Your treatment plan is not supposed to be another full-time job.
If your treatment plan requires an Excel spreadsheet and a cipher to decode what you are supposed to do, it is too complex.
Especially in cases of chronic illness and chronic infection (think Lyme disease), complexity of your treatment plan will over-rule compliance. The goal of a treatment plan is for you to follow it, not to make you feel guilty for not completing half of it.
A good rule of thumb: if you are managing to sustain less than half of your treatment plan, it is too complicated for your current life.
And that is okay!
Whether it be your current lifestyle needs (ie. work, kids, home life) or that your symptoms are simply too severe to maintain a complex treatment plan, the plan needs to be adjusted.
Some of the most important conversations I have with patients come after they feel comfortable telling me, “hey, I don’t have time to do all of this.” Sometimes, all someone can focus on consistently is drinking enough water… at first. And once they have that built into their routine, only then do they have the capacity to add on further treatments. Now, I know that may sound silly, but building a strong foundation of health should not feel virtually impossible.
I know that if someone came into my current life and said I should change 10 major things - whether they are about food, lifestyle, self-care, supplements, exercise or something else — I would politely say … there is absolutely no way. If a treatment plan ignores the realities of work, children, meals, errands, appointments, relationships and mental load — compliance will be impacted. And lower compliance will impact the success of a treatment plan.
Let’s go back to the water analogy. Most of us know we should be drinking water. But many of us can admit we don’t drink enough. If drinking more water is bullet point #1 of your treatment plan, and that is all you have capacity for, focus on that. There is a possibility your treatment journey will take longer, but if that means you can sustain the changes, that is more impactful in the long term.
A medically ‘perfect’ plan may not do the trick if it is too complicated. I have patients who have come to me with multiple alarms and timers on their phone to manage all their supplements and medications. They are frustrated because they are ‘doing everything right’ but their stress levels are through the roof and their healing journey has plateaued. Their current chapter in life was not supportive of such a complex plan. For some of these patients, the right course of action has been to draw up two lists: must haves and nice to haves.
Functional medicine has been known to overcomplicate things, but it should never feel like you have to decipher the code behind your treatment plan or carry the extra mental load of that treatment plan.
First step — be honest with your practitioner. You have the right to share your limitations and feel supported in a treatment plan you can get behind.
You are spending good money for experience, knowledge and expertise. Don’t waste it feeling guilty.
Dr Hall, ND
If this perspective resonated with you...
These reflections are inspired by conversations I have every day with patients navigating chronic illness, fertility, hormonal health, and the realities of everyday life.
If you're looking for personalized, evidence-informed naturopathic care, I'd love to help.