How long has holistic health been around?
The History of Holistic Health: Healing Beyond the Surface
By Dr. Sherian Wells, Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner | Nirvana Holistic Health
For centuries, healing wasn’t confined to prescriptions or quick fixes—it was a sacred practice of balance, ritual, nature, and deep connection to self and spirit. As a Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and founder of Nirvana Holistic Health, I’ve dedicated my life to guiding others back to this ancient wisdom—because true wellness doesn’t begin with treating symptoms. It begins with understanding the whole person.
Let’s take a journey through the history of holistic health, and why it’s more relevant today than ever before.
🌿 Ancient Roots of Holistic Healing
Long before modern medicine, civilizations around the world embraced holistic principles. From Asia to Africa, Europe to the Americas, ancient healers believed that the body, mind, and spirit were deeply interconnected—and that imbalance in one area could affect the whole being.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – Over 2,000 years ago, Chinese physicians used acupuncture, herbal medicine, and energy balancing (Qi) to support overall wellness.
Ayurveda (India) – This ancient Indian system, still widely practiced today, views health as a balance between body types (doshas), emotions, and lifestyle.
African and Indigenous Healing Traditions – These systems used herbal remedies, spiritual rituals, movement, and community support as tools for holistic wellness.
Greek Medicine – Hippocrates, often called the “father of medicine,” believed in treating the whole person and emphasized diet, lifestyle, and emotional balance.
Holistic health is not new. It’s deeply ancestral.
🌺 The Shift to Modern Medicine—and What Was Lost
With the rise of industrialization and technological advances in the 19th and 20th centuries, Western medicine made incredible strides. Emergency care, surgical precision, and pharmaceuticals all played key roles in saving lives. But something got lost along the way.
The focus shifted to disease management, not prevention. The individual became reduced to a diagnosis. And in the pursuit of fast results, the soul of healing—compassion, patience, and connection—faded into the background.
That’s where holistic health makes its return.
🌿 The Modern Holistic Health Movement
In the 1960s and 70s, a wave of holistic awareness reemerged in the U.S. People began to question the side effects of medications and the limitations of conventional care. As Eastern philosophies entered the mainstream, practices like meditation, yoga, and natural healing gained popularity.
Organizations such as the American Holistic Health Association and later, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, helped legitimize holistic approaches in Western healthcare. Today, more practitioners—myself included—are blending the best of both worlds: science-based knowledge with ancestral wisdom.
🌸 My Journey as a Holistic Practitioner
As a Black woman raised in the South, I witnessed firsthand how trauma, poor access to care, and generational patterns impacted our communities. I knew there had to be a more compassionate, effective way to heal.
That’s why I founded Nirvana Holistic Health—to create a safe space where people of all backgrounds could access natural, personalized, whole-body healing.
At Nirvana, we don’t chase symptoms. We uncover the root causes—whether emotional, environmental, hormonal, or spiritual. Through homeopathy, craniosacral therapy, lifestyle coaching, and our Virtual Wellness Program, we offer tools to help our clients not just feel better—but truly thrive.
💚 Why Holistic Health Still Matters
Today, people are craving more than quick fixes. They want deeper healing, lasting results, and care that honors their story. Holistic health offers that.
It reminds us that:
We are more than our symptoms.
The body knows how to heal—if we listen.
True wellness means alignment: body, mind, and soul.
🌱 Ready to Begin Your Own Holistic Journey?
Whether you’re dealing with chronic issues, feeling out of balance, or simply seeking a more natural path to wellness, I invite you to take the first step.
📍 Visit us in person at Nirvana Holistic Health:
1230 John B. White Sr. Blvd, Spartanburg, SC
💻 Or explore our Virtual Wellness Program from the comfort of your home.
🌐 Learn more and schedule your consultation at www.nirvanaholistichealth.net
In health and harmony,
Dr. Sherian Wells
Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner
Founder, Nirvana Holistic Health
"Healing isn’t just about what you remove. It’s about what you restore."