Episode 5: Systems of Survival: Holistic Health Has Limits: Why Vaccines Still Matter

Jessica Vasquez-Luna's "Systems of Survival" series examines how the pandemic exposed long-standing inequalities in health, labor, and policy. Each essay traces how race, class, and geography shaped vulnerability—from frontline workers and overcrowded housing to medical mistrust and systemic neglect. It also explores resilience through community-led responses, the ongoing impact of long COVID-19, and the intersection of holistic and institutional medical care.Holistic health treats the body as a whole, whereas modern medicine targets specific diseases with evidence-based tools. Holistic health promotes well-being and cultural connection, but cannot alone halt widespread virus transmission. It has become more popular in marginalised communities due to the exclusion and discrimination present in formal healthcare systems. Similarly, vaccine hesitancy is often linked to mistrust caused by racism, bias, and past harm in healthcare settings. Many people are drawn to holistic healthcare as it feels safer, more accessible and culturally grounded. Instead, it is public health tools like masking, vaccines, ventilation, and coordinated policies that protect our populations. Despite the effectiveness of clinical healthcare, its accessibility and distribution isn’t always fair. Wealthier and politically powerful groups gained faster access to vaccines and healthcare resources, in comparison to vulnerable groups such as essential workers, undocumented immigrants, disabled people and unhoused populations. At the end of the day, holistic healthcare and modern medicine are both important, but they serve different purposes.