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Over the past two years, I have worked a lot with people who use plant-based medicine, specifically medical cannabis. Patients constantly ask me, “How much do I need?” They fall back on the traditional model of following the doctor’s orders. Unfortunately, the answer is not as simple as people would like to hear.
Enter health coaching – stage left. Health care with cannabis is a perfect model to show how coaching can be successful and necessary. What needs to happen is that the patients need to be asked questions: How well do you tolerate it? What changes have you noticed? Strategies needs to be implemented and patients need support to reach their health goals.
COVID-19 has zigzagged its way through our communities, wreaking havoc on some individuals while running its course through others without any manifestation of symptoms. One important lesson that can be learned at a time like this is the need to recognize a “bioindividual” aspect of health, wellness, and sickness.
The tide is turning for healthcare, and the lens is narrowing on the individual and the layers that one is comprised of. For decades, most of us have been seen through an inverted lens, where the diagnosis comes first and then the prognosis, rarely shedding light onto all the underlying layers.
Bioindividuality is a term I learned while studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition – a health coach training program that teaches a variety of dietary theories and various health and wellness practices, compiling a plethora of research-based, creative strategies from wellness gurus. Bioindividuality necessitates this wide array of approaches to healthcare. It addresses the conundrum so many individuals find themselves faced with: nothing is wrong, but something is off, and nothing seems to make one well again. It’s an endless pursuit for a better quality of life until the patient finally stumbles across one final attempt before committing to being a lost cause.
What we are seeing unfold in health care in current times includes at-home genomic testing, functional medicine, plant-based medicine, nutritional remedies, and more. Are institutions like The UltraWellness Center and Parsley Health new models for successful health care? There are two very important principles at the foundation of these models: 1-detecting the root cause as opposed to diagnosing symptoms, and 2 – advising patients on steps to regain health in ways that reflect one’s bioindividuality. This formula sets one up for much greater results than the traditional illness + diagnosis = prognosis. Far too often the sum of these two is simply maintenance or symptom reduction.
After immersing myself more in current research on the endocannabinoid system – a major regulatory system in the body discovered between 1988–1990 – my understanding of why bioindividuality matters has expanded. The main function of this system is to regulate other systems in the human body, including but not limited to those that control immunity, pain, sleep, memory, and hunger. Endocannabinoid tone varies from person to person, from illness to illness, which in turn means that someone’s treatment plan will equally vary. In targeting this system for health and wellness, the goal is to assist it to properly function and regain its ability to be self-regulating. Shouldn’t this be the goal of all health and wellness models?
Coaching, whether it’s for cannabis, nutrition, sleep, financial health, or any other area where restoration and growth can occur, requires the skills of being able to listen and to guide, creating an environment for facilitation. Clearly, this must be approached through a lens of bioindividuality. Coaching done in this way is an integral piece of the puzzle for sustainable health and wellness. Patients need to feel capable and empowered, not under the guise of a solution where they don’t recognize how their actions impact the outcomes.
Let’s continue to strive for a more comprehensive, patient-centered healthcare industry. In doing so, the goal will no longer be symptom reduction, but quite possibly, future generations experiencing a reduction in chronic illness and more robust immunity all around. Just as we have witnessed with COVID-19’s path, there is a need for understanding the individual battles in order to build up one’s defense, and in doing so, we collectively pursue a more holistic approach from the bottom up.
Alicia Salazar is a Holistic Wellness & Cannabis Coach, certified through NYS board of education as an Integrative Health & Nutrition Coach (Institute for Integrative Nutrition) and certified as a cannabis practitioner through the Holistic Cannabis Academy. She is also currently enrolled in the Functional Nutritional Lab: Full Body Systems to be a functional nutrition coach. With her practice, Stay Balanced LLC, she supports clients, who want to implement nutrition and lifestyle changes for a sustainable, healthy way of living with an emphasis on ways to support the endocannabinoid system. In the past two years, Alicia has focused much of her time on educating her local community on the uses, benefits, and precautions of cannabis for well-being and holistic health. In addition, Alicia graduated with an MA in TESOL from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, now known as the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and has 15 years of experience teaching English as a Second Language at the college level.
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