The world of health coaching is relatively new. The concept of having health coaches offer guidance and support to clients who are looking to move away from unhealthy habits and to a healthier way of living, has only been around since the mid 1990’s. But the trend has grown quickly and demand for health coaches is growing. In February of 2017, a resolution was passed by the US Congress expressing support for health and wellness coaches. This resolution gives validation to the field of health coaching and the importance that this form of coaching is now having in the world.
On the cutting edge of the coaching field is Functional Health Coaching. The innovation of Functional Health Coaching fills a large gap in the healthcare community. Until now, those looking to improve their health had two main choices.
They could rely on medical doctors who focus on symptom relief rather than looking for the root causes. Or they could try to learn what they could, navigating the confusing and contradicting advice and information available online to try to heal themselves. Thankfully there is a third option….hiring a functional health coach. This option is quickly becoming more mainstream and an obvious choice for those wanting to restore their health.
Why the world needs Functional Health Coaches
Functional Health Coaches address the underlying, root causes of health issues
It’s not about treating the visible symptoms; it’s about going deeper and finding the contributors that lead to metabolic chaos and cause symptoms.
Functional Health Coaches customize health care to the individual….not the disease
A functional health coach takes the individual person into account instead of just treating them with whatever the protocol is for their particular disease or ailment. No two people are the same and because of this, there is no “one size fits all” protocol that will work for everyone. Functional Health Coaches recognize this and work with their clients accordingly.
Functional Health Coaches use in-depth lab testing to uncover imbalances in the body
One example of this is a thyroid test. If a test comes back showing low thyroid hormone levels, mainstream medicine will typically prescribe you thyroid hormone. That is the standard protocol
But a functional practitioner asks “why?”
- Is this a secondary condition?
- Is the client lacking certain nutrients needed to produce thyroid hormone?
- Are the pathways the hormone is made in being blocked or diverted?
The Functional Health Coach will always want to dig deeper and try to answer those questions to help uncover the root of the cause.
Functional Health Coaches interpret lab results differently
A lab test may have a “normal” range of 200-400, but what number is truly normal for you?
Functional practitioners look for optimal ranges. Not just for the general population but for the specific individual. It’s also about looking for clues in each test, which may point to a malfunction elsewhere as well.
Functional Health Coaches spend more time with their clients than a doctor can
When was the last time that you felt a health care professional really listened to you and spent the time with you that was needed to uncover what was going on with you? A thorough assessment, course corrections and follow-ups, allow Functional Health Coaches to support clients all the way to successful outcomes!
Functional Health Coaches address the whole person…naturally
The holistic approach taken by a functional health coach addresses all areas that affect a client’s health. Focusing on one area will only provide short-term success, if any. Functional health coaches, will look at clues in diet, sleep patterns, exercise and stress management and will help a client to refine their lifestyle in a way that will support optimal health.
Success
By addressing all aspects of a client’s health and lifestyle, utilizing functional lab work to root out hidden causes and educating and supporting the client, they learn a model of self-care that they can use for the rest of their lives.
