If we want to foster healing and promote health, we should pay attention to the ways of nature and learn to encourage the body's own, innate mechanisms of self-repair. But in the modern century, discovery of effective drugs for bacterial infections and development of immunizations and modern surgical techniques helped foster belief in a technological utopia, a technology that would conquer poverty, illiteracy, hunger and disease. But towards the 1960's the technological utopia faded, but Orthodox medicine did succeed in reducing the amount of sickness and the number of premature deaths due to infections and illness. On the other hand, it did not have effective treatments for viral infections, allergies, autoimmune diseases, mental illnesses, metabolic disease and functional and psychomatic diseases. So the only outlet available was the alternative Holistic medicine, which is a vast collection of theories and practices, some very ancient and some very recent, but very effective.
Holistic medicine emphasizes self-care and personal responsibility for wellness.
Choosing an alternative treatment does not imply rejection of orthodox care in any health emergency. Orthodox medical care should be sought immediately. The importance of self-care and preventing illness are stressed. Similarly in The Art of Living courses, techniques to eliminate stress, expand awareness and improve vitality are taught, which gives people a chance to dive deep into the joy hidden inside everyone and come out smiling and a new person. To varying degrees, each of us incurs stress and tension.