Integrative Health Practitioner

 

If I knew then what I know now, I could have saved his life. 

My Father was a strong man. A strong confident self-sufficient man with a heart of gold. Always giving. If he had a dollar, you had a dollar. That’s the kind of guy he was. He traveled a lot and lived by his own rules, so I didn’t see him much. Nothing could stop him.

I only saw him maybe twice a year at this point. He was always so full of life and genuine excitement every time I saw him. But this time, things were different. Much different.

I got word that he was in town, so I rushed over to my aunt’s house. I remember running up the front stoop and shouting his name “DAD!” towards the second-floor balcony where he was sitting. “Hey, Yaneira!” he responded in his casual calm yet loving demeanor, I remember. Classic Luis Davis. 

I ran all the way up the stairs to the balcony. And immediately, I noticed something different about him. He appeared weak and under-weight. His energy level was much lower than I ever expected. I was puzzled but I had no courage to mention anything about his appearance because I didn’t want him to feel awkward. So, I stayed quiet and simply listened to him speak.

He told me he was in town to see his primary care doctor since he recently suffered a mild stroke on his island residence. My intuition told me to keep calm since I knew he was not a fan of dramatics. I offered to give him a ride to his doctor’s appointment. I figured it was the least I could do for someone who gave me so much.

I never imagined that ride to the doctor’s office would begin my journey as a holistic health practitioner. Only, I didn’t know my favor had a medical title.

I was designated his unofficial caretaker not because I had any skills at the time. I was chosen because he trusted me.

Not knowing exactly what was wrong with him, I spoke to the doctor privately about my Dad’s health. He informed me my Dad was suffering complications with heart disease. The battle was 25 years in the making. The doctor was very cold and spoke as a matter of fact.

I remember constantly running back and forth between doctor’s appointments and Walgreens pharmacy to fill prescription after prescription. He was on so many chemical medications. So much medicine, not even one multivitamin I remember him taking. And it’s not like his primary physician was encouraging him to take a more holistic approach. Everywhere was an uninviting hospital, health clinic, or commercial office. The whole experience was very cold, lifeless.

During his extended hospital stays, he would always ask me to rub his feet. Swelling and general discomfort was an ongoing problem, so I obliged. I had no idea I was applying the wisdom of ancient healing techniques like Reiki and Ayurveda, I just wanted him to feel better. I used to sit with him for hours as he talked about the details of his life. Depending on the degree of pain he was in, some days his conversation was clear other days it was foggy. I got to see the correlation between Mind (psychology) and Body (physiology) in real time.

Even with a pacemaker, his health continued to deteriorate, and he eventually passed away.

I realized he got more out of my foot massages and conversations, than any of the chemical drugs he was prescribed. I was so disappointed with the conventional health care system. The cold calculated approach they took toward wellness was not life sustaining at all in my experience.

At the time, I was already a full-time dance instructor, so I had a natural understanding about the body, but I had some serious questions about good health and inner well-being. So, for the next nine years, I researched and read everything I could find on natural medicine and alternative therapy solutions. And that’s when I learned about being an Integrative Health Practitioner.  IHP is a state-of-the-art Functional Medicine program that combines ancient healing wisdom with actionable solutions for our present times. And that’s exactly what I needed.

As I learn to how to create personalized meal plans and use functional medicine detox treatments, I imagine how much my Dad would have benefited from this complimentary approach to medicine. If I could have administered a parasite/bacteria test for him, it would have cleared his digestive system to support good health and wellness, instead of the suppressive options that were available. Now, I can’t rewind time, no one can. But now that I’m on the track to becoming a certified Integrative Health Practitioner, I can guarantee sustainable results for myself, my loved ones, and anyone else in need.

If you work as a nutritionist, a registered nurse, personal trainer, or anything of the like then functional medicine is for you. Or if you are a health enthusiast like I was, functional medicine is for you.

Either way, Integrative Health coaching indispensable. It’s a game changer.

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