Health Coaching & Functional Medicine: The Perfect Pair

By: Karen Bush MA NBC-HWC

Do you want to know how to save money and get faster results while working with Dr. Emily? Well, you can do that by working with a health coach! Dr. Emily has found this to be so beneficial to her patients that she is requiring health coaching for a few months prior to working with her. Let me explain some of those benefits.

I often ask new clients what they feel they would like to get out of the coaching relationship as we start to work together. The answers I hear may not surprise you… accountability, help with what foods are best for me, a partner to help with an exercise plan. All of these things are part of the work that is done with a health coach and much more as we discussed in our previous blog post. However, many of the values and benefits of coaching are not obvious.

Here are a few things to ponder…

1. More cost efficient.

What if I told you your overall cost of the functional medicine treatment could be significantly less when you start with coaching? Often coaching is looked at as an added expense that isn’t necessary when working with a physician. But the reality is that some of the changes you can make up front working with a coach can save you money on unnecessary testing down the road. We see clients make such great progress before even seeing Dr. Emily that their symptoms are reduced and less testing was required, therefore reducing the cost of care. When this “background noise” coming from symptoms that can be eradicated with lifestyle has been removed, then Dr. Emily can focus in on what is left and streamline your care.

2. Reducing treatment time.

What if I told you the results you are looking for may come sooner than expected with a health coach starting the process? In Functional Medicine we know that lifestyle and environmental factors contribute strongly to symptoms and overall health. In some cases, lifestyle changes account for 80% of a patient’s improvements! Most of us have grown up in a world of relying on healthcare professionals to help us feel better. With a health coach you are empowered to take control of different aspects of your lifestyle and environment that contribute to overall health and now you’re in control. You start to learn how to connect what your body is telling you to the lifestyle and environmental changes you are making to support a healthy life.

3. Creating more time and energy in your daily life.

I often hear clients say “I don’t have time to do an appointment with a health coach” yet I say you can’t afford not to. The small amount of time you spend with a health coach in a very focused session can actually save you time in your precious day. The changes you can make with health coaching support allow for more energy, learning to respond differently to the stressors of the day and being more focused. You start to connect values with behaviors and weed out those things that don’t support your values and ultimately create more time in your day. You also learn to reset your circadian rhythm, get better sleep and optimize your day.

4. Creating lasting habits that stick.

With the right coaching support the small shifts you make over time become lasting habit changes that are sustainable. You learn tools to hop back on the wagon when you’ve maybe gotten off for a few days or even longer. You will know what your core needs are to stay healthy. That may be a solid morning routine, a basic nutritional plan, a simple movement or exercise plan, or a mindset of health that sustains you. This allows you the autonomy and agency to get back to a certain level of health each time you need it, without feeling like you need to get back on a full program shortly after you’ve completed your first one. And when life throws things your way, you will be ready to handle it. You now have the tools to sustain your health and longevity to live the healthy life you deserve. You may do check ups once in a while but you have all the tools needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

5. Do the work up front and move forward.

We have seen patients coming back after 6-8 months not having made the changes and progress that they anticipated. It is only then that they start to consider the benefit of health coaching in their program. Why not front load the coaching and learn the strategies and mindset shifts that allow you to optimize the work you are doing with Dr. Emily right off the bat rather than in hindsight?

6. Be more prepared to see Dr. Emily.

After working with a coach you will be ready to “speak the same language” as Dr. Emily and understand the process of testing and supplement plans. You will feel much more prepared to get the most out of your visits with her and keep moving forward.

The model of incorporating coaching sessions prior to seeing Dr. Emily or doing any testing is a model that works in achieving the quality of care and improvement of overall health that we strive to provide. This is not a quick fix model, but one that will create sustained health. With our membership moving toward coaching as the entry level we feel our patients will have more success in sustaining changes and improving health across the board and for a lifetime. And that’s what we are all after, right?

Here are a few quotes from clients that took advantage of coaching and what they thought:

~ “In June I finally signed on for health coaching after debating about it for a couple months. I am so happy that I made that decision. The support and education that coaching provided me has been invaluable. The guidance changed how I eat, my activity and how I manage stress. I highly recommend health coaching to anyone wanting to make some positive changes.”

~ “My regular coaching sessions have enabled me to make important lifestyle changes. I already know a lot about what I "need to do" but cultivating the habits and having compassion for myself in the process is where the real work is done. The coaching process is about being fully present for what is needed in that moment. During my coaching time I lost 20 pounds, started a meditation practice, and had support to address some other medical and pain management issues.”

~ “I'm not someone who was particularly healthy prior to 2020, but even before COVID I started on a wellness journey. The coaching process uses skills that support that little nudge I needed when I'd hit a wall--which was pretty often! Change is not easy nor does it come overnight. The coaching process was patient, supportive, and really helped me make some fundamental changes that "took." I'm not perfect, but I'm a far different person than I was a year ago and coaching was a big part of that. I highly recommend using a coach. We just had our final session and I now feel that I have the tools to keep going. Coaching does not create a dependency, it creates knowledge and tools to utilize on your own.”