Applying a Holistic Approach for Patients

Our columnist, Dr. Annelize Meyer is the founder and Medical Director of the Meyer Clinic in Chichester, a premier center for preventative medicine, anti-aging, and regenerative aesthetics in the UK. Established in 2007, her clinic offers a comprehensive suite of services, from epigenetic and regenerative treatments to hormone therapy, wellness checks, and personalized nutritional programs. Known for her expertise in regenerative aesthetics, Dr. Meyer specializes in natural facial rejuvenation techniques and advanced, minimally invasive procedures. Her approach emphasizes holistic, patient-centered care, focusing on sustainable, evidence-based practices to promote health and wellness for women and families.

Holistic care is looking after the whole person, which means a patients mind, body and spirit, a 360 approach, and then integrating and sharing this care with the wider healthcare team. It is an approach which understands the importance of balance and bringing everything back into equilibrium for patients. I believe passionately in this preventative approach, harnessing the ability to influence and divert the trajectory to possible pathology and disease.

By using a truly holistic approach, you will by default, be preventive in your care for your patients. By being genuinely interested, understanding and actively listening to your patients, you will build a strong therapeutic relationship. Ask open questions about not only health issues, but lifestyle, nutrition, beliefs, their personal environment, personal stressors, greater concerns and habits. A patient’s beliefs might not align with your own personal beliefs, and you are required to hold space for differences. Non-judgmental and an open therapeutic approach should be the cornerstones of looking after patients.

The growth in the availability of personalised medicine and the tools now available in diagnostics are making it possible to bridge the gap for patients between conventional medicine and complementary practices, as well as bringing the connection between mind, body and spirit into focus. I so often see in practice that patients still have no real understanding of the impact of their gut health on their brains or the impact of emotional balance on their hormones.

Managing Treatment Risk

Managing risk with an open approach - keeping awareness of guidelines and movement within then, and obtaining consent, both verbal and often written, is required. Informed consent and allowing patients to be dynamic participants in their health journey builds on patient autonomy, trust, as well as compliance to any treatment.

If a patient understands their risk in treatment and this can be explained through simple language and tools, it means that patients can truly take ownership of their health path. Explaining risk as care givers can be challenging, due to varying factors and often flawed studies as our only guidance. However, keeping in mind that the first principle in caring for patients is do no harm, documenting your thought processes and demonstrating partnership in decision making, allows clarity and in turn, minimises errors.

We are still the gatekeepers to the health path in many ways. Visualising a sturdy, safe but welcoming gate, where tired comrades can have a conversation as opposed to a sleeping beauty scenario that is not penetrable, is within our power to make happen. And we should always strive to do that.

Individual Treatment Plans

Putting together an individual, bespoke treatment plan which incorporates SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) allows reflection and a base for checking in at regular follow ups. Not all patients are able to have regular follow-ups, but in my experience, people value a plan, and keep these notes. They could come back years after your initial meeting and a simple plan could have kept them focused, as well as motivated. These goals can be small things that the patient can manage in their lives and include complementary practices like meditation for example, or anything that is key for the patient. It helps if the Doctor prescribes these practices and lifestyle changes. Patient plans offer beacons as well as accountability to the patient in their health journey and this is a dynamic and flexible process that brings us back to core issues.

Holistic Care Giving starts with Caring for Yourself

Resilience

A crossroad in my personal journey was when I realised - whilst studying functional medicine, that my own core, the place where I was supposed to be the happiest, was not looked after. Turning my focus to healing myself, changed my life.

Practicing self-love and acceptance of self, allows you to hold space for yourself and your patients, as well as your colleagues. We are the reflection of ourselves in every person we see. Empathy starts with self-love, self-worth and compassion for self, only then can we replicate this fully. Being able to gently, but firmly have your boundaries in place, allows for any message to be delivered in the right energy, and for the ego to not take centre stage.

Understand your limitations and do not be scared if patients come in armed with knowledge - even sometimes having more knowledge on a particular subject than you may. Patients appreciate honesty and this will strengthen your bond. Be able to say “ I am not sure, but I will get back to you”. Be aware of your limitations and the very fact that total healthcare can be overwhelming.

Check in with your own emotional state frequently and release energy after each patient; in this way, you keep your emotional tank full and are able to deliver optimum care to each and every patient and more importantly protect yourself against burnout.

Your Team and Environment

Your team are the most important people to help create magic in the patient journey and it’s important that they reinforce the key messages that support the patients’ health journey. If your team believes in the process, the message will be clear. Always make your team an integral part of the patient journey and patient interaction.

Create a healing, safe space that involves all senses from start to finish.

Have patient information readily available on health subjects and use where possible additional tools in diagnoses, for example body composition analysers which create an interactive talking point that naturally connects health, nutrition and lifestyle for patients, as well as serving as a tangible motivational tool.

The Wider Team

Also sharing care with the wider medical community is key, whether this community is part of the western academic framework or the more spiritual framework. Incorporating a variety of therapeutic modalities will strengthen clinical outcomes. We are all on the same side wanting to improve people’s health and wellbeing so harness the power of the collective, especially as we are moving into the age of Aquarius. Each patient needs a different approach, and a good analogy is to think that you know the basic recipe for making the cake, but how you decorate each one is different.

Options on Treatment

Medical Testing options available to patients are now easily accessible world-wide and patients will often bring these into clinic, done by themselves for validation, interpretation, guidance and action. The world is undergoing a health revolution and personalised medicine is at the heart of this, however, sometimes making personalised medicine work well is challenging. The most important outtake, is to care for the patient in person, as well as considering all the factors that makes up each individuals unique health expression.

This should always start with a complete medical assessment as described earlier, consideration for testing and awareness of options on testing, and then following through with a bespoke treatment plan.

Within this treatment plan, where medication is considered, options need to be offered to patients. Regulation needs to be discussed, as well as avenues available for filling prescriptions and whether you are able to deliver this service or not. Prescribing is no longer a 2D exercise, patients’ need the full 3D experience to help them be empowered in their health choices. An example I can use is discussing HRT for women. The options on treatment are myriad and only offering a one size fits all approach is similar to trying to colour a rainbow with one primary colour which simply does not work. A full spectrum of rainbow colours needs to be considered – a 360 approach is essential.

My Nine Cornerstones of Holistic Care