Health; Well-Being and Wellness: an Anthropological Eco-Systemic Approach

ABSTRACT

More than two decades ago; Fritjof Capra commended - and indeed advocated - a paradigm shift in health science and care. In his book The Turning Point (1982) he talks of a major shift from the preoccupation with micro-organisms to a careful study of the `host organism and its environment'; of `significant attempts to develop a unified approach to the mind/body system' in Western medicine; of `a new holistic paradigm' (as opposed to `the old biomedical paradigm') regarding the problem of health and healing; of `a holistic and humanistic approach to primary care'; and of `a holistic therapy' as opposed to `the traditional biochemical practice of associating a physical disease with a specific physical cause'. Our concern in this article is with the paradigm shift advocated by Capra in this book and the progress that has since been made