The Wheel of Health illustrates the full range of areas that comprise our health and well being and is a fundamental element of Integrative Health Coaching. It is a powerful tool I use with clients to facilitate the creation of their personalized health plan as it depicts the dynamic connection between all facets of our health.
Because integrative health takes a holistic approach, the Wheel must be seen in total. Like the organs in our body, each of its components depends upon and affects every other. This is the essence of whole person care. For example, some people may have healthy diets but experience tremendous stress. The Wheel is organized to make it easier to assess their current state of health in each different area. This also makes it easier to determine the specific changes they might make to improve their overall experience of well being.
Here’s an explanation of the Wheel of Health:
Yellow: Refers to You, the central focus of the Wheel of Health and around whom health care revolves. Integrative medicine believes that optimal health and healing is best achieved when you identify and understand the impact of your lifestyle and health behaviors, and take ownership in creating and sustaining healthier choices.
Additionally, Mindful Awareness embodies the idea of non-judgmental awareness of your physical, mental and spiritual well being. Success hinges on your ability to recognize the signs and signals that accompany mental and physical distress and to make adjustments along the way before they turn into symptoms and consequences of disease. Mindful Awareness of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well being is the key to start the process of positive change.
Green: Self-Care resonates deeply in all aspects of your health and well being, and is reflected in lifestyle, priorities, motivation, and habits. It also reflects the necessity of developing self-initiated, proactive strategies to improve and maintain health. Recognizing the impact of lifestyle on your basic health, and how it supports basic functions in your life, allows you to rebuild a healthier life from the ground up.
Blue: Professional Care – The world of professional care includes therapies that are aimed at staying healthy (Prevention) as well as treating conditions that arise (Intervention). Integrative medicine combines evidence-based therapies from both Conventional (Western medicine) and Complementary therapies. Providers include physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and other conventional health care workers, as well as integrative health coaches, acupuncturists, massage therapists, psychologists, mind-body therapists, and a wide range of other complementary health care providers.
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