Whole Health Partners’ Blog
Before You Make a Big Change: Setting Yourself Up for Success
You wouldn’t run a marathon without first investing in a good pair of shoes. Yet whether it’s recipes, exercise routines, or meditation techniques—we often jump straight to specific action steps and tactics when we want to make changes toward a healthier lifestyle. In order to make changes that stick, however, we may be better off slowing down, and taking some time to prepare.
What is Metabolic Health?
In our culture, weight (and the related concept of BMI) is too often used as shorthand for whether a person is healthy or not. Here’s the thing though:
You can’t actually tell from a person’s weight whether they are healthy or not.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Our Approach
If you’re one of the 20 to 30% of people with ovaries who have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), you’ve likely talked to your doctor about medical interventions like the birth control pill or metformin. They may or may not have also advised you that dietary and lifestyle interventions can provide significant relief from common symptoms, as well as reduce the risk of long-term negative health outcomes like metabolic syndrome or heart disease.
Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes, and Insulin Resistance: Our Approach
The term insulin resistance refers to when a body does not respond well to insulin. Insulin resistance encompasses a wide variety of health conditions that includes diabetes (types 1 and 2), prediabetes as well as certain other conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) [add link to separate services page for PCOS]. While the severity of insulin resistance depends on the specific conditions that are causing it, the impact is the same—an inability to process and manage blood glucose levels.
Cholesterol Management: Our Approach
Most of us have heard that high cholesterol levels can have a negative impact on our health, but the reality is a little more complicated than simply avoiding so-called “high cholesterol” foods. Whether it’s the difference between HDL and LDL—the so-called ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterols—or the relationship between our food intake, our genetics, our lifestyle and our cholesterol levels, there’s a lot to learn and unpack when it comes to cholesterol management. If you’re looking to understand and manage your cholesterol levels, our team—which includes registered dietitians/nutritionists as well as a medical doctor—will work with you to first understand how cholesterol levels are impacting your health, what factors are contributing to those numbers, and then develop a practical plan for doing something about it.
Weight Management: Our Approach
Body weight is an extremely loaded term in our culture. Too often, weight loss is used as a shorthand for being healthy, and those of us who don’t conform to an idealized weight or body shape are judged or shamed.
With Dietitians and Doctors, Collaboration is Key
When a patient comes to Whole Health Partners, one of the first things we ask them is whether we can coordinate our care with their primary care physician.
There’s a reason for that.
How Technology Can Transform Your Wellness Journey
Does your body respond differently to a snack you eat at 10pm, versus if you eat that same thing for lunch?
What does stress do to your blood sugar levels?
How can you easily adapt your meal plan, and still stick to your dietary prescription, when plans for the week change?
These are just a few of the questions that might come up when examining how your behaviors and environment impact your wellbeing. Fortunately, there’s a new breed of interactive wellness technologies that can help to provide some answers.
Putting Mindful Eating at the Heart of the Holidays
As the holidays approach, it’s not uncommon for our patients to start worrying about the impact that work parties, family celebrations and other holiday indulgences may have on their progress toward long-term health goals.
Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies that we can
Beyond 'Exercise': Rediscovering the Joy of Movement
Our culture loves to put things in boxes. That's why we so often think of 'exercise' as being specifically confined to activities like going to the gym, or participating in organized sports. Yet the truth is that your quads don't care if you're doing squats, or if you're crouching down to weed your garden. That's why it can be helpful to think beyond activities traditionally thought of as 'exercise,' and instead start thinking about ways that you can get more active throughout the course of living your normal life.