Understanding Preventative Healthcare

Wellness doesn’t need to be reactive.

By
Wanderlust Hollywood is a 10,000 square-foot, three-level yoga and cultural events center to practice, listen, taste, learn and gather. Come listen to the experts—like Dr. Robin Berzin and Dr. Jeffrey Egler—engage with community, and absorb helpful tips and tricks to live a more mindful life. For more information, click here. 
The state of healthcare in the United States leaves many people feeling helpless, uncertain where to go for affordable and accessible care. Because of high co-pay costs and debt-inducing hospital visits, many people avoid going to the doctor until it is absolutely necessary. At the same time we are seeing an evolution in our definition of healthy, combining that of the mental, physical and emotional bodies, and how each affects the others. If living healthfully means more than curative prescriptions and emergency rooms, how can one be sure that she is taking care of herself? Even if one has the resources to consult with multiple health practitioners of both Eastern and Western modalities (you see your acupuncturist on Monday and your cardiologist on Tuesday) how can we be sure that the information received from one source compliments and aids that from the other? In a perfect world all of our healthcare providers would communicate with each other and develop a unique prescription that acknowledges our individual needs and helps us to thrive. Meet Robin Berzin, MD, founder of Parsley Health, a healthcare system that aims to change the way we think about healthcare and medicine. Dr. Berzin and her team have created a membership-based healthcare system that makes functional medicine more affordable. For $149 per month, notably cheaper than most gym and studio memberships, members receive five annual doctor appointments and unlimited health coach sessions with a full-time coach. In addition, Parsley also provides member wellness events such as yoga and meditation classes.

Incorporating Wellness Into Lifestyle

Dr. Jeffrey Egler, one of Parsley Health’s esteemed physicians, notes that in addition to the affordability and accessibility, Parsley is separated from traditional healthcare offerings by the mission to embed wellness into the lifestyles of their patients. “We are highly trained doctors with all the tools of traditional medicine," says Dr. Egler. "The difference is that we emphasize and prioritize teaching people how to use food, exercise, adequate sleep and stress reduction to resolve their problems. These are things traditional doctors have started ignoring.” More than keeping people healthy according to their charts and health records, the team at Parsley Health is invested in their relationships with their members. The Parsley Health team looks into every aspect of an individual’s life in order to not only eliminate whatever ailments are plaguing the body, but also prevent disease from showing up. Combining traditional and holistic medicine, the Parsley Health team pay close attention to the common disease culprits such as lack of sleep, poor diet, and stress. Yoga, meditation, and mandated sleep are some of the frequent prescriptions they offer. As Dr. Egler asserts, the unique union of personal health coaching with advanced technology—such as extensive biomarker testing, access to health records, constant communication via email portals—creates an ongoing dialogue between professional and patient. There is continual and adaptive support for individuals on their journey to optimal health.

The Difference in Traditional Medicine

Dr. Benzin and Dr. Egler—like many everyday yogis—recognize that there are a growing number of challenges standing in the way between us and our ability to thrive. The answer does not lie in pharmaceuticals, as many of us are conditioned to believe. As Dr. Egler aptly puts it, “Traditional conventional medicine is just shuffling chairs around on the deck of the Titanic. True health and healing comes from not only addressing the lifestyle choices that individuals make, but more importantly empowering them with the skills, tools and support to make changes despite the many challenges that face us all, especially our own resistance to change.” At their recent event at Wanderlust Hollywood, focused on balancing hormones through adequate self-care routines, Dr. Berzin took an in-depth look at the endocrine system, adrenal function, and the body's natural chemical production. One of the big takeaways was that living healthfully and in balance does not have to be that hard. In fact, most of us need to do less. "One of the best things you can do to keep your hormones balanced is to sleep more," says Dr. Egler. "You need three nights of good sleep to offset every one night of poor sleep.” Good news for all of snooze buttons everywhere. Affordable, preventable healthcare? We can all toast a green juice to that.