Contrary to a rather common assumption, no single "holistic health movement" exists, and many of the theories and therapies now called holistic are not new to American medicine. The holistic movement actually represents four different approaches to medicine and health, each with its own theoretical perspective, historical background, and set of therapeutic options. The term holistic confuses the differences among these approaches, fails to capture their merits and defects, and as an all-purpose term is confusing rather than useful.