Holistic Health Schools

Once considered as being on the fringe of the medical service sector, holistic health is now a billion-dollar industry in the United States. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine conducted a survey that showed 36% of Americans use some form of alternative remedies. As people are moving towards alternative medicine and healthier lifestyles, holistic health has emerged as an in-demand field. The American Holistic Nurses Association has defined holistic health as "all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal".

Holistic health is a very diverse field comprising of many sub-categories and specialty areas such as massage therapy, acupuncture, yoga, chiropractic, Chinese medicine, herbology, and more. One of the main reasons why holistic health careers have become popular among people is due to the fact that holistic health offers more flexibility to practitioners. A holistic health practitioner can connect with their patients and clients on a more personal level. This career is suitable for individuals who want to help people build healthy lifestyles, and heal not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.

Holistic Health Schools
Holistic health schools all across the nation are offering various courses in this field. Students can choose from undergraduate and graduate programs. You can also earn certificates in this field. A holistic health degree program will comprehensively deal with the importance of optimizing spiritual health, mind, and the body. The goal of the program is to prepare students for working as professionals in this feild and equip them with skills needed for a holistic health career. Students will learn about the basic concepts of holistic health and will further acquire advanced knowledge. The coursework will address a number of areas such as the following:

• Mind-body medical techniques
• Homeopathy
• Modern concepts of nutrition
• Holistic health and human nature
• Chinese perspective in holistic health
• Meditation and imagery in healing
• Psychophysiology in healing
• Healthcare policies and practice

Students will also build critical-thinking skills and research skills throughout the program. A few institutes also offer various specialization areas in holistic health degrees such as aromatherapy, homeopathy, and nutrition. The curriculum will depend upon which level of degree a student chooses. Associate and bachelor degrees in holistic health will focus upon more fundamental concepts whereas a master's degree will cover slightly advanced topics. With increasing use of technology and online learning, a number of online holistic health schools are offering degree programs in this area. Students who find it difficult to pursue campus-based studies can opt for online programs instead. Not only is online learning cost-effective, but also offers more flexibility to students.

Career Prospects
Holistic health careers are geared towards helping people heal at emotional, physical, and spiritual levels. With a degree in holistic health, individuals can work in a variety of settings depending upon their area of specialty and degree. Nutritionists, herbalists, yoga instructors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists are just a few of the career options in this field. Listed below are the median annual salary details of a few job positions reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2012:

• Massage Therapist: $35,970
• Fitness trainers: $31,720
• Dieticians and nutritionists: $55,240