Meaningful 4 Factors in Holistic Medicine Similar to Psychosomatic Medicine and Hinohara-Ism

Bando H, Nishikiori Y, Bando M and Yoshioka A

Published on: 2026-02-20

Abstract

Historically speaking, medicine has developed based on René Descartes's mind-body dualism. In contrast, the concept of monism has been found in psychosomatic medicine, Hinohara-ism and holistic medicine. Hinohara-ism reflects clinical experience, ethical values, altruism, hard work, and a sense of community. Holistic medicine has some characteristic aspects for growing model, patient-centered, care with cure and narrative-based medicine. It includes 4 main factors as mind, spirit, body and society, associated with spiritual fulfillment, physical health, social connections and emotional well-being. Future themes include integration of quantitative and qualitative research, standardization of outcome indicators, and systematic introduction into health care education.

Keywords

Mind-body dualism; Monism; Hinohara-ism; Holistic medicine; Mind-spirit-body-society

Introduction

In Western countries, medicine is classified as a humanities science. However, Japan is the only country where it is classified as a natural science. This situation includes historical complex understanding, where digital or analogue concept exists in each culture. We think the difference between medical science and healthcare. Medicine developed based on René Descartes's mind-body dualism [1,2]. When the Christian Church previously held great power, Descartes's idea showed that the mind and body are mutually independent entities. Then, the soul was not harmed when the human body is dissected. It is well known that his philosophy had a major influence on the subsequent development of Western general studies.

On the other hand, the concept of monism has been popular in Japanese culture, religion, philosophy, medicine and medical practice [3]. Thus, spirit and body has been united, which are called as monism.

The opposite concept would be materialism/physicalism that is near to dualism [4]. In Japan, psychosomatic medicine has been developed from 1970s by the introduction of Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara. Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine (JSPM) has enlightened the adequate management of those who suffered from various stressors for years. Authors and collaborators have held annual JSPM meeting of Chugoku-Shikoku district in 2023. In Japanese culture and medical practice, we usually think and feel the monism for the relationship of body and soul.

In Asian culture and philosophy, human being would be one of the creatures in the world, and has always our united mind and body. Then, the concept of holistic medicine has been accepted by Japanese doctors, medical staffs, and general people. Holistic medicine was redefined for the framework of 3 aspects. They are patient-centeredness, multidisciplinary collaboration, and prevention orientation [5]. The authors manage a branch of the New Elderly Association (NEA), which was founded by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, and have been promoting the teachings of Hinohara-ism so far [6]. We have also continued to manage the Shikoku branch of the Integrative Medicine Japan (IMJ). These two are related to the philosophy of "holistic medicine." In this article, we would like to point out the similarities and connections among related categories.

Holistic medicine is a medical philosophy that considers health not just through illness and symptoms, but also through a view of the human personality. Their perspectives are holistic entities encompassing the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions, including lifestyle, values, relationships, and social environment [7]. The goal of treatment is not simply to cure or prolong life, but to support a life that is true to each individual. It emphasizes patient autonomy, prevention, self-care, and partnerships with medical professionals. In contrast, Hinohara-ism which is symbolized by the New Elderly Association (NEA) and Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, shows the distinctive characteristic aspects [8]. It can progress beyond medical practice and develop as ethical and social philosophy with adequate lifestyles themselves. Dr. Hinohara viewed older people not as those who need support, but as those who support society. They advocated the coexistence of health and purpose through lifelong activity, altruistic behavior, and a commitment to continuous learning. Hinohara-ism has the power to promote lifestyle improvements and behavioral change, contributing to the sustainability of not only individuals but society as a whole.

Regarding holistic medicine and Hinohara-ism, the first commonality between them would be the perspective that considers the human being as a whole [9]. They do not judge health solely by physical indicators, but rather emphasize psychological fulfillment, social role, and meaning in life. Second, they share a common emphasis on prevention and lifestyle habits. They evaluate medical care not as a passive process but as a cumulative process of daily behavioral choices. Third, they respect the autonomy of citizens and share a human view for responsibility for their own lives.

However, some differences were found between them. Holistic medicine is a medical interdisciplinary model that has developed for international situation. It has wide range of practical methodologies, including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and team medicine. On the other hand, Hinohara-ism is an ideology and movement that strongly reflects his various clinical experience, ethical values, and Japanese culture (altruism, hard work, and a sense of community) [10]. It is notable for its particular focus on lifestyles and social participation in older age. While holistic medicine is relatively age-neutral, Hinohara-ism centers on a clear life stage. How should we live in the elderly period? Holistic medicine seems to show theory and practice that expand the framework of medicine, while Hinohara-ism is likely to be a philosophy that deepens it in the context of Japanese society and elevates it into "medicine of a way of life." The two are complementary, and offer important insights into medicine and outlook on life in a super-aging society.

Holistic medicine has been a medical concept that goes beyond the traditional biomedical model that views humans as disease-/organ-specific, understanding health and illness. Its characteristic point would be the interaction among the body, mind, society, and spirituality/values [11] (Figure 1). This concept has developed since the 1970s in conjunction with psychosomatic medicine (PM) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In recent years, however, it has been reevaluated within mainstream medicine, along with terms such as integrative medicine (IM) and whole-person care. From the National Academies of Medicine, the report on Implementing High-Quality Primary Care will call for the transformation of primary care to whole person model [12]. It is person-oriented, relationship-based with taking into account the emotional, spiritual, social and behavioral aspects of health.

Figure 1: Main basic 4 factors in holistic medicine.

In recent reviews within 5 years, holistic medicine would be evaluated no longer as alternative approach, but as broader conceptual framework. It can address modern medical challenges including aging, chronic disease, and multi-morbidity. The essence of holistic medicine was defined as patient-centered, intervention in lifestyle, support for self-healing, and interdisciplinary collaboration [5]. They emphasize the integration of complementary interventions and standard medical care based on scientific evidence. In addition, holistic medicine can improve the value and quality of the healthcare at the heart of healthcare transformation. A comparison between conventional medicine and holistic medicine is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Comparison with conventional and holistic practice.

	Conventional medicine	Holistic medicine
model	medical model	growing model
purpose	disease-oriented	patient-centered
evaluation	disease is bad	disease is not bad
direction	pursuit of cause	self-growing
cure/care	cure	care + cure
evidence	EBM	EBM + NBM
medicine	evidence-based	narrative-based

There are various categories in medicine and healthcare. They are Holistic Medicine (HM), Psychosomatic Medicine (PM), Integrative Medicine (IM), Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), Western Medicine (WM), and Primary Care (PC). Of these, HM is situated at the top of the list, and the relationships between each category are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Relationship among 6 related categories.

For integrating these information from Japan and abroad, holistic medicine would be evaluated as a model which has dynamic health system. They include 4 main domains of Body, Mind, Spirit and Society, which always interact with each other [13]. Current model would be useful for not only disease treatment, but also prevention, palliative care, rehabilitation and community medicine. Further, it will hopefully serve as important theoretical basics for future healthcare policy and medical education. Future themes will include as follows: they are i) integration of quantitative and qualitative research, ii) standardization of outcome indicators, and iii) systematic introduction into health care education [14]. Holistic medicine does not interfere scientific evidence against human understanding. It is expected to develop an adequate model which can bridge the gap between them

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding: There was no funding received for this paper.

International Journal of Case Reports and Clinical Images

Meaningful 4 Factors in Holistic Medicine Similar to Psychosomatic Medicine and Hinohara-Ism

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

References