Why do I offer packages of sessions instead of individual appointments, like everyone else?
When you have been sick for a while, or in our complex age, it is unlikely that health can be restored in just a couple of sessions.
With autoimmunity, chronic infections, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or unexplained illness there are often multiple organ systems and biological mechanisms that need to be address and supported (eg digestion, detoxification). On top of that, dietary changes need to be made and they are usually more specific, individual and therapeutic than just ‘eat more veggies and less sugar’ unfortunately. These nutritional recommendations are also likely to be adjusted and refined or changed completely as we work through your program and your physical needs change.
It can take a while just to understand what is really going on below the surface.
Chronic illness can be complex. The waters can be muddy. Our goal is always to identify and support the root of the problem, not just the symptoms, but sometimes we don’t know what that root is until we’ve cleared away some of the symptoms and worked out way methodically through some of the issues you have.
It takes time for your body to change.
It has been estimated that you need a month to recover for each year you have been ill. However, if you have an autoimmune disease where the tissue has been damaged or a chronic infection, like Lyme disease, it’s my experience that it takes much longer than that. Did you know that the life cycle of a red blood cell is 120 days? So it’s four months before an old cell is replaced with a new cell in that specific case. Drugs can work very quickly, and sometimes nutritional supplements can too, but to create lasting, significant change in the body is something akin to turning a huge ship around. It takes time.
Accountability.
I have discovered that having a series of scheduled appointments makes it so much easier for you to stick to and be successful with your program. Even if you are a champion procrastinator, knowing you have a deadline helps you to get started sooner, rather than later. It’s also been tremendously helpful to know that if there’s a problem or you hit a bump in the road, your next appointment is right there for us to trouble shoot. You don’t have to try and get squeezed into my diary or wait ages for a booking. This was genuinely a problem before I offered packages and it was frustrating for everyone.
Focused attention on your case.
I allocate time with each session to work on your program behind the scenes, research the medical literature, ringing the labs and supplement companies, collaborating with other professionals for the best advice if necessary. Instead of booking appointments back to back, I allow time before and after each session to prepare and research. This allows me to be very focused and centred on your case, instead of watching the clock to make sure I’m not late for my next session or still thinking about a problem from the one before yours.
We have a much better relationship.
Do you remember the scene from the 90s movie Jerry Macquire where Tom Cruise writes a mission statement that gets him fired? His idea was Less Clients, More Attention to those clients.
Well that’s me. I take a limited number of patients per year and then I focus more attention on them, spending time to make sure I am totally in your corner, partnering with you and you feel like we’re in this together, instead of just patient number 10 for the day.
When you purchase a package, you are committing yourself and your time to me, and it goes both ways, I am also committing my time and my attention to you. I wanted to be able to do whatever it took to get people well, and I discovered that this takes quite a lot of time for each person. So I changed the way I practice to accommodate this.
Better outcomes.
This is the most important part. Because of all the reasons above, we get better results. You’re happier, I am happier.
Post Script.
If you have a package and are working with one of my staff but I am overseeing, all of the above applies, except you have a team working on your case. Two sets of eyes and two brains collaborating on your case so you get all the attention and research and support you need to get well.