5 Health Professionals You MUST Have On Your Wellness Team
Here's how to age healthily with grace.
I believe once you get past 30, if not sooner, you should start constructing a team of allied health professionals to ensure you take a comprehensive and proactive approach to your health, happiness, fitness and wellness. Here are those who are essential to that team.
1. Primary Care Physician
A good, preventative care oriented physician is a key member of your team. One who looks to take proactive steps to ensure good health not one who reaches for the prescription pad all the time.
2. Physical Therapist
Again, a good PT can do wonders if their orientation is movement based and maintaining good function. If they're not willing/qualified to use their hands/do manual therapy I would think twice.
Passive modalities like electro-stim and the like have their place but can't be at the center of their approach, in my opinion. That is treating the symptoms not the root cause.
3. Massage Therapist
A knowledgeable, well experienced massage/manual therapist is worth their weight in gold. They can help work the kinks out that you can't get to or do well yourself.
4. Personal Trainer/Strength & Conditioning Coach
Whatever you prefer to call them, a good one will hold you accountable, challenge you without wiping you out, keep things interesting and will progress you safely.
The vast majority of gym goers are absolutely clueless as to what good training is and the fact that no significant changes occur or they get hurt all the time are testimony to this. But as with anything there are good ones and not so good ones.
Ask for references and actually talk to those people to vet whether this person is the right coach for you and your goals/situation.
5. Nutritionist
This is a tricky one as just because someone has a license doesn't mean they truly understand nutrition and aren't just repeating the same old nutrition myths (think cholesterol and fats, for example!) that have led us to our current sorry state in this country. Ask for references, interview them and see if their approach makes sense and appeals to you.
There's your starting 5 of allied health professionals on your team. Depending on your own health, fitness and wellness goals and situation you may need specialists in certain areas like orthopedics or sports medicine. But those 5 are a good starting point and should serve as the cornerstones of your team.