Why do we need an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach?

Wellness at its core, is about getting back to doing what we naturally do. However, we are being culturally asked to do things that we are not biologically designed to do.

Misalignment Between Biology and Culture: We are biologically designed to move. As hunters and gatherers, we had to keep moving to survive. But we are culturally mandated to sit. We are also designed to eat real and whole foods but our busy schedules and toxic environments prompt us to eat processed foods that are immediately gratifying but never satisfying.

We are hardwired to alternate stress with relaxation but the culture and society we live in idolizes being busy and always on the go. There is very less time to rest and replenish. We are designed to love and be socially connected but many of us are feeling isolated and lonely more than ever in the world of competition and despite our expanding social network. We are also designed to find meaning and happiness in life but many of us are completely lost.

Health Challenges: It is no wonder that so many of us are feeling depleted, worn out and sick. We are facing a tidal wave of obesity, chronic diseases- heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, asthma, allergies, cancers, auto immune conditions, mental health issues and so on.

Since we are always on the go, we need quick fixes to all issues. What can we do about this? We can definitely make better choices on a daily basis.

The Gap Between Knowing and Doing: While many people are aware of the need for healthier choices, there's often a significant gap between knowing what's good for us and actually implementing those changes. The resistance to change is hardwired into our brains, making it difficult to sustain healthy habits.

A permanent change requires ongoing motivation and self-regulation. Small sustainable steps and behavioural changes towards health eventually result in big changes over time. What people actually need is accountability and coaching to implement these changes.

The Role of Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches: Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches can bridge the gap between knowledge and action by providing accountability, guidance, and coaching to help individuals make better choices and adopt healthier lifestyles.

Most of the diseases are lifestyle diseases that could have been prevented if people made healthier choices. In our fast-paced lives today, we are always on the go and hardly have time to honour our human body's ability to heal and repair itself.

Western vs. Eastern Medicine: Many of us have lost our judgement to know when drugs are necessary, when alternatives are better and when to let our body heal on its own.

Western medicine often focuses on symptom management with drugs, and Eastern and holistic approaches aim to address root causes and support the body's natural healing processes. This highlights the importance of considering different paradigms of healthcare.

Western medicine is excellent at crisis care, trauma, treating acute infections, replacing joints, replacing organs but not good at addressing the root cause of chronic diseases/ lifestyle related conditions. Doctors are doing heroic work and are trained to see the body like a machine, treating acute conditions. Their tools are drugs and surgery.

Eastern medicine (Ayurveda/Chinese/Homeopathy/Naturopathy/Acupuncture) and functional medicine see the body as a garden to ensure that the plant is getting enough water, sun, nutrition and the roots are not being impinged upon.

Have we ever thought about this?

What happens in western medicine is like playing Whac-A-Mole. So, the disease pops up somewhere and it is whacked with a drug. Only for it to pop up somewhere else. Then it is whacked with another drug. And because the underlying disease mechanism is not being treated, people get sicker and sicker.

And to make it worse, people are given different drugs for different conditions, so they get side effects from all the drugs and a different drug is given to treat those side effects. So, people slowly go downhill on multiple drugs.

For example, the acid suppressive drugs which is used to treat gastrointestinal reflux shuts off acid production in the stomach. The problem is being identified as too much acid in the stomach. Often it is not. If the dose of these drugs is reduced, there is an outpour of acids which intensities the symptoms. It is difficult to get off these drugs and we become dependent on them quite often. The drug has now caused the problem it is meant to solve.

Drugs like anti-depressants and anxiety drugs create a lot of dependency and eventually creates more depression by dropping the serotonin receptors.

Most often, these drugs are not the best choices in chronic health conditions, but extremely essential if it is an acute health condition.

Preventive and Holistic Approaches: Most often, integrative nutrition, using food and lifestyle as medicine and other holistic forms of medicine like Ayurveda can manage and heal most of the chronic diseases and health conditions. These approaches consider nutrition, lifestyle, and emotional well-being as crucial components of health.

Personalized and Comprehensive Care: As an integrative nutrition health coach, I provide unconditional presence and listening to deep dive and understand what's going on with the body, mind, emotions and integrate nutrition science, lifestyle and relevant systems of medicine to facilitate healing. I emphasize the need for a shift in how we view and manage our well-being, with an increased focus on prevention, lifestyle choices, and the integration of different medical traditions.