The term holism, often associated with complementary health practice, has been the subject of extensive debate both within and beyond the medical profession. Mean while, an increasing number of general practitioners (GPs) have adjusted to practicing complementary therapies to treat their National Health Service (NHS) patients. Given these developments, this article explores GP therapists' accounts of their complementary therapies and explanations of holistic practice. The analysis identifies how the doctors' descriptions of holism legitimate the use of complemen tary therapies within general practice, and also portray integrative practice as the ultimate form of holistic medicine.
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