Could Health Coaching serve you better than doctor visits?
It’s a bold question (we know), so let’s first point out the obvious:
If you’re deathly ill, require surgery, are in an emergency situation, need a prescription or need advanced medical care for a serious condition then PLEASE continue seeing your medical doctor.
However, if you’re in relatively decent health and need help overcoming a mild chronic condition, achieving certain health goal, and/or creating a wellness plan to maintain your long-term well-being then, YES! Your time, effort and money could be better spent on a Health Coach than a doctor.
Here are 5 reasons why we believe Health Coaching could serve you better than doctor visits…
#5: A Health Coach Can Spend More Time With You Than A Doctor
In our present sick-care system, a typical conventional doctor visit lasts a few minutes.
This is very little time for a doctor to assess your current state of health…let alone listen to your goals, consider your unique needs/challenges, and provide a custom wellness plan.
At Knew Health, our functionally-trained, physician-supervised Health Coaches spend a full half-hour listening to and supporting their clients.
This time includes an in-depth health intake discussion, education about interconnectedness in body/lifestyle/outcome for the unique individual, client-driven goal setting, and a custom wellness plan.
Clients leave these sessions feeling heard, educated and empowered about how they can transform their health.
A follow-on health coaching appointment every six months is included as part of every Knew Health Community membership. Later on, we will also offer expanded opportunities for more comprehensive, ongoing Health Coaching support for those who need more support to get back on track to optimal wellness.
#4: A Health Coach Is Trained To Provide A Drug-Free Custom Wellness Strategy
If you’re a health-conscious person (like most of our community here at KNEW), you’re not one to seek a prescription for every ill, especially as a first line of support.
Yet, most medical doctors do specialize in drug-therapies…which is entirely appropriate for some situations.
However, if you’re interested in preventative health advice, how to improve your health or overcome a mild chronic ailment, a prescription may not be the best option.
On the other hand, a Health Coach is not licensed to prescribe drugs, so they rely on offering targeted, behavioral and lifestyle support to help you achieve your health goals.
Let’s say, for example, you’ve been told you have pre-diabetes and need help balancing your blood sugar and losing weight.
Since the disease is in its early stages, a physician-supervised Health Coach can guide you through making the proper nutrition, movement and stress management changes that can often reverse this type of dynamic in the body.
All without drugs and at a low cost.
#3: Health Coaching Puts YOU In The Driver’s Seat
At Knew Health Community, we are in the business of empowering our members to take control of their own health.
This goal permeates our entire organization, especially our Health Coaching department.
After listening to your concerns and reviewing your history and lab work, your Knew Health Coach will question where YOU wish to begin in your health journey.
We know every single client’s needs, desires, energy, motivation and time are unique—therefore, we rely on YOU to tell US where you are most ready, willing and able to begin.
For some people, it’s baby steps, like moving more or making time to relax during the day.
For others, it means cutting back on processed foods or drinking more water.
And others choose to go-for-broke, implementing many changes at once to impact their health.
But the choice is yours because it’s your health!
And your Coach will be there to provide education, inspiration, and empowerment! They will make recommendations, help with implementation and guide you toward your goals.
#2: A Health Coach Offers Guidance And Expertise In All Essential Areas of Wellness
Knew Health Coaches are experts at helping clients identify and develop customized action plans to address the most common detriments to health, including:
- Poor food choices
- Excess stress
- Lack of movement (or the wrong type of movement)
- Sub-optimal sleep and rest
- And relationships
So, instead of hyper-focusing on just one common issue (like food choices), a Knew Health Coach is trained to recommend custom starting points and solutions in all these areas.
This is a refreshing contrast to the typical medical approach of “eat less fat”, “exercise more” , “fill this prescription” or a heavy emphasis on highly restrictive diets, whilst ignoring other critical aspects of health creation.
Plus, it gives you a variety of starting points to begin your wellness journey.
#1: Health Coaching Costs a Fraction of Doctor Visits
We all know doctor visits don’t come cheap, so why not save those visits for when you really need them (like in an emergency, escalating chronic, or life-threatening situation)?
Conversely, Health Coaches cost a fraction of what a doctor charges, and are highly trained in being a partner to help you address what’s uniquely in the way of your attaining and sustaining your greatest wellness.
That’s why we’ve put Coaching smack in the middle of our “5C” approach.
At some point or other, nearly everyone’s health or healthy habits will begin to slip; we’re all human. And that’s the perfect time to engage with a Health Coach—before your health slips so far that you need a doctor’s care.
In other words: start with the least expensive, least invasive, and most effective option first…in this case: Health Coaching fits the bill.
To learn more about Health Coaching, including the studies behind its effectiveness, check out our previous article: Health Coaching: An Affordable Layer Between You and the Medical System.
And to learn more about becoming a member of Knew Health Community, click here.
-The Knew Health Team
