Health coaches and Western medicine: A new approach
• BY ANGELA SIDLO, CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH
ost people today see their doctor
and are given directives, such as
reduce your stress, lower your
blood pressure or lose 20 pounds.
At this point the patient isn’t sure
where to begin first. They search the Internet for
answers, finding over 100 different diet and
exercise plans guaranteed to work, if you sign up.
It’s exhausting, leaving the patient to confused to
do anything.
There is a new wave of change among doctors
these days, I recently leaned of from a clinic in
New York. Dr. Frank Lipman founded Eleven
Eleven Wellness Center. His team of practitioners
includes six health coaches. They work together to
offer patient-centered care to help people get
healthy and stay healthy. The treatment strategies
take an integrative approach by combining
Western medicine with what are considered
alternative therapies. They try to avoid
pharmaceuticals, if possible, and use acupuncture,
physical therapy, chiropractic and nutrition
counseling. Encouraging patients to become
proactive in their own health and partner with them
as they journey toward true health and optimal
wellness.
Some doctors are strengthening practices
around the nation by using health coaches. When
a patient gets healthy, truly healthy, they want to
share their story with friends and relatives, and the
doctor is the recipient of all those referrals.
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So what is a health coach?
A health coach supports individuals and groups
of people making lifestyle and nutritional changes
to improve their health, much like a personal
trainer would.
Health coach training programs and
certification ensure that health coaches know how
to work with diverse groups of people and equips
the coaches with the tools necessary to work with
doctors and best fit the needs of their patients.
Health coaching is a new paradigm in partnering
with Western medicine for assisting people to
become masters of their wellness.
and fitness becomes a regular activity, then they
should consider working with a health coach to see
how their life will improve.
Generally people work with a
health coach in partnership
with their doctor because
they are ready to make some
type of change in their life.
How does health coaching work?
Why do people work with health coaches?
For numerous reasons, but generally people
work with a health coach in partnership with their
doctor because they are ready to make some type
of change in their life. A health coach can help
them untangle the directives that their Doctor has
given the,, and create a step-by-step plan to get
them back on track to wellness. If the patient
envisions a life where stress is more easily
managed, where they are in control of their weight,
4 • GOOD HEALTH 2016
In the partnership with Western medicine, a
health coach sits in on the health history
consultation with the doctor. Following that
consultation, a series of meetings will be arranged
with the coach. During these meetings, individuals
will generally begin to formulate a wellness vision,
goals that reflect the directives received from the
doctor for the next three to six months, and the
patient’s first week’s goals. This is not a cookie-
cutter approach, but a customized plan based on
their individual needs and desires. They will then
meet weekly with the coach to review progress,
assist in working through any obstacles they may
have faced or discuss things the patient may want
to learn more about; then an action plan is set for
the upcoming week. The health coach reports back
to the doctor on the progress.
What do I discuss with a health coach?
Some have tried to get healthy on their own and
gotten very confused about what the right diet is,
what kind of exercise to do or what supplements to
take. It can be very intimidating. A health coach
helps develop a personalized plan that successfully
takes people through the maze of questions and
helps keep them accountable to the goals. In
weekly visits, the patient and the team celebrate
successes and work through obstacles surrounding
health challenges. The objective is to design an
individualized, with measurable goals that works
for a sustainably healthy lifestyle.
There are several health coaches here in
Clatsop County who are eager to work with you
and your primary care physician to navigate the
waters toward true wellness. Ask your doctor how
you can get started.