Toward holistic medicine and holistic biology: life sciences after precision medicine and systems biology

Abstract

In the field of life sciences, systems biology has encountered insurmountable obstacles caused by the complexity and adaptability of organisms. In the near future, precision medicine is expected to establish a personalized state-description system and a corresponding targeted-treatment system, but the comprehensive treatment of disease will remain a significant and difficult problem that needs to be resolved. As the holistic modeling method in complexity science matures and its concordance with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) methods is increasingly revealed, the introduction of this method into the life sciences will become a necessity for scientific development. The incorporation of this method in the fields of biology and medicine will lead to the emergence of ‘holistic biology’ and ‘holistic medicine’. Holistic medicine is a personalized medicine system that incorporates TCM’s holistic concept and treatment approaches based on syndrome differentiation. Holistic medicine fundamentally solves the problem of complex life system integration and transforms adaptability from an obstacle for understanding organisms into an indispensable tool for more effective regulation and control of organisms. As a result, systems biology and precision medicine will be followed by an era of holistic medicine and holistic biology.