Often times Western medicine has focused on the physical being and the treatment of disease, to the detriment of the other aspects of our being, but te whare tapa whā takes into account other elements that impact our health and wellbeing. It is basically the four walls or pillars of our house, our being. It shows an understanding that when one wall is negatively impacted, the whole house suffers. It is looking at the person as a whole. All walls or pillars in our life need to be strong for us to be our best self. All of these pillars are interlinked, and can affect each other.