You Are Not Your Diagnosis: Building a Bridge With Empathy

Maxin Wellness has roots in personal experience when it comes to struggling with a health diagnosis. Founder and Nurse Practitioner Elsie Maxin bridges the gap between traditional and functional medicine through empathy and understanding. Read more to learn how something as basic as nutrition is fundamental when forming your improved lifestyle with us.

How many times have you analyzed the details of your diet with your doctor? My assumption is not many. What prompts this thought is a conversation I had with one of my clients who has Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease - aka IBD. We were discussing the impact of what we eat on our gut health and the result of the conversation was eye opening.

It struck me when she mentioned that she had never been asked by any of her providers about her diet or nutrition. I take that back - she had one provider ask her, "how is your diet?" and she replied "good." Conversation adjourned.

What exactly defines good? High fiber? Low fiber? Processed "healthy" foods? Keto?

A lot of us aimlessly juggle a diagnosis, the opinions of doctors, meal prep, the list goes on... all while keeping keeping life afloat! It is a lot of work, and it can feel disappointing to continue to feel "off" despite your efforts.

I express empathy toward my clients as I speak from personal experience. I am not suggesting that typical providers are bad or lacking in education or knowledge. Throughout my journey of becoming a Nurse Practitioner, I was not taught nutrition beyond the surface level recommendations. Throughout nine years of education in this field I was taught one course - "Introduction to Nutrition." Not to mention, I had a total of 15 minutes with each patient in the clinic setting. How can we expect to cover a sum of each patient’s needs within that time frame?

I believe that what is on the end of our fork can either create disease or promote healing. Read that again.

Do we really know what is in the foods that society says are "organic?" Are we eating a gut-disrupting diet full of processed foods with inflammatory ingredients? Are we treating ourselves like science experiments by consuming food additives that the government considers GRAS (generally recognized as safe)? The goal isn’t to create an environment of fear or panic here. It is quite the opposite. It is to provide you hope and bring awareness to what we are putting into our bodies and how it can change the course of our lives.

This is one of the many reasons why I created Maxin Wellness. I want to be able to truly serve people. I believe in the power of connection and building a bridge with empathy between myself and clients. This is difficult to accomplish with limited contact, so I have created a space that allows for the necessary time with clients to set them up for success.

If you're interested in starting the conversation with me to achieve your best health - and therefore lifestyle - reach out today. Let's get started.

Elsie Maxin | Founder

Maxin Wellness