Wellness is a complex and multidimensional concept. It goes beyond traditional medicine’s focus on managing physical illness and alleviating symptoms. There are many ways of defining wellness, and here at our practice, we have our own definition of and approach to promoting wellness.
We believe that every person is unique and that a combination of genetic and environmental factors determines how we interact with our external environment. Our environment can significantly affect our thoughts, emotions, social interactions, and spirituality, all of which are interconnected. When any of these dimensions is impaired, it can lead to compromised mental and physical health. Our fundamental approach to promoting wellness is centered on authenticity with and fidelity to patients. We believe that when we are genuine and honest as health care providers, we can most effectively develop rapport with patients and earn their trust. These are the key elements of a successful patient-provider relationship.
A trusting patient-provider relationship is key to helping patients achieve an optimal level of wellness, live meaningfully, and thrive. Many patients who are not well struggle with issues they are too afraid to discuss with their health care providers. Common issues patients are fearful to discuss include domestic conflict, substance dependence, workplace bullying, unhealthy diets and emotional eating, sexual practices, distressing emotions, financial stressors, trauma history, and current or prior involvement with the foster care system.
It is imperative for health care providers to know their patients’ life stories to help eliminate barriers to achieving a state of optimal wellness. We are all human beings, and we all have issues we consider deeply personal, sensitive, and for some, embarrassing. Withholding personal and sensitive information from health care providers can allow distressing life circumstances to go unidentified and unaddressed. Explicitly communicating deeply personal issues with health care providers allows them to identify factors that can make you unwell and develop healthy lifestyles and coping mechanisms. Then the patient can move toward mind-body balance, which we also refer to as homeostasis.
Optimizing wellness is important because chronic and overwhelming stress and unhealthy living and working environments can increase the risk for serious mental and physical illness. In partnering with patients, we identify each individual’s personal definition of health and wellness, priorities, and goals for better quality of life. We use high-quality holistic and traditional research to help patients make choices based on evidence, which is what we believe is truly in their best interest. We integrate these evidence-based strategies with recommended health screenings with the goal of guiding our patients toward living long, fulfilling, comfortable, and meaningful lives.
