Written by: Deilen Michelle Villegas, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Did you Know? The percentage of health providers in the United States who identify as African-American or Black is only 5.7%. Meanwhile, 64% of healthcare providers identify as Caucasian or White. The staggering disproportionate representation percentage of providers who identify as African-American or of Black descent contributes to the healthcare disparities in communities of color – one of the main reasons being that Black people have historically been excluded from medicine. The people in positions to determine the standard practice of care in healthcare do not correctly represent the demographic currently impacted the most by the inconsistency in physical and mental healthcare. So the well-being of people of color is not accurately considered when determining psychological or physical health practices.
Why is Holistic Health important?
Holistic Health Practitioners specialize in evaluating the whole person and all aspects of their lives to find the root cause of the dis-ease within the body. While conventional medical doctors treat already established diseases and symptoms, holistic health practitioners look to identify the root of the problem to tackle it from the cause to help prevent further recurrences. Holistic Health Practitioners understand the Mind-Body-Spirit connection and how one of these parts being imbalanced can throw off the well-being of an individual. The belief of Holistic Practitioners is to be preventative and versus reactive in the case of conventional medicine.
Holistic Practitioners will perform evaluations of the internal systems while also looking into the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of individuals. Providing them with a bigger picture of what is going on in the patient’s life and what aspects could be contributing to the Dis-ease within the patient’s body. Helping Holistic Practitioners eliminate all possible contributors to the symptoms presented by the patient.
Why are Holistic Practitioners of Color Important?
Having Health Practitioners of color that specialize in understanding the differences in the needs of people of color can truly make a difference in the world of medicine as we know it. People of color are far worst impacted by society than their caucasian counterparts. Systemic Racism plays a major role in the physical and mental health conditions of people of color, the need for more providers who understand how the environment, living, and nutritional conditions of people of color could all be playing a major role in why they are the most affected by health conditions such as; Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, High Cholesterol Levels, Diabetes, Depression, Anxiety and certain types of Cancer. The Eurocentric beauty standards in the workforce force people of color to use skin brightening and hair straightening products to maintain those standards. Causing them to suffer from higher exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, further exacerbating an already delicate issue.
The current nutritional guidelines and health standards are catered to a Eurocentric demographic. It does not account for the genetic compositional differences of people of color, creating a massive deficit in healthcare to treat people of color. People of color need more or less certain minerals, proteins, and nutrients, which means different dietary requirements. The nutritional guideline based upon the United States Department of Agricultural standards does not account for cultural or genetic differences that would impact what would be needed to keep our bodies in balance.
Many Conventional practitioners refuse to address another reason people of color suffer from all these ailments: the constant stress and trauma they live in. Prolonged stress levels are known to be a factor that causes dis-ease within the body and mind. Without acknowledging how an individual's environment, living situation, or lack of access to proper food, water, or healthcare can severely impact their overall well-being is gross negligence. Society is designed to keep people of color in a constant state of overwhelming stress, which triggers the flight-or-fight response. After extended periods, it will cause dysregulation of the body’s ability to return to its normal state of balance, thus, increasing the odds of developing physical and mental illnesses.
It is also imperative that a Health Practitioner understand that ailments might present themselves differently in people of color, even when all testing comes back within “normal limits” because of the extenuating circumstances that come into play. Therefore, the underlying or root cause of the condition is not taken care of, only the presenting symptom, allowing it to continue being an issue in the future, which can eventually worsen.
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Deilen Michelle Villegas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Deilen Michelle is an Entrepreneur, Holistic Health Practitioner, Holistic Life Coach, and Spiritual Guide. She effectively works with clients using her Mind-Body-Spirit healing modality bringing awareness and healing to the whole self. She is a Recovered Trauma Survivor, and knows firsthand the effect life experiences can have on your Mind, Body and Spirit. Over the course of the last 11 years, she has not only worked on her own well-being but has also become educated in the Mind-Body-Spirit connection in order to help others who might need it. In doing so, she's created her own Modality named The Shamanic Goddess: Holistic Enlightening Method.
