Chances are, you’re used to doctors and health providers working in a certain way: while they may focus on medication and medical procedures (both important and lifesaving), they may not pay as much attention to lifestyle practices like nutrition, sleep, and exercise habits.
At Parsley Health, these lifestyle changes are the hallmark of every member's care plan, developed with members by their dedicated medical team. Parsley medical teams are led by world-class doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, medical providers already set apart by their clinical experience and training in primary care specialties like family medicine and internal medicine.
The other difference? In addition to conventional medicine, they also use root-cause resolution medicine to find and treat health concerns where they start. This evidence-based approach has helped thousands of members not only feel better, but optimize their long-term health while preventing new health concerns from arising.
As a Parsley Health member, your medical team will work with you to develop a personalized plan for things like nutrition, healthy movement, stress management, and supplements, and may also recommend other personalized healing modalities based on your health and goals.
Below are the basics you can expect from an initial Parsley Health care plan, though each person’s experience will vary based on their health needs and wants. While every plan is different, and evolves over the course of a Parsley membership, these core wellness tenants will always be the foundation: good nutrition, solid sleep, techniques to combat stress, and regular movement.
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Your overal health is built on a number of things you do each day—and all can have a significant impact on your health. “The really foundational aspects of lifestyle are things like nutrition, sleep, stress, and movement. Generally, a person’s care plan may or may not include all of those things. If someone is doing really well with movement already, we might not touch on that,” says Nicole Maholy, a health coach at Parsley Health.
“Clinicians and health coaches have the same mindset that we try to do things as naturally as possible to support the body in operating as naturally as we can, but that said sometimes medications are necessary,” says Maholy.
Root-cause resolution medicine is an approach that looks at the whole person and the interconnectedness of the body and mind to understand what’s going on and how to treat it. Simply put, we treat the person, not just one part of them in isolation.
Nutrition plan
When it comes to fighting inflammation, getting to the root of certain symptoms, and improving overall health, nutrition is one of the best tools you can use. Your Parsley Health team will ask about overall nutrition habits and preferences, your health history, and current symptoms, conditions, and/or goals for health. Then, they create a personalized nutrition plan to support wellness. (And you can expect ongoing support for any and all questions you may have as you begin to implement a new dietary plan.)
A few examples:
- Elimination diet (to pinpoint food sensitivities and relieve related symptoms)
- Ketogenic diet (for reductions in markers of diabetes, chronic pain, and more)
- Low-FODMAP (for gut health)
- Autoimmune Paleo diet (for restoring good gut health and healing the immune system)
- Intermittent fasting (a purposeful approach to consumption that yields positive results for brain function, lowers inflammatory markers)
Conventional medicine is more likely to skip over the nutritional aspect of treatment and prevention for health conditions, if only because it’s just not a primary focus—medical students will receive only about 19 hours of nutrition training over the course of a four-year medical program. A Parsley Health medical provider ensures that a good nutritional plan is foundational to good health.
Stress management
Maholy says that an overwhelming amount (roughly 80 percent) of all doctor’s visits are driven by stress-related issues. And Dr. Tiffany Lester, a physician at Parsley Health, previously pointed out that many patients present symptoms (such as hormone imbalance, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome) which are often driven or worsened by chronic stress.
Stress may be inevitable, but the key to keeping stress from affecting health is developing management tools and lifestyle habits that keep stress in check. You can activate your body’s relaxation response via a number of methods including meditation, a regular breathwork practice, and making time for hobbies just for pleasure. And here’s how you can build a stress-management toolkit (hint: it’s 7 easy steps to rely on to battle your inner tension).
One Parsley member’s chronic stress was debilitating, but after her health coach prescribed a regular meditation practice she shared, “With meditation, I learned how to create space between myself, my thoughts, and the external environment.”
Quality sleep
Getting enough quality sleep is a non-negotiable when it comes to good health. In fact, a recent study found that a lack of sleep in middle age may increase dementia risk. If you aren’t sleeping enough, staying up too late, and/or are waking up in the middle of the night, your body will take a toll, emotionally and physically.
Risks of not sleeping well may include:
- Weight gain
- Inflammation
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Heart disease and stroke
Prioritizing quality sleep is key for keeping your mind and body well, so be sure you have healthy sleep habits that set you up for success.
Regular exercise
Exercise and movement play a role in disease prevention and management, so they’re a valuable part of Parsley's approach to health. Not only does regular exercise check a lot of boxes, like reducing your risk for a heart attack and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, it can also help balance hormones, improve digestion, and stabilize blood sugar.
That said, you can also take things too far when it comes to exercise, which can result in amenorrhea, hormonal imbalances, and sleep disturbances. Parsley’s health coaches help members finding the right balance and type of movement that they enjoy—and will stay consistent with—that will help them reach their goals. If you’re also dealing with stress, your health coach might recommend exercise like yoga or dance to help you reduce tension and feel better.
Supplements
While nutrition is always your first line of defense, supplements may also be a part of your health plan. (Start here: What to Know Before You Start Taking Daily Vitamins.) They can be used short-term or long-term to help with issues ranging from nutritional deficiencies and fatigue to inflammation and more.
And it’s best to have your doctor work with you on which supplements are right for you and your needs. The quality of supplements is also key because many store-bought supplements may not contain the quantities or potencies of ingredients they claim. Your doctor can also do testing to check what exact deficiencies you may have, and then recommend the best pharmaceutical-grade supplements for your needs.
