At Healthiem, we do live up to the claims of being patient-centred and holistic. We would actually say we are person-centred (a patient-centred approach focuses on a diseased individual whereas a person-centred approach focuses on the entirety of the individual). When you chose our services, you can be confident you will have greater knowledge about yourself, your health and your well-being, understand how to function better, be in less pain, have continuity/consistency in your care and able to be a better version of yourself.

 

There is evidence that virtual appointments can and do work just as well, if not better in some cases, as traditional face-to-face appointments. This is based on clinicians using Telehealth as an addition to their practice (for example during the Covid pandemic, as they had no other choice). When it is used as a stand alone therapy together with a clinician who uses different knowledge bases/ways of treating, interacting, seeing the body etc, the results can be quite remarkable. This is mainly due to the fact that people get better through many different avenues other than through the use of our hands! (known as contextual factors see here for more on that). Relevant research (click here and here if you want to read more) also tells us that hands-on therapy on its own stands very little chance of getting anyone better when using a pertinent definition of ‘better’ (not just less pain for a week). 

 

90% of the information required to diagnose your condition is gained through the case history and the follow up examination is largely used to confirm our initial hypothesis. The process of taking the case history is no different online and the good part is that we can in fact do many of these examination tests with you whilst you are in your living room! Look up the slump test as a very good example of this. 

 

One thing that we have found when doing the traditional osteopathy consultations is that many patients already have set expectations regarding treatment, which often prevents them from listening and taking on board all the things that really will make a difference to them, such as how to move without pain, or nutritional advice that will help them reduce inflammation in the body. Reliance on passive treatment approaches is not the way forward, again, echoed in the research. Aside from this, the degree of accuracy of a clinician's hands as a primary diagnostic tool is known to be poor (read more here, here and here). 

 

Much of what we now understand about human health has significantly evolved over the last 5 years. To be able to help others, clinicians need to also be highly adaptable and open to new ideas and ways of practising. Practice does not make perfect, as many believe - rather, practice makes permanent, unless clinicians are always open to developing their competence. 

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An online approach is suitable for you if:

• You want to learn and understand why your health issues are happening

• You want to actively engage in your own healthcare journey

• You want to empower/better yourself 

• You are not satisfied with the healthcare you currently have 

• You have questions and/or want more clarity about complex and often confusing healthcare issues

• You like the idea of getting better in the comfort of your own home, or need direct help at work 

• You are another therapist who needs advice on differentials/complex cases etc 

• You want a long term solution to your issues 

 

This approach is  not suitable for you if:

• You want a quick fix or just want your pain gone now

• You like/prefer passive treatment styles (being clicked for example)

• You would prefer to have hands on treatment 

• You prefer to be told what to do 

• You don’t like engaging with issues you think an expert should be responsible for  

• You are not open to accepting new ideas

 

 

Please contact us for a free 10-minute chat if not sure whether we can be helpful to you but are curious to find out.