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Why Are Health Coaches, Nutritionists, and Other Wellness Professionals Increasing in Number?

Doctors’ offices are crammed with back-to-back appointments that are sometimes only 10-15 minutes long. Hospitals are over their patient capacity and only a fraction of those are for emergencies. Chronic illness and pain is rampant. America is sick. And the way our current medical system operates cannot fix this problem.

We have a symptom-centric healthcare system and not root cause-centric. We have a medical system that is chomping at the bit to hand out drugs and perform surgery all before addressing basic lifestyle choices because its quicker and easier.

Health coaches and nutritionists understand that there are a number of factors that contribute to health. And whether an issue is caused by a lack of sleep, a food sensitivity, a stressful job, etc., there are changes that the individual can make to feel better.

So, What Can They Do?

“People don’t struggle to change because they don’t know what to do, they struggle because they don’t know how to do it.”

– Chris Kresser on his podcast, Revolution Health Radio, “A New Model of Care for Chronic Disease”

I’m a huge fan of Chris Kresser. Not only is he a great resource for functional medicine information, but he believes that personnel in addition to doctors are crucial to running a successful healthcare system. He discusses this in his book, Unconventional Medicine, which I highly recommend reading!

So, what can these additional practitioners do? I can speak from my position as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified AIP Health Coach, that I do not diagnose, treat, or cure illness. People come to me with diagnoses (or maybe not) and I help them support the body with food, supplement, and lifestyle changes.

I evaluate their symptoms, diet, and lifestyle, talk through their health concerns, and make recommendations based on these findings. My job is to support my client in the ways that the doctor cannot, either due to a time constraint or lack of understanding of how diet an lifestyle choices affect the body.

Nutritionists and health coaches offer knowledge, advice, recommendations, and ultimately, support. Support and guidance are lacking in the conventional medical system. We can help our clients understand why symptoms are occurring or why a certain food isn’t working for them. We can direct them to additional resources to learn more. We can work through bumps in the road and celebrate small steps and giant leaps.

Health coaches and nutritionists put the humanity back into one-to-one consults.

Mainstream Medicine is Catching Up!

“And in fact, even very conventional organizations like the CDC and National Board of Medical Examiners have come out and said, “We need health coaching.” [chuckle] We realize now that the cause of chronic disease is environmental, not genetic. And therefore, changing diet, behavior, and lifestyles is really kind of the most important step we can take to prevent chronic disease, and there will never be enough doctors to do that. There aren’t now and there just won’t be. And even if there were enough doctors, they’re not really the right people to do that.”

– Chris Kresser on his podcast, Revolution Health Radio, “A New Model of Care for Chronic Disease”

There you have it, folks. Health coaches and nutritionists are here to stay and be there for the people who need more but are not getting it from their main healthcare provider.

Have you seen a nutritionist or health coach before? Just like doctors, we all have different ways of operating and different philosophies. Search for one that specializes in what you need help with.

On that note, I know I pretty great nutritionist who happens to love working with people on digestive trouble and helping people switch from a SAD to a real food lifestyle! 😉