Many definitions of holistic health do not include spiritual health the inclusion of spirituality is particularly because of the NBWHP's work in the Black community and is an example of the NBWHP being culturally responsive.

University of Wisconsin - Madison

The first seventeen chapters of Body and Soul focused heavily on reproductive physical health but the second half of the book had chapters on emotional health, self-help, spiritual health, self-love, relationships and their impact on sex, domestic violence, incest, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, and workplace and environmental health hazards. 

How Body and Soul Addressed Holistic Health

Vital Signs had a consistent recognition of emotional, mental, spiritual and physical health and did not amplify one factor of health over others. Vital Signs had a regular section called Well Woman which sported the tagline: Empowerment through Wellness: Mental, Physical and Spiritual. Well Woman also had coloums that addressed each part of holistic health. 

How Vital Signs Addressed Holistic Health

Schalk, Sami. Black Disability Politics, New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478027003

Black Disability Politics

How the NBWHP's Approach to Holistic Health is Culturally Informed

Like the Black Panthers, in Vital Signs and Body and Soul the NBWHP regularly addressed a broad range of health topics and concerns that each have different levels of proximity to disability.
Vital Signs discussed: lupus HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, fibroids, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, chronic illness, cancer (with a focus on breast and ovarian cancer), sickle cell anemia, hypertension, stress, toxic shock syndrome, suicidal ideation, and STDs. 
Body and Soul addressed: addiction, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, lupus, sarcoidosis, sickle cell anemia, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, anxiety disorders (phobias, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD), depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

The Breadth of Health Topics Addressed by the NBWHP

The National Black Women's Health Project (NBWHP) understood that physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health could impact each other. In 1986, the organization's publication, *Vital Signs*, ran an article titled "Emotional Aspects of Chronic Illness." This article addressed how chronic illness can emotionally impact people through factors such as the grief or shame accompanying a loss of ability, how changes in physical appearance affect self-esteem, and the mental and emotional effects of being objectified and denied privacy within the medical-industrial complex.

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