What is Whole-Person Care?

What is Whole-Person Care?

Whole-person care is a patient-centered approach to diagnosing and treating health conditions. A whole-person approach helps to address conditions like chronic inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and digestive health problems. Identifying and treating the root causes of these symptoms, brings relief and provides insights into triggers.

Is Whole-Person Healthcare Different?

Many conditions share common causes, yet symptoms present in different ways. Your body is an integrated system, and symptoms are signals of something going on within your system. Consider them as the check engine light in a car. You could disable the light, but the car’s engine will fail if you don’t find and repair the misfiring spark or leak.

That’s why only treating symptoms likely won’t slow the progression of chronic conditions. By masking symptoms you’re not addressing what is causing the issue in the first place.

Symptoms of every health concern are due to various unique personal factors, including lifestyle, physiological function, genetics, trauma, and your environment. Whole-person care is different because it focuses on identifying the causes of symptoms and resolving them at the source. This approach treats an entire individual to develop a health plan that leads to long-term resolutions.

How Does Whole-Person Care Address Autoimmune Diseases?

Autoimmune diseases are complex health conditions occurring when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the body. The exact causes of autoimmune diseases are still being studied. With a whole-person approach, you’ll get a comprehensive assessment that includes labs, testing, and baseline health data to determine your triggers and underlying causes of your condition.

What Are Some Examples of Underlying Autoimmune Disease Symptoms?

Food sensitivities: Some people have sensitivities or allergies to certain foods, such as gluten and dairy. For some individuals, eating these foods can lead to inflammation and contribute to autoimmune reactions.

Infections: Infections from bacteria, viruses, and other toxins have been suspected of triggering autoimmune responses in the body. The immune system may mistakenly target healthy tissue.

Blood sugar: Fluctuations in blood sugar levels, often caused by a diet high in processed sugars, can lead to inflammation.

Stress: Chronic stress can weaken the immune system and make it more prone to malfunction.

Medications: In some cases, medicines used to treat other conditions may have side effects that affect the immune system.

Gut imbalance (Dysbiosis): 80 percent of your immune system is in the gut. When the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut is disrupted, it can lead to inflammation.

Leaky gut: When the tight junctions that hold our intestinal wall together become loose, micronutrients in food are not absorbed properly. Your immune system recognizes them as foreign invaders and can cause your body to attack your tissues by mistake.

Nutritional deficiencies: Getting the proper nutrients from diet is essential for a healthy immune system. When we lack important vitamins and minerals, our body's ability to regulate the immune response can be compromised.

Hormones: Chemical messengers known as hormones help control various bodily functions. Imbalances in hormones can affect the immune system, potentially contributing to autoimmune diseases.

Environmental Exposures: Exposure to harmful environmental substances, such as heavy metals, molds, and chemicals, can trigger immune reactions and increase the risk of autoimmune conditions.

While we can't always prevent these exposures, understanding the potential root causes allows healthcare professionals to develop strategies for managing and treating these conditions effectively.

Is a Personalized Care Plan Too Good to be True?

Absolutely not! Many patients find themselves in a loop between their Primary Care Doctor, their specialist, and urgent care or the emergency room. Living with an autoimmune condition can be discouraging at times, but there are new and innovative approaches that could help break the cycle.

Lifestyle changes, proper nutrition, stress management, medication management, supplementation, and targeted treatments are some of the approaches that can help with autoimmune disease uncertainties. If you or someone you know is dealing with an autoimmune disease, it's essential to consult with a healthcare provider for a personalized plan of care.

 
A whole-person approach involves focusing on a patient's whole being. AndHealth's care team of doctors, registered dietitians, rheumatologists, clinical pharmacists, and other specialty care providers work together to tailor a treatment plan to uncover the hidden, underlying causes of your specific illness.