Health Coaches And The Smart Tools They Use
Many medical practitioners across various fields are deciding to make the change and take the steps necessary to become health coaches. It’s not an easy transition and often requires plenty of additional training, education, and certification steps. But those who do ultimately make the change are introduced to an entirely new world of medical care that is far more personal.
There are plenty of tools that make the job of a health coach easier than ever before. One of the best tools that a new health coach can invest in is the BioScan. The BioScan device utilizes bio-resonance feedback, acupuncture, and other homeopathic methods to encourage the body to return to stasis.
Before diving further, let’s look closer at the role of a health coach and what it takes to reach this professional milestone.
What Exactly Is A Health Coach?
A health coach is a medical care provider with extensive training in the field of behavior change. They work one-on-one with their patients to help them manage specific medical conditions and reach certain health goals.
Some of the common conditions managed with the assistance of a health coach include chronic pain, diabetes, and prolonged stress. You can only help your patients make the changes necessary if you have an in-depth understanding of health and behavior.
As a health coach, you won’t work in opposition to traditional medical care providers. You have an equally important role that benefits your patients in ways that a general practitioner cannot. Most of today’s doctors have very little time to listen, decipher, and respond to patient queries.
Your job will involve actively listening to all the essential details and then providing a comprehensive set of changes that address their unique situation.
You will spend a lot of time working with patients who suffer from chronic conditions, but you’ll also find many patients in generally good health. Plenty of patients who seek out a health coach are simply trying to reach specific goals.
Maybe they want to get into shape, lose weight, reduce stress, and prevent the onset of diabetes. You may even specialize in a practice that deals primarily with patients of this type. It’s an incredible work opportunity that is always in demand and continually expanding.
Is A Health Coach The Same As A Life Coach?
A health coach and life coach can overlap between their services, but they are two distinct professions and often have two different goals. They are both coaches who use their experience and training to guide people. They both require the ability to teach and motivate their patients. But that is where their similarities come to an end.
The life coach tends to focus on more personal areas of life. For example, a life coach can help their client achieve goals in relationships or with their career.
They may also emphasize spiritual growth. These are undoubtedly essential areas of a person’s life, but they are not included in a health coach’s focus.
By comparison, a health coach focuses less on the personal elements of a person’s life and focuses more on the factors that influence their health. The goal is to understand how elements affect their health and emphasize change to produce a positive effect.
It’s challenging to limit the scope of a health coach because so many different factors can influence your patient’s health. If your patient is battling prolonged stress, your discussions may often include activities at work or in social settings. These are often stressful and learning how to approach them properly can significantly impact their health.
Who Can Benefit From A Health Coach?
Everyone.
There are no limitations regarding who can benefit from the assistance of a health coach. In an ideal world, every patient who sees a general practitioner would also follow up with a health coach consultation. It can include athletes, seniors, patients with serious diseases, and young people who want to live healthier. Everyone has the potential to benefit from a coach.
Of course, some types of patients are far more likely to seek the assistance of a health coach. Athletes are near the top of the list. The guidance provided by a health coach can help them maintain a proper balance of vitamins, nutrients, and exercise.
Their health coach may not provide them with a specific workout regimen like a personal trainer, but they will help fill all the other health gaps that affect their performance.
A health coach is an invaluable resource for any patient. General practitioners don’t often have the time to walk their patients through every step and detail of living. A health coach can help them better understand what activities they need to change, what dietary habits need to be improved, and what mental exercises they can utilize to cope.
What Does It Take To Become A Health Coach?
The health coaching industry is relatively new and is not tightly regulated. There are currently no mandatory certifications required to become a health coach. Even so, additional training and certification are highly recommended.
It’s a new field of work and requires a different way of thinking than routine medical care. Receiving certification is a great way to show your patients you are serious about your career choice and are prepared to offer them the best possible services.
While there may not be any official requirements, there are some recommendations if you want to reach the top of your field and assist as many patients as possible.
The primary educational requirements share some similarities with other medical practitioners. You’ll likely want to choose a field of focus for specialization. If you already have a profession, then you can use that as a foundation to move forward.
It is always a good idea to complete health, nutrition, food science, psychology, and counseling courses. These are areas of practice that will come into play with nearly all your patients. Any approach that focuses on behavior will also be helpful.
Many health coaches work on pursuing higher degrees while working in their field of choice. Most of the certification programs available do not require a master’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree. Those degrees will undoubtedly aid in your understanding and make it easier to secure higher-paying positions in the future. But there is nothing wrong with pursuing those career goals while also working as a coach.
Some schools offer education programs designed specifically for students interested in becoming health coaches. These programs are finely curated to include the courses necessary to prepare you for work in this field. It is a great idea to pursue education at one of these institutions available in your local area.
As mentioned, certification is not mandatory. The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) is working toward becoming the primary certifying organization for health coaches.
They provide candidates with a very detailed certification process held in high regard in most medical institutions. The NBHWC also works with specific schools to offer a comprehensive learning program that leads to certification.
As with most new fields like these, the restrictions will likely change going into the future. As more people claim to be health coaches, more strict regulations will be required to separate the serious candidates from those who are not qualified.
It likely won’t be long before certification is mandatory for practitioners who label themselves as health coaches. It’s a good idea to go ahead and begin this certification process rather than lose your title later.
What Tools Does A Health Coach Use?
Much of their guidance includes steps that the patient can take themselves or discuss with their medical residency physician. However, there are some that you can utilize as a wellness coach to provide relief and guidance to your patients. BioScan can help with testing and even with some types of homeopathic. There is a single BioScan device that can run two separate testing programs.
The BioScanMSA
Meridian Stress Assessment (MSA) with BioScan can help test the health and balance of patients excitingly. The process is non-invasive and will provide you with a clear picture of your patient’s stress patterns and vital functions.
The test relies on processing energy levels using proven physics concepts. It functions somewhat similarly to a modern EKG or lie detector but with a greater variety of potential applications.
An MSA test provides you with an opportunity to discover potential issues. The energy it reads from the body can help identify many of the common signs. It can identify specific systems in the body that may not be functioning correctly and determine if inflammation is a problem.
MSA combines certain concepts from bio-resonance and acupuncture. The standard MSA test lasts for roughly fifteen minutes and checks the conductivity of numerous pressure points on the body. The test can assess up to 800 different pressure points.
Your patient will hold a grounding wire in one hand while you move a stylus from one pressure point to the next, with a tiny amount of current applied at each acupoint.
It can determine which systems are near equilibrium and out of balance when exposed to a particular substance. For example, the frequency associated with a specific substance may throw an organ out of equilibrium, indicating potential sensitivity.
Meanwhile, the frequency associated with a particular herbal medicine may cause the organ system to move back towards equilibrium. This information is used to create a personalized plan for your patients.
The BioScanSRT
The Stress Response Testing (SRT) program works similarly to identify stressors and address how the body reacts. It utilizes its collection of substance frequencies to test the body’s reaction to certain elements. Stressors could include certain foods, pollen, chemicals, and just about any other physical substance.
It allows you to help shape the patient’s reaction to specific stressors. With sufficient assessment, you can significantly reduce patient responses to stimuli.
Is Becoming A Health Coach Right For You?
Suppose you want to truly help your patients by identifying the causes of their health conditions and allowing them to adjust their lifestyle. In that case, we recommend pursuing a career as a health coach. Equipment like BioScanMSA and BioScanSRT make sessions even more helpful for your patient.