Every person deserves respect, compassion, and justice. Those who treat another otherwise diminish themselves and all of us, each a unique and irreplaceable part of the human family.

Nature is the reflection of the innate order, perfection and interrelationships of creation. Life is not only physical and chemical, mental and emotional; it is also an expression of a profound spirituality, which we do not yet fully understand.

Given this, it becomes appropriate to approach health care from a whole person oriented philosophy which is educational, focused on disease prevention and, to the extent possible, fully engages the participation of individuals in their health recovery process.

Our Mission Statement

— To facilitate the inclusion of whole person care and whole health patient education in the practice of medicine and health care in all settings.

Our Goals

— Towards achieving the goals of our mission statement, NIWH develops, tests and offers comprehensive, evidence-based health education curriculums for health care and education professionals, which are whole person directed.

NIWH endeavors to provide curriculums which approach health education training from a unique perspective that blends and integrates health research and evidence-based information with natural health and holistic concepts of healing.

NIWH, and its Whole Health programs, are unlike either traditional or alternative health schools or trainings, as they are designed to serve those working in mainstream health and education professions to have a holistic and whole person understanding of the cause and effect of health and disease.

Statement by the Founder of Whole Health Education®

as submitted to the Norman Cousins Award Committee of the Fetzer Institute

In 1976, I moved to Boston to complete post-graduate studies in clinical nutrition and begin a private practice in whole health care. I also accepted an invitation to teach a course on "Principles of a Whole Health Practice." When a student asked, "What does an ideal whole health practice look like? "being with the patient, rather than practicing on him; on educating the patient, rather than merely treating the symptoms. It was a "relationship-centered patient education model"!

I spent considerable time reflecting on that question. As this ideal practice began to emerge in my mind, it was a total surprise. It was not a "practice" model at all, but an education model focused on

The Whole Health Education Program® is the product of a 35-year process that has redefined holistic education. Maslow's five-stage hierarchy, Sir Isaac Newton's Third law, Mother Theresa's example of love-centered service, Buddha's wisdom that everything is everything, and the Golden Rule meld into a perspective that encourages an appreciation for patients as whole and unique human beings.

This Whole Health Education Program combines one-to-one peer counseling with respectful listening, unconditional presence, the big picture of health and current evidence-based medical and alternative health information. Our objective in creating this model was to invite people into the process of their own healing and self-care.

It provided the basis for a new health care modality that expands on the tradtional holistic education: Whole Health Education. By 1980, this model of patient interaction was being utilized at a Boston-area hospital, where an additional nine years of clinical formation helped craft Whole Health Education into its present form.

The philosophy and application of Whole Health Education illustrate that, be it the practice of medicine or business, the micro-relationship of practitioner to patient or the macro-relationship of business to community, there is a rightness of relationship which serves the common good:

When we
listen respectfully,
are fully present,
act justly and compassionately,
understand that we do not heal others,
invite rather than direct, and
recognize that each person possesses innate wisdom
we create healing and transformational relationships.

A successful patient education model, Whole Health Education is also a way of being in relationship with others. It demonstrates a transformational power in clinical trials and healing environments when patients, physicians and caregivers experience being known in a profoundly respectful way.

It honors their emotional, social and spiritual selves, affirming that they are unique and irreplaceable parts of the human family. Whole Health Education represents a renaissance of relationship-centered care and has been called "a touchstone for the future of health care."

It is an extraordinary privilege to steward this humble and simple vision which springs forth from the collective consciousness of the human soul. It has evolved in its own time to befriend us, to remind us of how we can be with one another. It is a response to the heart's longing for the rapture which comes from embracing our authentic self, for in each of us lies the seed of potential for that wondrous possibility!