The framework of complementary healthcare is necessary in order to optimally promote health, quality of life, and performance.
For more information about integrating the framework of complementary healthcare into clinical practice to manage metabolic syndrome, reduce chronic inflammation and chronic stress, and improve health, visit www.buoyhealthcare.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.
Throughout this article series, in particular over recent articles, the concept of complementary healthcare has been introduced and described. This paradigm refers to an approach in which the multiple determinants of health are considered and tools and skills utilized in a synergistic way in order to optimize the overall outcome. The ultimate goal is to promote health, quality of life, and sustainable high performance. Taken together, these objectives allow each of us to be the best version of ourself. This framework is in contrast to the typical Western medical paradigm which tends to be more siloed and less synergistic in nature. Furthermore, this approach tends to focus more on disease and injury management, as well as treating symptoms rather than the overall promotion of health, quality of life, and performance.
From the outset, it is evident that the approach of complementary healthcare is unique. This specifically relates to the utilization of strategies and tactics in a complementary fashion across all determinants of health in order to pursue the goal of improving health, increasing quality of life, and optimizing performance. It is important to note that we may strongly influence these specific outcomes, but we do not fully control them. There are many factors outside of our control which can also determine whether or not we fully achieve these outcomes. For example, getting injured in an accident is outside of our control yet can significantly impact our ability to pursue these outcomes.
In an attempt to improve and optimize our ability to pursue these important goals, it is better to place our focus and emphasize working towards outputs which we more strongly have control over and which are also significantly influential regarding the overall outcomes. This provides a more constructive approach through which we are able to exert greater influence over the outputs we are working towards. This approach also provides a more actionable and operational perspective allowing us to focus on specific skills, strategies, and tactics. Nervous system balance accomplishes this goal.
The other issue with the outcome of health, quality of life, and performance is that it is in the long-term future. We do not have the ability to achieve these outcomes on a day-to-day basis. While it is important to orient our purpose and passion towards outcomes in the future, it is also necessary in order to have a higher degree of influence over our output to focus on elements that we can work towards on a day-to-day basis. This provides the ability for achieving shorter term objectives as well as more immediate opportunities to assess our efforts and progress and make adjustments as necessary.
As discussed in past articles, nervous system balance improves health in multiple ways. By increasing anchored and grounded states and improving nervous system flexibility, we have increased vagal nerve activity and function which leads to reductions in chronic inflammation and chronic stress, as well as enhancements in mitochondrial function, thereby promoting improvements in overall metabolism. This has widespread benefits across all aspects of our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. From the performance perspective, nervous system balance provides the ideal foundation through which to leverage our biology to pursue our greatest potential over an extended period of time.
It is important to acknowledge that there are many elements which influence the output of interest. Nervous system balance is impacted and determined by many factors, including psychological factors, body-based elements, and cellular considerations. In particular, it is important to further understand the cellular considerations. These include mitochondrial function, metabolic function, and hormonal factors. These all work in a synergistic and complementary way to impact our body systems. These elements provide inputs we can leverage through development of tools and skills which are implemented as strategies and tactics to improve our overall nervous system balance.
As has been discussed in past articles, it is important to measure specific metrics to provide a deeper understanding of the output of interest. As nervous system balance is determined by autonomic nervous system function, heart rate variability (HRV) provides an important measure. This has been described in further detail in past articles. To summarize, HRV provides a continuous and dynamic measure of our overall nervous system status, thereby providing the best currently available measure of nervous system balance. We can use this information to not only understand the current state of our nervous system but also to adjust activities based on our degree of recovery and adjust our daily strategies in order to enhance our overall level of restoration and recovery.
Nervous system balance influences our ability to achieve the important outcomes of health, quality of life, and optimizing performance by improving mitochondrial function and metabolism, reducing chronic stress and inflammation, and providing the ultimate and optimal foundation to influence our biology towards performance states and recovery. It is for this reason that nervous system balance is considered within this framework to be the preferred output of interest. We have the most direct control over increasing and enhancing our nervous system balance and in doing so best position ourselves to achieve the important outcomes noted above.
It is also necessary to understand the various inputs which inform the complementary healthcare perspective. These consist of various elements and factors which can be utilized to improve nervous system balance. As part of the framework, we develop a complementary toolbox of robust skills and tools to leverage these elements in the pursuit of improved nervous system balance. The complementary approach allows us to prioritize those specific tools and skills which are currently effective. In addition, useful and beneficial tools can be implemented to compensate for others which are not currently available or effective.
It is important to note that in addition to the psychological skills and body-based practices, including cellular considerations, that are utilized we also consider the implementation of medications, supplements, interventional treatments, and technology as complementary adjuvants. It is important to utilize these adjuvants in a case specific fashion for particular purposes. It is also crucial that we emphasize development of skills and tools because these are always available to us and can be titrated or modulated in real time to achieve the desired effect.
This overall framework creates a synergistic and biologically consistent approach to optimize our ability to pursue the output of interest. In order to fully and optimally pursue the output of interest, specifically nervous system balance, it is important that we consider this from a complementary perspective so that we can utilize and leverage all of the pertinent inputs. Our ability to achieve nervous system balance will inevitably be limited if we only consider one or a few of the available inputs.
In addition, it is important to consider the many scenarios in which the complementary healthcare perspective is ideal and preferred over the Western paradigm. This applies not only to the pursuit of health, quality of life, and performance, but also to recovery following illness, injury, or surgical treatments. In particular with respect to these scenarios, it is important to note that the complementary healthcare perspective is not designed or intended to be a replacement or alternative to these modalities, but rather to serve as an important complement in particular during recovery from these treatments. This important issue has been further detailed in a recent article.
When considering the output of nervous system balance, it is important to recognize that this provides the best opportunity to achieve a reduction in both chronic inflammation and chronic stress, enhance mitochondrial function, and to be the overall best version of ourselves through the emergent properties from a balanced nervous system. It is these specific factors that allows the output of nervous system balance to optimally position us to pursue the overall goals of health, quality of life, and performance.
The understanding of the output of interest of nervous system balance allows us to better orientate the various inputs in a fashion that provides us the best opportunity for achieving this output. In addition, this understanding provides better indicators of whether or not we are moving towards the output of interest as it can be measured through HRV. This information can then be utilized as a more direct indication of when various solutions or adjustments may be needed in order to improve our ability to pursue nervous system balance.
Ultimately, the above understanding informs how the complementary healthcare perspective is preferred when we are considering our ability to pursue health, quality of life, and performance. By emphasizing the more directly controllable output of nervous system balance, we are better able to pursue the necessary objectives in order to best position ourselves to pursue our ultimate goals of health, quality of life, and performance.
To further illustrate the application of the complementary healthcare perspective in clinical practice and for everyday use, upcoming articles will include vignettes and various case studies.
To learn more, including about biologically complementary coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, please visit www.darindavidson.com.
For more information about integrating the framework of complementary healthcare into clinical practice to manage metabolic syndrome, reduce chronic inflammation and chronic stress, and improve health, visit www.buoyhealthcare.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.