Blog Posts For Our Practitioner Community

Jill and I know that several of our fellow practitioners (you!) are also on our regular newsletter, so you may have seen a version of the post below. But this topic is so important, I’ve changed things up a bit to speak specifically to our coach community.

Today’s topic is something we all need to be out and proud about…

If you’re familiar with me at all, you know I believe that food can heal, plants have amazing power, sleep is its own form of medicine, and moving around (whether it’s yoga, rollerblading, or doing an extra lap around the conference room at work every time you go to the bathroom) is a powerful antidepressant.

The power of the functional approach is one of the guiding principles of my life. I’ve experienced its effects firsthand and seen it work for so many others. I think every human being on the planet, whether they’re experiencing a health challenge or not, would benefit from eating more whole foods, engaging in radical self-care, and making sure they have enough vitamin D floating around their system.

I’m going to take a guess that you largely agree with me. Lifestyle medicine can do wonders.

But like me, you probably get clients who assume you’re against allopathic/conventional medical interventions. (And maybe you are and that’s okay!)

I embrace both approaches and here’s why:

There are things that Western/conventional medicine does extremely well. Case in point: if you get your finger stuck in the garbage disposal, for all that is good and holy in this world, do NOT call me first. Get thee to an emergency room — stat! (I don’t think you’d want any of your clients calling you in that instance, either.)

Ditto for an extremely high fever. Ditto for suspected pneumonia and for sharp, shooting chest pain, and sharp abdominal pain, and a broken limb, and a sliver stuck in your retina. Ditto for so many things.

Even sometimes, for thyroid concerns (a practice area in which Jill and I specialize). Jill and I aren’t categorically against thyroid medications, for example. This is surprising to so many of our clients. They may not need the emergency room for it, but they do need a trusted MD who can run some rigorous tests and work with the client/patient to determine the right treatment plan.

The two approaches — functional/integrative and allopathic — are often seen as mutually exclusive. If conventional treatment is good, then the functional/integrative approach is ineffective/bad — and vice versa. Sometimes, practitioners on both sides loudly denounce the other approach.

I’m advocating that health coaches adopt a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ perspective when it comes to health and healing. That doesn’t mean we have to embrace unnecessary MRIs and the overprescription of pharmaceuticals (on the allopathic side) or scientifically unsupported lifestyle interventions (on the functional side). (If a lifestyle guru appeared in my Facebook feed promising to cure my scoliosis with broccoli, I’d be highly skeptical.)

I think coaches should be honest about the benefits and limitations of each approach.

I also suspect that most of us coaches have experiences on both sides of the healing spectrum. Many of us probably started our healing journey in the allopathic world and moved to the functional/integrative world. Today, we likely engage in some of both. This is a gift to clients because we’re able to walk them through what to expect on both sides. We can tell them what they’re in store for because we’ve been there.

Want to know what it’s like to give up sugar? Want to know how to survive an elimination diet and how to reintroduce foods correctly? Check.

Want to know how to choose a doctor who gets you? I’ve got advice. Want to know what questions to ask your MD when you get a scary diagnosis? I can help you strategize that because I’ve done it before. Want to know how to survive the prep for a colonoscopy? I’ve got you covered.

You likely have your own whole set of experiences, insights, and advice — on both sides of the aisle. Clients are often confused and scared. When you share that you’ve been there, you’ve given them more than just advice. You’ve given them solidarity.

If you’re a coach with experiences in both worlds, I want to encourage you to again, be out and proud! Your knowledge and experiences are so valuable to clients who are looking for guidance and commonality.

And lastly, if you’re struggling with a health challenge, I want you to know that healing is so much about listening to your body and finding the right approach for you — whether it’s functional nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), craniosacral therapy, music therapy, forest bathing, a semi-regular colonoscopy or all of them put together.