Health Minister H C Mahadevappa said on Friday that holistic medicine does not attack current medical practices nor was it merely alternative medicine.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the International Holistic Health Centre here, Mr. Mahadevappa regretted that with the advent of modern medicine and its highly advanced systems of diagnosis and treatment, a trend to treat a specific problem or illness rather that the patient as a whole has set in

The benefits that have been

derived form the modern medicine have been phenomenal and have saved millions of lives but treatment had focussed on healing the body while largely ignoring the spirit and mind.

Mr. Mahadevappa pointed out that holistic medicine treats the whole person, and said that its strength and vitality lie in the fact that it also incorporates many of the recent scientific discoveries that enrich the knowledge and comprehension of how human beings function.

Besides treating illness, holism encourages self care, the Minister added.

Dr. Roberta Ritson of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, stated that WHO was seeking new and alternate systems of medicines prevailing in different countries for defining the Global Health Policy.

International Holistic Health Centre (IHHC) chairman Dr. R M Varma delivered the introductory speech. IHHC Managing Director Dr. Issac Mathai welcomed and Director of IHHC M N Chittiappa proposed a vote of thanks.