Walking into a doctor’s office, having a genuine, unhurried consultation, feeling seen and heard by your physician — for traditional healthcare, this may seem like a far-off dream but for concierge healthcare models? This is the reality.
Personalized medicine in direct pay models, such as concierge medicine and direct primary care (DPC), have steered American healthcare into a better, brighter direction.
Picture a healthcare journey where a patient’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being are all part of the conversation. These days, this is the level of healthcare patients seek. They no longer settle for anything less.
Concierge medicine is quickly becoming the preferred healthcare option among patients because of the integrative medicine and holistic health approaches it offers.
In this blog post, we will break down what holistic health in concierge medicine really means, how it can benefit you, and why more people are turning to concierge medicine for deeper, whole-person care.
Integrative health and holistic wellness are not one of healthcare’s latest buzz words, but are important cornerstones behind patient-centered, preventive care.
Let us break down these fundamental concepts:
This mind-body medicine approach combines the best of conventional medicine with evidence-based alternative medicine and complementary therapies. These can include:
The goal of integrative medicine is not to react to symptoms as they arise, but to support the body’s natural ability to heal itself and stay healthy.
Also referred to as lifestyle medicine, holistic health in concierge medicine prioritizes whole-person care, and not just the disease in question. It takes the following into account:
In holistic health in concierge medicine, the question shifts from “What’s wrong?” to “What’s going on in your life that could be contributing to your symptoms?”.
Holistic health in concierge medicine is also concerned with “What factors in a patient’s life could be preventing them from receiving high-quality, personalized medicine?”.
Read more about Concierge Medicine: A Patient Centered Care Model
What makes concierge healthcare exciting is that— finally—here is a medicine model that provides the time, access, and depth needed to make integrative health and holistic wellness actually work.
Here is how integrative medicine and holistic health in concierge medicine come together:
In traditional healthcare, doctor appointments last 10-15 minutes. That is nowhere near enough time to get to know a patient’s medical history, symptoms, and preferred treatment.
Concierge medicine, on the other hand, extends doctor appointments up to 30-90 minutes, as needed. This means that your doctor has time to hash out all the details of your health. This can include:
Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, patients get a personalized roadmap regarding their health. Depending on your health requirements, this may include:
At the core of concierge healthcare is preventive care.
From intervention before disease occurs, early detection, to chronic disease management to slow down or stop progression — concierge medicine explores alternative medicine to prevent and manage illness.
Holistic health in concierge medicine focuses on staying well, not just reacting to symptoms when it is already too late. Routine work-ups include:
Read more about: The Impact of Concierge Medicine on Preventive Care
Patients reap life-long benefits from holistic health in concierge medicine. This well-rounded, mind-body medicine approach bears the following advantages:
If you are sold on the benefits of holistic health in concierge medicine and wish to experience them for yourself, here is what you can expect out of a concierge medicine subscription:
In concierge medicine, every consultation is an opportunity for you and your doctor to connect.
They will take the time and effort to get to know you, your medical history, health preferences, and check in on your progress religiously.
Holistic health in concierge medicine covers the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: mental well-being, minimizing harmful substances, healthy relationships, healthy eating, sleep, and physical activity.
Patients are rest assured that every area of their health is taken into consideration when it comes to concierge medicine’s personalized treatment plans.
Apart from conventional medicine, holistic health in concierge medicine is also more open-minded and explorative towards more unconventional yet still evidence-based methods.
These treatments can include acupuncture, herbal medicine, and mind-body therapy.
With 24/7 direct physician access, house calls, hospital visits, and uninterrupted appointments, holistic health in concierge medicine makes you feel like you are not alone in your healthcare journey.
Your concierge medicine physician is your partner in achieving your health goals. They are fully dedicated to holistic wellness and patient-centered care.
Concierge medicine is known for being at the forefront of intersecting technology with healthcare.
From telemedicine to wearable health devices for routine monitoring, technology in concierge medicine makes it easier for patients and their physicians to track, manage, and stay on top of their health.
Thanks to technology, integrative medicine and holistic health in concierge medicine have become more accurate, more effective, and easier to sustain.
Read more about: The Role of Technology in Concierge Medicine
Instead of waiting for symptoms to occur and only then reacting to it, the unique combination of preventive care and integrative health is an intuitive, thoughtful strategy to maintain a patient’s quality of life.
It brings a sense of empowerment to a patient’s medical journey, making them feel more in control and optimistic about their own health.
Holistic health in concierge medicine recognizes that preventive care extends beyond disease prevention and management.
It recognizes that long-term wellness includes a person’s mental, emotional, physical, and even financial well-being in its entirety.
Patients, especially those with chronic illnesses, can rely on concierge medicine to prioritize long-term wellness and improve their quality of life.
For instance, a patient who is diagnosed with cancer can gain immense peace of mind from holistic health in concierge medicine.
They can rely on their concierge doctor to weigh the pros and cons of radiation exposure, pain medication, and other procedures that may have debilitating effects in the long term vs. natural treatments and alternative medicine options.
In a healthcare industry where everything is rushed, insincere, and overly transactional, holistic health in concierge medicine is a breath of fresh air.
Dr. Rob Lamberts, MD, a concierge doctor, sums up holistic health in concierge medicine in the best way: “Patients are more than just physical bodies. [They] should be considered on all levels, including spiritual, cultural, even economic.”
Integrative medicine and holistic wellness are superpowers that restore mindfulness in healthcare. It recognizes that every patient has a unique set of needs, and an even more unique path to wellness.
