Questions To Ask Your Wellness Professional
Ideally, you should ask these questions before you hire them or join their practice or enroll in their program.
As a physician who is also a holistic wellness expert and owns a transformational wellness clinic for women, I sometimes see the outcome of the “dark” side of the wellness industry.
I have had women sit across from me in tears telling me they have met with physicians, alternative medicine professionals, health coaches, naturopaths, nutritionists, dieticians, and personal trainers only to be told “I do not know why you are not losing weight.” They are given outdated, impractical advice that may not be relevant to their lifestyle, stage of life, body composition analysis, metabolic health, and macro and micro-nutrient assessments.
The worst part is the experience can often leave them traumatized with a damaged body image and unrealistic expectations of what a healthy body needs. They may need to unlearn harmful information.
In efforts to reduce harm, I advise people seeking a wellness journey to ask these questions before joining a practice:
What are your qualifications? If you were seeking the services of a plumber, you would ask them this question before they worked on your kitchen sink. Your body is more complex, unique, and nuanced than a kitchen sink. Your “plumbing” requires expert knowledge. Most wellness practices function in a team-based approach, which is appropriate and practical. However, you must ask this question of everyone involved in your care, especially the person in the practice with the highest level of licensure and who is the one supervising and leading your treatment plan. This is usually the professional who designed the framework for the wellness program. I recommend a physician-led team to ensure you are receiving the highest quality care in a safe and medically supervised manner. A physician will be able to not only guide your nourishment and physical activity but also offer medical advice or treatment should you encounter physiological changes through your wellness journey that require changes in your medical care. You do not necessarily need to see the professional with the highest level of licensure at each visit, but they should monitor and supervise your wellness journey. Ask if the physician is board-certified or board-eligible. Ask if they have done additional training in the wellness space through a reputable and accredited body such as the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Plantrician Project, or the Weil Institute for Integrative Medicine.
How many patients/clients have you helped? Social proof is one of the best outcomes and measures of success. Sure, everyone starts somewhere, but an ethical wellness professional will have broken out on their own either after working under someone else or after having polished their framework with “test” patients or clients. While there is no magic number, the more patients or clients they have helped, the more experience and the more streamlined their framework will be. They will be able to anticipate challenges and roadblocks and offer solutions when you hit them.
What metrics do you track to measure success? If your wellness professional is only tracking weight and/or BMI, find a new one. Weight and BMI are not always accurate measures of state of health, and some wellness journeys are better off as “weight-neutral”. Weight neutrality is a harm reduction approach to wellness that acknowledges that health status is not always correlated to body size or the number on the scale. Approaching wellness through a weight-neutral lens is reduces the harm caused by weight stigma, calorie restriction, and diet culture
We recommend tracking other metrics besides weight and BMI including:
· Basal metabolic rate
· Skeletal muscle mass
· Percent body fat
· Segmental muscle mass balance
· Energy levels
· Sleep quality
· Digestive health symptoms
· Somatic symptoms like headaches and joint pain
· Laboratory metrics such as cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, metabolic panel, hemoglobin A1C
· Micronutrient levels such as ferritin, B12, folate, and vitamin D
How often do you meet, communicate, or contact clients or patients? While everyone has different goals, needs, and preferences, frequent check-ins are essential for accountability, support, and motivation. Frequent check-ins are key to short and long-term success. Follow up appointments should be structured and goal-oriented. Early on, I recommend meeting weekly at least, to help you stay on track. The first few weeks and months of any wellness journey is the most challenging and this is when you need the most support from your wellness team. This is also a good time to ask about access to your wellness team outside of regularly scheduled appointments. If you have questions or concerns or need a little encouragement, ask about the availability of the team to answer your questions or address your concerns.
What tools and/or resources do you use to help patients/clients as part of your program? Everyone has different learning and habit change styles. Your wellness professional should have a multitude of resources and tools to guide you on your journey to fit your needs. They may use online content including videos, webinars, discussion forums, communities, or articles, print articles to read, planners/loggers, journals, apps, meal plans, recipe books, third party websites, group meetings, texting support, individual visits and more. At Culver Wellness Center, we use a combination of these to find the right mix for each individual patient. Our roadmap includes
Metamorphosis Holistic Wellness Journal
Jumpstart Booklet from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, which includes their meal plan and recipes
Recipe Booklet of my own design
Plate Up Health App
Online Content at Member’s Only Website that includes meal samples and work outs
Workshops, Yoga and other mindfulness Events, and Plant-Based Lunches (also open to the community)
Weekly or Bi-weekly Nurse Check-Ins
Monthly 1:1 Appointments with me
Option for group appointments with your accountability “pod”
Recommendations to third party websites curated and vetted by me that offer recipes, work outs, and information
At Culver Wellness Center, we help busy women transform their mind, body, spirit health using holistic and sustainable interventions. I firmly believe in a Veggies Over Pills approach when it comes to health.
Are you a busy career woman ready for a transformational holistic wellness experience?
We offer a complimentary initial consultation to all prospective patients to make sure we are the right wellness team to guide your journey.
Schedule a your initial consultation to join our community of Butterflies so you can ask us these very questions.
We offer a transformational wellness experience exclusively for busy women who ARE NOT looking for a quick fix. We partner with you on your wellness journey to achieve your goals holistically and sustainably.
Do this for YOURSELF.
We offer a complimentary initial consultation to all prospective patients to make sure we are the right wellness team to guide your journey.
At Culver Wellness Center, we help busy women transform their mind, body, spirit health holistically and sustainably. The habits that transform your body and health will also transform the health of the ones closest to you. Schedule a consultation to join our Ecosystem of Butterflies.
You can also find Dr. Adame on the Plate Up Health App as a physician expert. Follow her on the app or join the Metamorphosis Wellness Ecosystem on the app for meal ideas, exercises, mindfulness based stress reduction, group meetings, encouragement, support, and more.
We aim to be the best pediatric practice in Marshall County, Lake Maxinkuckee area, and the state of Indiana. If your child is not yet part of the Culver Pediatrics Center family, sign up in the email opt-in below to learn more about our boutique pediatrician services.
