Nikki Fowler, FNP-C is a provider at Essential Health – Raleigh who has worked in a variety of conventional primary care settings and has a nursing background in surgical, intensive care, postpartum, and lactation. Nikki’s passion for functional and integrative approaches in medicine grew as she began to make adjustments to her and her family’s lifestyle over the last several years. She has since seen first-hand the value of an alternative approach to healthcare that goes beyond what conventional medicine can provide within our current healthcare system. Learn more about Nikki’s perspective on conventional medicine versus Essential Health’s model of care below.
It is an interesting time for healthcare in America. We have an unbelievable amount of technology and resources at our disposal, yet our nation is getting sicker and sicker. In fact, the average life expectancy in the U.S. for men and women is the lowest it has been since 1996. How and why is this happening? Some attribute it to stress, environmental toxins, diet, or quality of food, while some say it is our own doing. Others blame it on our healthcare system. I would venture to say that likely all of these factors are contributing to the problem, which makes it even more important to be diligent about choosing a supportive and trusting healthcare team.
Represented in the first part of the graphic above is what has slowly been happening with the health and healthcare of our nation. A gradual, yet steady decline in degeneration and disease. Conventional medicine tends to intervene only when the disease is manifested, which creates a status quo that is well beneath how we deserve to live. Instead of truly focusing on wellness and disease prevention, conventional healthcare can often barely manage a patient’s chronic condition, maintaining a dismal status quo of health. What’s more, providers have time constraints for appointments and are forced to “check the boxes” within a system controlled by insurance companies and government regulations. However, this is at no fault of the conventional provider: it is the way the healthcare system in the United States has been designed over the years. It “works” for the system, but not for patients or providers.
The end result? At best, a patient maintains or possibly improves the management of a chronic condition. Overall wellness and optimal health are overlooked due to the constraints of time, money, and regulations. Because of these constraints, care is managed with more of a focus on symptoms to “fix,” rather than helping to reverse a condition through the lens of whole-person care that considers all systems of the body. The body is a system of systems, and while they can be viewed as individual unique systems, they must be considered as a whole. Each system is designed to work together in an integrative fashion: if one system is off, it will likely affect another system in time.
The second phase of this graphic shows a different route of care. At Essential Health, our model of care does not reflect the “status quo” as it is currently defined in conventional care. Our focus is on support and regeneration, which equates to prevention and overall health optimization and longevity. Of course, we are well equipped and supportive of treating acute conditions when conventional medicine is needed, but this is not where we settle.
Our model helps support the concept of “Health Span.” Health span refers to how long an individual lives in good health, without the disease. Supporting “health span” means incorporating physical, mental, and emotional health with a holistic perspective, whether it’s treating acute or chronic conditions. This differs from “life span,” which is merely how long a person can live, regardless of their state of health. Conventional medicine and medical research typically focus on extending life span through the use of pharmaceuticals or invasive procedures, with little regard to the quality of life within those years. (However, as I noted at the top of this article, life span is actually falling in our country, which further begs the question of if our healthcare system is truly supporting a lifetime of positive health outcomes.) Instead, we believe healthcare cannot be limited to merely extending life span through a “one-size-fits-all” approach. It must be personalized for each patient.
To accomplish this type of care clinically, time and communication must be built into a model of care to allow the patient and the provider to develop a meaningful relationship. Relationships, which take time and effort, are needed to support patients through the regeneration process. Time also gives providers space to evaluate and address lifestyle concerns that may be contributing to the root cause of a patient’s condition and determine a path of prevention of other conditions. The result is the creation of a new environment in healthcare where both patients and providers can thrive.
The days of limiting yourself to subpar healthcare are over when you start to experience a new standard of care. Why would you settle for the status quo when you deserve to live out your years in optimal health?
Ready for a new standard of care? Get started by scheduling a Meet & Greet with one of our providers today.