These are the 10 principles of Integrative Holistic Medicine:

1. Each person is unique: cookbook formulas do not work for everyone.

2. The least toxic and most effective healing modalities are used. The focus is to remove excesses and replace deficiencies. This promotes a healthy immune system and decreases inflammation. 

3. Treating the underlying cause is preferable to just treating the symptoms. For example, remove hidden infections and replace missing probiotic organisms.

4. The human body is an ecosystem.  The physician is the gardener, not a mechanic, who helps remove toxins from the body and replace deficient vitamins and minerals. 

5. Food is medicine but the diet is individualized to each person. This optimizes sugar metabolism (prevents insulin resistance and diabetes), decreases inflammation, and prevents cancer. 

6. Bio-identical hormones, homeopathics remedies, special diets, herbs, prolotherapy, acupuncture, and even prescription drugs are useful tools.  

7. Sleep, exercise, laughter, and relaxation are important to maintain health.

8. Affirmations, visualizations, and meditation promote optimal health.

9. Prevention is the best medicine.

10. Love is a powerful healer so I say "Hugs Heal!"

Optimal health is much more than just the absence of sickness.  It is the conscious pursuit of a high quality of  well-being.  This means your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Holistic medicine addresses health in several planes: anatomy, physiology and biochemistry (the physical plane); acupuncture meridians and chakras (the electromagnetic plane); psychology and homeopathy (emoti0nal and mental planes); and life purpose (the spiritual plane).  Healing has to do with transforming the body, the mind and the spirit.  You cannot practice holistic medicine in a 10 minute office visit.  Holistic medicine is individualized medicine.  In order to get well you have to find the underlying cause of illness and correct that.