Episode 97: Unplugged: The Magic Order Of Things

Who’s driving the roadmap of change in a patient’s sequencing of healthcare and what is the right order? Dr. Lara Salyer tackles this question, focusing on what she sees as the crucial need to align healthcare strategies with each patient’s unique readiness for change, instinctive understanding of their health priorities, and personal energy and motivations. She emphasizes that a plan that considers these factors is magic – evidenced by treatment effectiveness and overall patient progress toward wellness.

Dr. Salyer uses the example of Susie, a patient with multiple health decisions. She demonstrates how various healthcare professionals might prioritize different aspects of Susie’s care, such as smoking cessation or dietary changes, based on her own readiness and willingness to engage with these challenges.

Dr. Salyer advocates for practitioners to actively listen to and understand their patients’ perspectives, adapting care strategies to match what the patient finds most pressing or achievable. Furthermore, Dr. Salyer discusses the integral role of intuition in both patients and healthcare providers. She underlines the value of building a partnership where the patient’s voice plays a significant role in shaping their treatment plan.

Dr. Salyer concludes by encouraging healthcare professionals to reevaluate their approach to patient care. She promotes a shift toward collaborative, intuitive, and patient-aligned methods, striving for outcomes that are both successful and deeply fulfilling for patients.

About The Catalyst Host, Dr. Lara Salyer:

I worked as a family physician for 15 years until burnout changed the trajectory of my career. I realized I wanted to start a holistic functional medicine practice in my rural hometown and made it happen. In addition to practicing functional medicine, I now mentor practitioners who are looking to change their paths in healthcare by using what I refer to as the “Catalyst Roadmap”. I share each step of this framework with listeners so that they may apply it to their careers, relationships, personal goals, and projects.

In This Episode I'm Talking About:

Why there’s a crucial need to align healthcare strategies with each patient’s unique readiness for change
The value of building a partnership where the patient’s voice plays a significant role in shaping their treatment plan
Shifting toward collaborative, intuitive, and patient-aligned methods, striving for outcomes that are both successful and deeply fulfilling for patients

Quotes:

“I often ask the patient, what do you think is in the way of your health? And sometimes they identify things I never even would have thought of. And I take that into account of what might be that next step that helps them get success.” (8:03 | Dr. Lara Salyer)

“Ask your patient, what do you think is needed next in your health journey? And be willing to stay open-minded and curious because that might be what they need to relax into change and get that energy and enthusiasm up to a level where they can tackle some of the harder decisions like weaning prescriptions, stopping habits that are no longer serving them, or investing time and energy to learn about new ways of thinking or being in this world.” (9:31 | Dr. Lara Salyer)

“When you sequence the right order according to a patient’s readiness, it can feel like progress at the speed of light. They can wake up in 90 days and see a tremendous change, even though there are still things left unaddressed on their list.” (12:15 | Dr. Lara Salyer)