There is a constant churning of news about Health and “Healthy Lifestyle”.
In the last ten years there has been an internet driven shift toward the understanding of “WHY” we have disease. There is a more holistic, preventative, restorative and reparative approach to looking at the sickness model now. Many of us are asking why we are sick and what can we do about the cause, in-stead of what pills can we take for relief of symptoms.
In this shift toward looking for the cause of illness, there is conflicting information coming from hundreds of different directions. There are thousands of self-proclaimed “experts” giving volumes of (good and bad) advice.
- Health Coaches
- Personal Trainers
- Employees at a Vitamin Stores
- Essential Oil Gurus
- Your best friend who is on a new diet
- YouTube Videos
- Blog Posts
- Webinars
- Twitter Blasts
- Facebook Posts
These various sources of information give us an avalanche of information. Unfortunately, you are left with the daunting task of taking in all of that information, trying to figure out what is valid or just opinion and most importantly deciphering what is applicable to your individual needs. Once you think that you understand your needs, how do you navigate and actually execute a safe and effective change to your life to yield healthy outcomes?
The sole purpose of this blog post is to point out one thing. What accomplishes a “Healthy Lifestyle” for one person is not necessarily the same for you. Just because you have all of the symptoms that were discussed in a hypothyroid webinar does not mean you should start taking a “natural thyroid support” from your local grocery store without consulting an expert. Just because Mr. Jones lost 87 pounds in 8 weeks on a Ketogenic/Intermittent fasting program, does not mean that approach is safe and effective for you. This is how dangerous mistakes are made; Thinking that because you read it, heard it or saw it posted somewhere that it was information provided specifically to you and your individual needs at that time. Wrong!
Certainly, the information from the various media sources is great to consider and the fact that you are spending time educating yourself on health is fantastic. I love when patients present for care with a well researched insight into their own needs. I only suggest that you take the data that you find, organize it in a way that is easy to communicate and find a Functional Medicine Practitioner to help guide you through the process of executing an individualized health program. “Dr. Google” is not your friend!
There is a reason there are over 3000 diets on public record. If there was only one body type, one medical diagnosis, one genetic pre-disposition, one source of environmental toxicity, one personality, one blood type, one age, one kind of metabolic system, one type of emotional trauma, one version of sleep patterns, one prescription medication with possible interactions, one gender (LOL) or if we were all exact duplicates of one-another, maybe there would be only “one perfect diet” and one perfect “supportive nutritional program”. But that is rubbish.
You get the general direction of this post. We are all unique and we all have individual needs to get from where we are, (unbalanced health) to where we want to be (healthier). Research is great, knowledge is power and knowing yourself is very important. Finding someone who you can trust to make sure that you are getting it right can make the difference between a positive outcome and a dangerous mistake.
Please read, research, dig and don’t quit until you find an answer. But please, find someone to validate your self-diagnosis and help guide you to your health. How do you find this clinical support?
- On line reviews can be a start.
- Referrals are great.
- Call and ask questions.
- Read and research the website.
- How long has the practitioner been in practice?
- Are prices reasonable and are they open to discussing this up front?
- Has the doctor treated the condition that you believe you suffer from?
- Does the practitioner use diagnostic testing to support treatments and confirm outcomes?
Don’t sign up for a “program” and pay for services that have not yet been rendered. $6,000 up front for a three-month plan sounds like a bad idea. What if your plan changes or there is a new diagnosis at two months and three weeks? Sadly, it happens. The next three-month plan is usually not free. I hang my head when this has happened to patients who were only being treated for their symptoms.
There is an answer, and there is help, just like any style of practice and any type of practitioner, there are ones who fit your personality, style, comfort and needs. You might try out a few different practitioners at first visits and then decide to follow up with the ones who seem to meet your needs best. The only true way to fail is to quit so maintain focus. You will overcome.
Dr. Conan Shaw
Functional Medicine
Certified Clinical Nutritionist