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Why Holistic Women’s Health Starts With Mental Wellbeing

A focus on mental health will go a long way to promoting physical wellbeing too, says the experts at Keuka College

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have officially recognised that the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis. And according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than one in five US adults, 61.5 million people, experience mental illness every year.

In the United States, it’s also estimated that almost 40% of women aged 21 to 25 suffer from a mental illness. Mental health disorders are becoming more prevalent, with the World Health Organization estimating that more than one billion people are living with at least one globally.

It’s more important than ever that people are aware of mental health disorders, how to seek support, and how they can affect overall wellbeing. Recent studies have shown that there is a close link between physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as overall wellbeing.

Licensed social workers and other mental health professionals can help women struggling with their mental health or assist with navigating difficult life events, such as grief, trauma, and major life transitions, through a holistic approach. These professionals are usually informed through evidence-based practice and trained through courses like the Keuka College online MSW program.

What is a holistic approach?

Before delving into how physical health, emotional wellbeing, and nutrition are all connected, it’s important to understand what a holistic approach is. Also known as integrative health, it’s a term that describes a patient-centred style of delivering healthcare.

Instead of treating all components of an individual’s health separately and only considering the symptoms, a holistic, integrative approach considers the whole person. This includes their physical, emotional, mental, and social factors, as well as lifestyle habits and diet.

How does it work?

A mental health professional, like a social worker or psychologist, employing a holistic approach to wellbeing will complement evidence-based treatments with scientifically validated therapies and lifestyle changes. For example, these may include:

● Lifestyle changes (e.g., food and exercise)
● Dietary supplements (e.g., vitamins and fish oil)
● Body-based therapy (e.g., massages to relieve stress)
● Psychological treatment or counselling
● Psychotherapy
● Meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness-based activities It’s important to understand that when receiving holistic treatment, it should never replace traditional treatment options. It should be used as a supplementary treatment alongside formal options.

Mental health and nutrition

The connection between nutrition and physical health is well known, but recent research has shown that what you eat can also have a significant impact on your mental health. It turns out the saying “you are what you eat” is true.

What a person eats can have a large effect on their mood and emotions. This is because the vitamins and minerals found in food support the critical function of enzymes, which catalyse chemical reactions throughout the body – including those that fuel the brain’s neurotransmitters.

So, when a person is lacking in nutrients, it can impact their brain’s function, leading to poor mental health. For example, iron is a key component needed for the process of converting the amino acid tyrosine into dopamine – the “feel-good chemical”.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in many body functions, such as sleep, movement, memory, behaviour, mood, and learning. As the “feel-good chemical”, it’s also behind giving a person a sense of pleasure. In someone with low iron, it restricts their ability to generate and release dopamine, increasing the chance of depression and anxiety.

The link to physical health

When discussing why holistic women’s health starts with mental wellbeing, it’s important to understand the link it has to physical health. Research shows that physical health problems significantly increase the risk of a person developing a mental health condition and vice versa.

People with a mental health condition are more likely to have preventable physical health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. This can be for several reasons, including:

Genetics: The genes that increase the risk of developing mental health problems may also play a part in developing physical health conditions.

Low motivation: A symptom of many mental health conditions is low motivation or a lack of energy. This can result in finding it harder to take medication or difficulty attending medical appointments, increasing the risk of physical health conditions.

Lack of support: There is a lack of awareness and support for how mental health can impact physical health and vice versa. So, professionals may be unaware of providing a holistic approach that provides support for both, as the research is relatively new.

Medical bias: Unfortunately, systemic medical bias does exist, especially for women. Healthcare professionals may assume physical symptoms are part of your mental health and not investigate them further – worsening them. Many mental health conditions can also result in physical symptoms. For example, depression can cause headaches, fatigue, digestive problems, and aching joints or muscles. Anxiety can cause an upset stomach, restlessness, and chest pain.

Gender bias in healthcare

Women’s healthcare in the United States is currently facing massive gender-based disparities. This is due to gender bias, which is caused by factors such as:

● Historical male-centred research models
● The under-recognition of sex-specific symptom profiles
● Downplaying women’s symptoms as functional or anxiety-related

When seeking holistic mental health treatment or options to improve your wellbeing, it’s important to keep these biases in mind. Diagnostic gender bias refers to the systematic differences that can occur when a clinician’s decision-making or perception contributes to delayed, missed, or inaccurate diagnoses in women.

How to improve your overall wellbeing

If you’re looking to improve your holistic health and overall wellbeing, mental health is a great place to start. By focusing on your mental health, you’ll have more energy to exercise, improve your diet, and stay on top of your life planning.

Below is a list of a few simple ways you can start to improve your mental health alongside formal treatment, such as counselling or therapy, through evidence-based activities.

A good night’s sleep

It’s normal to feel grumpy or dysregulated after a bad night’s sleep. Research has shown that developing good sleep hygiene by fostering healthy sleeping habits, implementing a regular nighttime routine, and cultivating a comfortable bedroom environment is crucial for mental health.

Poor or insufficient sleep, such as constantly waking up in the middle of the night, has been found to increase emotional responses to stressors and decrease positive emotions. Poor-quality sleep also increases the risk of developing a mental health condition, including anxiety and depression.

Mindfulness activities

Psychologists have found that not only does mindfulness positively impact our mental health, but our physical body, too. Examples of mindfulness activities include:

● Yoga
● Meditation
● Self-guided relaxation
● Mindful walking (e.g., through a park and focusing on sensations)
● Mindful eating (e.g., slowly eating, examining the taste and texture)

Researchers reviewing over 200 studies of mindfulness among healthy people found that therapy combined with mindfulness was effective for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.

Social connection

Fostering positive relationships, whether it’s with family, friends, or partners, is important for your overall wellbeing. Building up a social network is important as these people can provide:

● A sense of belonging and community
● Help you build up your self-worth and confidence
● Receive emotional support when needed