What is Integrative Health Coaching ? And why the world needs us...

Maybe you got one of my emails and were wondering: "But what exactly is health coaching? What do Health and Nutrition coaches do and how do they compare to doctors or nutritionists ? And what does integrative mean?"

Well it is still a new profession and all these questions are justified. I'll try to explain my vision:

An integrative - holistic - approach to health

As Integrative Health Coaches we believe in the human being as a whole. To be healthy and happy often go together because the body, mind and soul are interconnected. So being happy makes us healthy? Yes exactly !

What we think about the world, about us, about the people around us, releases substances and hormones into our body that directly affect how we feel, our mood, our body and, on the long term, our health. Important areas of your life as your relationships, how satisfied you are with your career, your connection to nature or spirituality, your home environment, but also your financial situation, physical exercise and your social life all influence your health & wellbeing.

It is all about balance, and when the body is out of balance it becomes vulnerable to disease. This is what integrative or holistic health is about. In Chinese medicine this principle is reflected as the balance between Yin and Yang, in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian Healing Science, as the balance of the doshas Pitta, Kapha and Vata.

But in modern classical western medicine this principle is neglected. When you go to see your doctor, let's say for a cold, most of the time he will prescribe you medicine to alleviate the symptoms, liked blocked nose, fever etc. without trying to dig deeper, to go to the root of the problem. Don't take me wrong, I have nothing against conventional doctors. On the contrary! They do a great job, save lives often at their own risks, do miracles especially regarding surgery and emergency, and give the best they can to heal their patient's ailments.

Addressing lifestyle and nutrition issues

But did you know that 80% of diagnosed diseases are lifestyle related and could be avoided ? Did you know that doctors, up to today, get absolutely no training in nutrition (except specialised nutritionists) whereas "Food as Medicine" is a principle that is more and more widely agreed on ? Did you know that Dr. Mark Hyman, famous functional medicine doctor and best selling author, assures that 80% of all his clients ailments can be addressed by nutrition only?

Making positive changes in one's diet and lifestyle can have an enormous impact on general health & wellbeing. But often doctors don't have the time or the adequate training to address these issues and, especially, to do the follow-up.

This is where a health coach can intervene. As a guide, as a partner, on the side, we accompany people on their personal way to achieve their health & wellness goals helping to prevent the above mentioned lifestyle diseases. We give them the space and time to explore by themselves the areas of their life that need attention. Because we believe that there is no better doctor than yourself !

But often we need somebody to hold us accountable, to just listen or ask the good questions or to give the recommendations we needed just at the right moment...

Areas of intervention of a Health Coach

General feeling of emptiness, digestive issues, anxiety, weight problems, imbalances of the gut flora, food sensitivities, bad eating habits, nasty cravings, unhappiness in your body, addictive behaviour of any kind, these and many more issues can be addressed by an Integrative Health and Nutrition coach.

Why the world needs us more than ever...

Lifestyle diseases as obesity, diabetes, childhood diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc. have increased dramatically these last years and in some countries of the world the situation is critical and it is urgent to intervene and to make the large public aware about their lifestyle choices and the influence they have on their health.

Watch this video of how obesity has conquered the world in the last decades:

Apart from the already critical situation, the world is currently facing an unprecedented sanitary crisis due to the expansion of COVID-19. With all the uncertainty, anxiety and fear we are facing at the moment, it has never be more important to prevent our health and to find balance, to finally get assistance to achieve your goals, make a shift to a life full of purpose and meaning and, as you transform, make the world a better place!

AND IF ONE CONVERSATION COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE?*

Don't wait and schedule your free first consultation with me today! How often do you get 45 min to explore our health and wellness with a trained professional? How would it be to take some time for yourself to reflect on where you are and where you want to be? Set your goals and go for it?

What would your goals look like?