2nd Edition

Holism and Complementary Medicine Origins and Principles

By Vincent Di Stefano Copyright 2026
246 Pages
by Routledge

246 Pages
by Routledge

246 Pages
by Routledge

The rise of complementary medicine is one of the most important developments in healthcare over the past three decades. This popular text outlines the history and philosophy behind holistic therapies and examines their role in contemporary health systems. This fully updated new edition of Holism and Complementary Med icine offers a systematic overview of traditional healing practices, the... Read more

Introduction: Seeds for a future medicine

Part One: The origins

1: Beginnings: Deep roots, broad branches


2: Middle times - the gathering light

3: Into Modernity: The temple of promise

Part Two: Principles

4: Pointing to the Moon: Promise gained or promise lost? 


5: Holism and reductionism in medicine: Reconciling the opposites

6: The healing relationship: Reflections on the clinical encounter

7: The therapeutic aims of holistic medicine: Restoring the body, empowering the mind

8: Turning the medicine wheel: Between paradigms

9: Ways of knowing: Confirming the foundations

 

10: Through a glass darkly: Approaching renewal

 
References


Biography

Vincent Di Stefano has been a practitioner of and educator in osteopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine and acupuncture for over four decades. He has lectured extensively in the history and philosophy of medicine, western herbal medicine, osteopathy, and anatomy in a number of tertiary institutions. During the 1980s, he served as founding editor of the first peer-reviewed journal of natural medicine in Australia.