Holism and a health-promoting approach to palliative care.

This article draws on Illich's definition of health and explores the perspective of facing death as a process of adaptation. Research into psychoneuroimmunology is discussed. This focuses on using one's own resources, which the author sees as a central tenet of holism. A key aspect of this approach is not only empowerment of patients, but also of nurses, allowing them to be self-aware, self-valuing and to practise self-care. The article mentions an educational strategy to encourage a health-promoting approach. This course uses the concept of holism as a framework for teaching and practice of palliative care.