Whole Health

What is Whole Health?

Whole Health (care) empowers YOU to take charge of your health and well-being.  Incorporating your goals, desires, and values into your healthcare supports you in living your life to the fullest.  The secretary of Veterans Affairs summed up Whole Health and Whole Health Care as fulfilling an ongoing promise to our Veterans, providing the best of innovation and care to assist our Nation’s heroes in their “next mission--” their life and health.

Expanded Services

Historically, healthcare has focused on disease, illness, and diagnoses. Are your screenings and vaccinations up to date? Do you feel sick, or are you injured? Do you smoke, or is your weight healthy? What medications are you on, and how are your test results? While these are important, your healthcare team also desires to incorporate what matters to you. This inclusion is essential to how your healthcare team will function to support your goals. Available to you are Health Coaching Services, several self-care offerings, and a variety of Complementary and Integrative Health Services, which are detailed below:

The Pathway Is EMPOWERING: We partner with you, as well as your family and community, to explore the missions, purposes, and aspirations that will guide the development of your personal health plan.

Well-Being Programs Are EQUIPPING: We work with you to build the skills and support you need and identify proactive, integrative health approaches such as stress reduction, yoga, tai chi, mindfulness, nutrition, acupuncture, and health coaching that will help you take charge of your health and well-being and live your life to the fullest.

Whole Health Clinical Care Is TREATING: Along with your health care team, you will complete your personal health planning and find complementary and integrative health approaches.

To get started on your Whole Health Journey call .

Well-Being Programs

Components of Proactive Health and Well-Being

Awareness of your health and well-being will help you think about your “whole health.” All the areas in the circle (see Whole Health Circle below) are valuable and are connected.  Improving one area can improve another and influence your overall physical, emotional, and mental health and well-being. The human body and mind have tremendous healing abilities, and we can strengthen these healing abilities.

The inner circle represents your values and what matters to you. Being in a state of mindful awareness helps you see what matters to you. The next circle is your self-care represent circumstances and your daily routines and choices. The next ring represents the professional care you receive. Professional care may include tests, medications, supplements, surgeries, examinations, treatments, and counseling. Also included are complementary approaches such as acupuncture and mind-body therapies. The outer ring represents the people and groups to whom you are connected.

Explore the Circle of Health: The Eight Areas of Self-Care

Self-care is a critical factor in living a healthy life, and often the means to your ability to live in the ways that matter most to you. Daily choices influence our physical, mental, and spiritual health. In fact, evidence shows that each of the “eight self-care” areas of self-care contributes considerably to your overall health and well-being. They can also affect your chances of developing diseases and the seriousness of that disease. Consider your values, lifestyle, habits, and motivations in each area. Taking stock of where you are now and where you want to be in these areas is the first step in living a healthier life.

• Moving Body
• Surroundings
• Personal Development
• Food and drink
• Recharge
• Friends, Family, and coworkers
• Spirit and soul
• Power and mind

Professional Care

Prevention and treatment of illness or disease and traditional and complementary medicine are part of professional care. Preventive care includes things like immunizations and cancer screening. Common treatments include checkups, medications, supplements, physical therapy, surgery, and counseling. Complementary medicine comprises approaches like acupuncture and mind-body therapies. Staying current with your personal care plan for health and well-being is essential.

Community

The outer ring represents your community. For some, their community is close by, and for others, it is far away. Your community is more than the places where you live, work, and worship. It includes all the people and groups you connect with, who rely on you, and upon whom you rely.

Which areas would you like to focus on first as you develop your Personal Health Plan? Prepare to talk with your healthcare team by reviewing your Personal Health Inventory.