Primal Health Coach Program

What do you think of this? It was up on the MDA blog today. I have qualms about it. No, I admit I don't know anything about the course other than what MS has openly posted about it on various blogs. And I don't mean to offend anyone who has taken the certification but.....

I sort of have a problem with someone giving out health information that has simply taken an online course through MS or his gurus, who are also not all certified health practitioners. Heck, even those health professionals who have spent countless years in post-graduate studies and have designations like M.D., DR, DC, DO, DDS, etc etc, have rules about only giving advice within their scope of practice.

I am hoping someone here knows more than I do about this Health Coach Certification and can ease my mind by expanding my knowledge about it.

It's one thing for a layperson to come on a forum and dole out advice under the "this is what works for me" or, "this is what expert X says", guise but quite another to present oneself as an expert and then dole out advice accordingly.

https://www.primalhealthcoach.com/

"Health Coaches to the Rescue

The average patient-doctor interaction lasts seven minutes; just enough time to say a quick hello, get a run-down of symptoms, make a diagnosis, and prescribe a quick-fix drug to mask the condition. Meanwhile, 70% of all health care costs can be attributed to preventable diseases. In response, insurance companies are requiring corporations to provide more preventive health care measures. To offset costs, corporations are looking to support employees’ wellness endeavors, opening up job opportunities to health coaches in clinics, hospitals and corporate settings."

I think the emphasis is on 'Primal Health'. AFAIK they are giving out information on how to approach the PB lifestyle. And on specific issues one can run into.

Which may be indeed the main reason to move away from the forums and to FB as John Caton suggested, to get more personal info.

There are many more of those certification programs. Whole30 has one now.
Precision Nutrition too (however they do acknowledge it's only for health/weight loss and not intended for medical issues as that is not allowed).


I'm torn on this too...

I'm torn on this too...

I mean, wouldn't you be if you were me? "The Primal Health Coach program kills several birds with one stone."

You no doubt saw this, but the timing on Sisson putting it up was great for this question:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-future-of-healthcare-is-health-coaching/

I've seen a couple of MDA posts from people who have taken the course, they uniformly say it is very intense and complete. Interestingly, it appears that a good number are already in the medical field.  I don't know how much credibility I'd hang on someone who has it. I'd like to see some input from people who have used certified practitioners.

Lovebird wrote:

I'm torn on this too...

I mean, wouldn't you be if you were me? "The Primal Health Coach program kills several birds with one stone."

I also dislike that saying, along with, "more than one way to skin a cat".

I think that most clients would be drawn from the pool of people who would love to have Mark Sisson advise them. With only one Mark around, the certification says that this health coach will tell you what Mark would have told you. I am sure that part of the training is a large section about when to hand off to other professionals.

I am personally considering the Functional Medicine Health Coach or the ADAPT Academy Health Coach. I am personally not much turned on to Marc Sisson's program simply because he doesn't appeal to me as a person - too much sleezy salesman there. I really like Chris Kresser though.

The way I see it, the health coach is not there to make a diagnosis, that is what you have the Functional Medicine Doctor for. But the health coach is there to coach the patient/client in the progress of making lifestyle changes: How to stay on the waggon, how to get back on when you fall off etc. According to Chris Kresser this is very much needed, because the licensed practitioners are too few and too expensive to see every week. Most people need someone to hold their hand. The coach can also make observations of the patient/client and maybe suggest additional testing to the health care practitioner.

I would honestly rather become a Functional Medicine practitioner, but to do that I would have to go back to university and get another degree... being a stay at home mom, that is a little difficult - the one most obvious for me is a masters in human nutrition, since the degree I have would give give me instant access and I could finish in 2 years. But that requires me to me at the university several days pr. week. If I can get a degree as a registered dietician online, that might be an option too - but that is a 3 year full time study - and then that would only be the beginning bc. I would then qualify for Practitioner training at the Institute of Functional Medicine... I am hoping that if I take the ADAPT coach training it will qualify my for the ADAP practitioner training. Chris Kresser is much more paleo/primal oriented than most Functional Medicine practitioners I know.

As I stated in my introduction, I have taken the Primal Health Coach certification course.

A little background: I decided to take the course because I hoped to be able to pass on the program to others. My plan was to offer introductory classes at the local YMCA on how to successfully integrate the Primal Blueprint.

My target audience was going to be people who have life long food issues, who struggle with binge eating disorder or compulsive overeating. As a member of a 12 step program, I am very familiar with the idea of working through a program and then passing it on to others in the form of sponsorship. I believe that the same can be done with Primal as a healthy lifestyle.

The Certification Program: The course itself is quite rigorous, covering all topics in the Primal Blueprint in depth. It has 16 modules. Some of the topics include physiology, nutrition, exercise, and coaching. I learned a lot and it solidified my own reasons for being Primal. The course is very clear that we are giving lifestyle coaching not medical advice and that clients should be encouraged to seek appropriate help for medical issues that arise. We are to coach only to the level of our certification. For example, I am a Spanish and Social Studies teacher. I have not studied personal training. If someone wanted further advice on exercise beyond the Primal Essential Movements, I would send them to someone else.

After completion, you receive several Primal Coach items including a t-shirt, mug, key chain, bumper sticker plus 3 sets of books for clients and teaching materials. Furthermore, you have access to digital copies of all the books, discounted prices on future purchases and access to a business resource center. Plus there is an ongoing education component and connection with other Primal Health Coaches. Even though I do not intend to start a business, the same materials will work for my purposes. I am very satisfied with the program as a whole.

I would be glad to answer any further questions about the program.

P

Sounds great pebbles! I actually think John Canton may have taken the course as well...if I remember some discussions from over a year ago correctly.

It could certainly fill a niche. There are lots of individuals who prefer a structured program and a coach that holds them accountable.

Many on this site are DYS types who have spent years navigating the minutia of this lifestyle. But that’s not what I see in the public at large.

Caveat: I did not read every word of every posting previous to mine. Having said that.....

I have great dubious cynicism that some folks get to tell others what do because they took a class. Whether online or in a respected institution. I want to scream when I see all these "life coach" offerings from mere mortals.

I saw something the other day about a relationship counselor............I'll bet dollars to the proverbial donuts that that person has shit personal relationships. I'm 71, have spent some forty plus years, um, "dating," I'm introspective, creative, but at the most, I might, in some situations, offer advice only. Not coaching. As if authority from Mt. Olympus.

Neck2 wrote:Sounds great pebbles!   I actually think John Canton may have taken the course as well...if I remember some discussions from over a year ago correctly.

It could certainly fill a niche.  There are lots of individuals who prefer a structured program and a coach that holds them accountable.  

Many on this site are DYS types who have spent years navigating the minutia of this lifestyle.  But that’s not what I see in the public at large.

I took the course and was certified. It was, as stated, a rigorous course and quite beneficial. Despite that, I do not feel qualified nor inclined to accept money in exchange for advice. I'm happy to offer it freely to friends and relatives, but my motivation to take the course was to enhance my own understanding and research skills ... to improve my quality of life.

With all that said, for anyone wishing to pursue a career as a Health Coach, I absolutely recommend Mark's course. Business support and advice is outstanding. It is NOT a "grab the money and run" type of program. I don't know how it compares to other courses. I haven't pursued any others.