In considering the health of an individual holistically, we often want to understand the timeline in which events have happened. Before illness has become functional and structural the patient often have a precursor phase where he or she is emotionally unsettled and one of the most common causes of this is bereavement and loss.

As a culture we don't all deal with bereavement and loss very well and this can effect us in a number of different ways. When we fail to process our bereavement, the effects can be deep seated and start to affect our well-being. Of course, part of the healing for this might be talking about the bereavement and as doctors and therapists we are very aware of the importance of the therapeutic consultation that is more than simply taking a history and examining a patient. There are also a range of herbal and homeopathic remedies that are profoundly affective in dealing with emotional imbalances and dealing with loss as of course, are many of the talking therapies such as hypnotherapy or counselling when loss or bereavement has affected someone deeply.