What is Integrative Health Coaching?

You go to the doctor and are told the familiar, "you need to lose weight", "you have to lower your blood pressure", or "your diet needs to improve". Easier said than done!

​Being told what you need to do to improve your health is all good and well; but, how to do it is a different story. "I am busy with work." "I have a family to take care of." "I don't have the finances." "I don't know where to start!" When you need to take what your doctor says and put it into action, that's where your integrative health coach comes in!

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What is Integrative Health?
​​Integrative health focuses on the well-being of the whole person, including the mind, body, and spirit. The core principle of integrative health is that each of the three aspects of the whole person affects the other two. Therefore, disease can be cured, prevented, or reduced by giving the right amount of care and attention to all three aspects. For example, high blood pressure can be caused by a combination of obesity (body), work stress (mind), and emotional stress (spirit).

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​How is integrative health coaching different from other types of coaching?
A coach is traditionally seen as an instructor or trainer. Not so with an integrative health coach. He/she serves only as a guide as the client takes a look at their whole health (body, mind, and spirit) and choose what health decisions best fit their life and values. During the coaching process, the client is the person in charge! They decide what is important for their well-being and set their health goals and actions steps. Meanwhile, the integrative health coach helps the client to think through all the things that impact a person's ability to make a lasting change in their health behavior. The  coach partners with the client to:

• find out what the client truly wants for their health and well-being
• identify the client's priorities in life
• gather information about the client's current health
• find out what area of health the client wants to make a change in
• explore how ready the client feels in making that change
• help the client set goals and action steps

Integrative health coaching provides a safe, supportive, and powerful way for you to bridge the gap between your doctor's advice and making a lasting health change that is most meaningful for you. Click here to learn more about integrative health coaching at My Wealth in Health!

For more information about integrative health coaching, visit:
https://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/integrativecoachingpatients
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833534/
https://drc.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000201