Holistic Physicians

The modern term holism was first used in 1926 by Jan Smuts in Holism and Evolution. Smuts championed the idea that living things are much more than just the sum of their parts. He challenged the views of modern medical science, which reduced the individual to a collection of body parts and diseases and denied the complexity of the human experience.

Dr. Evart Loomis is considered by many to be the father of modern holistic medicine. As early as 1940, Dr. Loomis believed that all aspects of an individual had to be considered in order to determine the cause of an illness. In 1958, he and his wife, Verna, founded Meadowlark in California, thought to be the first holistic medical retreat center in the United States.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the holistic medical movement began to grow as people became increasingly aware that modern medicine did not have all the answers. Many chronic (long-term) conditions did not respond to medical treatment. Some side effects and cures even proved to be worse than the diseases. By the 1970s, holistic had become a common term.

Currently, the use of holistic principles is increasingly incorporated into individual lifestyles and into the practice of medicine.