleak and dismal picture.   There is some frightening legislation being proposed in several states, including California, all with hopefully good, if short sighted intentions.  Posted below we've excerpted the legislation, offer you the links to review for yourself and hope you'll come to the same conclusion that we have.  Happy Tails response is noted as well

Brenda Beck - President

Pets & Animals in Distress

  Pets & Animals In Distress

Phone:  954.202.9991

1511 east Commercial Blvd

PMB #129

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334

Pets & Animals In Distress EMail

Anyone interested in alleviating the pet overpopulation crisis must stop and ask how do we stop the killing of thousands of animals weekly which results in millions of companion animals annually?   The answer is obvious:  if there are too many unwanted cats and dogs, it's certainly rational to  prevent the breeding of any more  to prevent the population from growing, and to leave it to  attrition  to actually reduce that population, then mandatory spay/neuter legislation must be enacted.

An effort to enact mandatory spay/neuter legislation is currently underway in the state of New Mexico, where the state's shelters handle 90,000 cats and dogs each year.  If adopted HB 1106 would require the spaying and neutering of all dogs and cats six months of age or older.  Needless to say, there is substantial opposition to this legislation from organized breeders and associations, such as the  American Kennel Club , which have a huge financial stake in the breeding of cats and dogs.

It is my sincere hope that all of you will join Pets & Animals in Distress Spay and Neuter No-Kill Petition in our war against dog and cat overpopulation by supporting initiatives that will help us as a nation to end the killing once and for all.

Please use the links below to contact the members of New Mexico's House Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Appropriations and Finance who will consider HB 1106 and let him or her know that you support mandatory spay/neuter.

  Judiciary Committee

  Appropriations and Finance Committee

  Sign the Pets & Animals Spay & Neuter No-Kill Petition

  Please make your tax-deductible donation today to Pets & Animals in Distress!

Dear Brenda

Thanks for including us on your list regarding mandatory spaying and neutering of all dogs & cats over 6 months of age.  While we realize that your intentions might be good we can not rationally support legislation against a "symptom" that will do nothing to end the cause, particularly one that will be a  "giant"  step toward further suppression of our personal freedoms.   And do we really need more self appointed  "deciders"  controlling our individual choices?

It's important NOT to confuse the symptom with the actual underlying cause of the problem.   For example taking an aspirin for a headache would be like removing the fuse that controls your car's gas gage.  While you would no longer be annoyed by the symptom (flickering light )  of an empty gas tank, the original cause  (empty tank)  still exists and your new problems would just be beginning.

The major causes of the millions of shelter killings are that irresponsible owners provide a never ending stream of abandoned animals to the shelters.   Many shelters kill because of their profit incentive.  The slaughtered animals including the drugs used to kill them, are sold by the pound to renderers, where the dead animals are ground up and used as meat by products in commercial dog foods, or used for ash in fertilizers and their fur sold overseas to return on name brand parkas.   Fix the problem, not the symptom.  Laws of nature are factual, exist and function according to rules whether all people are familiar with these rules or not.

The mandatory neutering of all dogs and cats over 6 months of age is truly a draconian and bone chillingly frightening proposal that will serve only to obliterate many breeds within a few years.  Imperfect bills will not miraculously perfect themselves and the unintended consequences are far reaching and irreversible.  If the intention is to create an environment without the personal companionship of dogs & cats this legislation will quickly serve that purpose.

If on the other hand the wish is to diminish the killing of shelter dogs & cats it will be useless.  People that are hobby breeders will not make the financial commitment to become  "authorized "  breeders and will dump their dogs at the shelters, the killings will increase until there are no longer any animals left to kill.

Instead have you considered devoting your energies to supporting only no kill shelters?  Promoting legislation that prohibits the killing of sentient beings?   Legislation that prohibits selling slaughtered dogs & cats to renderers?  Legislation that prohibits dogs & cats to be considered meat by products? Or perhaps hefty fines & fees for people who abandon their animals?

Get involved directly instead of with frivilous Email debates.

While we rescue and rehome hundreds of Rottweilers at our expense & energy and do not breed, we support ethical breeders.   As a consequence in our general region there are no longer columns of newspaper ads for Rottweilers.  The options are to adopt from shelters, rescue or purchase from reputable breeders.   Our sphere of influence, and other Rottweiler Rescues, have made a difference with one breed.  We look forward to the day when we are "out of business"......

To mandate mandatory spaying and neutering is over burdensome and seeking to control what is lawfully considered personal property.   It would be the same as legislation that controls how many TVs or telephones a family might have or perhaps the interior color scheme of your home.   Isn't it time we put a stop to further intrusions on our dwindling personal choices and fix the problem.... not compound the symptom?

Toni Reita PhD

Happy Tails Rescue Association