Have you chosen the right health practitioner?

How to Choose a Health Practitioner: The Difference Between a Health Coach & an Integrative Medical Practitioner

I get a lot of questions about this, so I thought it would be a good time to get some clarity on the different types of practitioners out there, and which one is right for you.

Choosing a professional to guide you on your health journey is one of the most important decisions you can make. The person you choose can make a real difference to the outcome you get. 

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to explain a little bit about a couple of the different modalities that are out there to help you in making a decision from a place of knowledge, and also share what it is I offer to my clients.

Let's start with a Health Coach:

These are becoming more and more popular in the field of natural therapies, with quite a few celebrities and media personalities taking on this role.

A health coach is someone who offers support and advice to people to assist them in reaching their health goals. 

They will help you to understand the confusing and conflicting dietary and nutritional advice that is out there. 

They are good at coaching and listening, and will often use motivational techniques to support you in healthy eating. 

They are often aligned with one or another specific dietary protocols (for example: Paleo, or Whole Food). 

Because of this they tend to take a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

They cannot supply supplements or make specific dietary recommendations, or suggest meal plans.

A Health Coach is ideal if:

• You are looking for motivation around getting healthy
• You are looking for guidance around preparing and cooking healthy whole foods
• You need someone to hold you accountable & cheer you on

Choose a Health Coach for:

• Non-serious health conditions
• General health and well-being
• Dietary and cooking advice

Next - The Integrated Medical Practitioner:

This is someone who has both a mainstream and an alternative health background. They integrate these diverse areas of health to provide a holistic therapy. 

An integrated medical practitioner has an understanding of the bodies underlying biochemical imbalances and how these show up as disease. They take all this into account when making dietary and nutritional recommendations. 

They will look at the body as a whole and will make use of all appropriate therapeutic disciplines, both mainstream and alternative, to achieve optimal health and healing

An Integrated Medical Practitioner is ideal if:

• You have more complicated, or multiple, health issues 
• You want to get to the root cause of an illness
• You have issues that have not responded to the mainstream approach
• You need individualized support

Choose an Integrated Medical Practitioner for:

• Nutritional or hormonal imbalances including food allergies, or weight loss issues
• When there is an emotional element to your health issues
• If you want help finding the root cause of a condition

Remember, whichever practitioner you choose should have qualifications in their field.

You should feel confident in their abilities and aligned with their philosophies. 

Your practitioner should always have your health as their main objective. You should feel able to ask any questions – nothing is too silly or outlandish to ask. Be open and honest with your practitioner, this is a place of no judgement.

It is important to have some understanding of the reasoning behind the recommendations they make, so that you are empowered to take an active part of your healing journey. 

How I Work:

In my work as an integrated medical practitioner, I look at the whole body and the whole person. I take into account not only their current diet and lifestyle habits, but also past patterns, and familial traits. 

I also examine the biochemical make-up that can affect how specific foods or lifestyle choices affect their health. I look at the body's ability to both assimilate nutrients, and eliminate wastes. 

I assist you to understanding the many different diets available and will make individual recommendations based on the taking of a detailed case history. Each individual has such vastly different biochemical needs, as well as diverse outer circumstances, so I do not have one-size-fits-all dietary advice, or make blanket recommendations.

As a Quantum Medicine Practitioner, I also look the subtle body; the energy field that surrounds and infuses us all.

It is after studying the combination of this information that I make my diagnosis based on energetic disturbances, and create an individualized health and energy balancing plan. When necessary, referring out for appropriate medical care. Our assessments are not meant to replace a medical doctor. For serious illnesses we recommend that you use it in conjunction with your regular medical practitioner.

One of the reasons my clients experience such drastically improved results in their health, is because I combine my biochemical knowledge with my intuitive wisdom, thus I am able to provide a service that is quite unique within the industry. 

My goal is always to integrate body, mind and soul, so you can live a healthier, more fulfilled life.

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