During the summer of 2017, health insurance was in the news – a LOT. The insurance landscape is changing and the fight isn’t over yet. Many of us may yet find ourselves without insurance or be unable to afford regular traditional doctor visits.

So what are the alternatives to traditional medicine? I wrote the Uninsured series of posts where I talked about alternative and complementary modalities to help you stay healthy without insurance. (This is Part 1 of the series.)

Of course, I tackled many of the issues that I can help you address as a certified aromatherapist, Reiki Master practitioner and holistic life coach. But I wanted to educate you about other wellness practitioners who also excel at helping you stay – or get – healthy. Over the next few months, I’m inviting practitioners from all areas to write about what they do and how they can help you get and stay healthy.

Today, meet Stefanie Draper, a Certified Health Coach in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina. Stefanie explains how she can help you navigate all the options when it comes to your health.

How Can A Health Coach Help Me?

A healthy lifestyle in this day and time has lots of options in the way of health food stores, holistic helpers and healers, supplements, gyms and yoga studios, organic food options, and on and on. So why is it such a challenge to be healthy?! If we have all these support networks we should have healthy bodies and healthy lives, right?

The majority of us know what we should be doing, yet most of us don’t implement what is necessary to be truly healthy. Pile on top of that the issues our health care system presents, and we can find ourselves in a real pickle! If we are depending on the government, our primary care physician, or our prescriptions to keep us healthy, we really do have another think coming. Melissa has brought to us a wonderful discussion, because clearly it is time for us to begin seeing our health resources differently.

I am a Certified Health Coach. I received a B.A. degree in Exercise & Sport Sciences from UNC Chapel Hill and proceeded to become a Personal Trainer for many years after graduation. My heart always focused on the whole person though, their mind, body, and spirit. I realized that without addressing the entirety of a person’s life and mindset, change was difficult and short-lived. I became a Certified Health Coach (CHC) with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition so I could help people find the long-lasting solutions unique to their lives and personal situation.

My wellness journey began in high school when I was placed on a special diet via a homeopath to remedy systemic candida (yeast) overgrowth which could not be overcome by traditional medical remedies. It opened my eyes to another way of viewing health and wellness. Where traditional medicine could not help me, holistic “medicine” did. It was a little longer of a process, and I had to learn a lot, but my life has never been the same. I am not dependent on our traditional medical system, I don’t need or use pharmaceuticals, and I feel great!

What Does a Health Coach Do?

Certified Health Coaches are a fantastic alternative support system for people seeking a more energetic, vibrant, and stable way of life. Doctors of all kinds are necessary in society for acute issues and basic yearly check-ups. When we are in an auto accident, break an arm, or have a heart attack, we are grateful we have them! Yet I want to suggest that as you take responsibility over your daily routine and integrate healthy lifestyle practices, our bodies can heal, strengthen, renew, and sustain themselves to bring balance and wellness to us! It’s amazing what our bodies can do on their own; they want to be well!

As a CHC, my aim is to listen to your goals and desires and help you form a plan perfectly tailored to your lifestyle and needs. The key is fun, simple, and sustainable goal setting on bi-monthly basis to move at a pace which allows change to truly take root. This way you find yourself suddenly doing healthy practices naturally, without stress or frustration! Implementing a new lifestyle takes time and a little discipline, but the results are nothing short of inspiring and you have someone to help you every step of the way.

Alternative Medicine

So if you find yourself uninsured (I have been so myself more often than not these last few years) don’t feel stranded! Properly trained massage therapists, reiki practitioners, chiropractors, health coaches, personal trainers, Chinese herbalists, aromatherapists, and many other holistic wellness providers offer a wealth of information and knowledge to help you take care of the necessary components of your mind, body, and spirit. It may take some time, but once that wheel of wellness is set in motion, you can’t help but feel better and better until the thought of being uninsured is in the background.

So, barring catastrophic insurance, I see a world where preventative care providers are our ‘insurance’ and traditional medical practitioners become secondary. Sound like a crazy statement? Think of the issues that would be remedied if this were the case!

To learn even more about what I do, please visit my NextDoor site . My blog has some wonderful tips and information you may find helpful as well as my Pinterest page (www.pinterest.com/stefaniepdraper ) which has recipes, exercises, and other wellness links to whet your mental appetite.

Also, I offer free consultations for anyone interested in taking the first step towards increasing wellness in their life. You may email me (stef@stefaniedraper.com) or send me a note through my website.

I look forward to meeting you and supporting your wellness journey. I never get tired of seeing a life transformed and am honored at the opportunity to do that with you!

Thank you Stefanie for your amazing approach to staying healthy. I hope Stefanie has opened your eyes to alternative approaches if you find yourself uninsured!

Blessings,

Melissa