When a Health Coach is Better than a Doctor

It’s the latest and some say the fastest growing career for individual’s interested in health and nutrition. The Health Coach is a new breed of healthcare professional whose job is to guide individuals through the minefield of dietary and lifestyle change. They support clients to make behavioral changes by utilizing techniques such as goal setting, identifying obstacles, and just good old positive reinforcement and support. Kind of like having a best friend to discuss why you went back for that third helping of double Dutch ice cream; but with no judgment and plenty of sound advice.

A common complaint is that busy doctors spend little time helping a patient make better dietary choices. They are needed to provide a diagnosis and then treat according to an allopathic, pharmacological protocol. A good doctor might mention that the patient should cut down on saturated fat say, but with no further instructions as to how this should be done; no cooking, shopping, exercise, or meal planning instructions. Enter the health coach who provides the assistance that the medical establishment cannot. This is accomplished by partnering with a client to create an individualized program based on achievable goals, regular contact, motivational encouragement and the understanding that each individual is unique and no dietary program is one-size-fits-all.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

myra d.

7:08AM PDT on Oct 15, 2011

thanks

send a green star

Past Member .

11:55PM PDT on Oct 14, 2011

I just had a medical checkup.

My doctor was amazed at my health.
He threatened "You'll live forever!"

"I dont' want to live forever," I protested.
"Not here on this earth. I want to go home."

The first guy that threatened me about 3 years ago
was one of those intuitive psychics. He threatened that I'd live 120 years.

I protested, "I don't want to!"

He said, "Then you'd better stop taking care of yourself. You're doing a great job!"

So what do I do?

I don't want to be sick. That hurts.

I'm just asking my Higher Power to come take me home in my sleep.

Meanwhile, I have to use whatever time I still have to go to do as much good as I can.

Sigh.....

Lika S.

1:25AM PDT on Oct 11, 2011

Well, nice idea, but, I think it's another crock pot health care deal. I've gone to "nutritionists", and here is some little girl whose never had a weight problem... Then, I swear that they tell you about calories all day long, and don't seem to care that the "food" they tell you to eat isn't a real food, such as margarine and saccarine, because they are "low" or "free" in calories. They have NO idea what your health condition is, and tell you to do exercises that are darn near impossible on a diet so low in calories that an underweight person could maintain their weight on... And they're supposed to help me manage other health conditions other than my weight like my diabetes too? No, I'm afraid.

Devayani P.

10:42PM PDT on Oct 9, 2011

Megan B.

12:03PM PDT on Oct 9, 2011

Alicia N.

8:52PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

noted with thanks

Deborah V.

8:21PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

Why on earth can't we teach good nutrition, balancing a budget, real sex education, etc., IN SCHOOL?

William K.

12:17PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011