What I Mean When I Say “Whole-Person Care”

A real explanation of how I use the 5 Pillars of Health to get to the root of what’s going on

When I talk to patients about health, I almost always come back to what I call the 5 Pillars of Health:
Nutrition, Movement, Sleep, Relationships, and Spirituality.

Not because it sounds good. But because when people feel off—and nothing obvious shows up on labs—this is where I usually find the answers.

I didn’t come up with this model from a textbook. I built it out of frustration—after seeing patient after patient dismissed, misdiagnosed, or handed a band-aid because they didn’t fit into a neat diagnostic box.

So here’s what I actually mean when I talk about “whole-person care”—and how these five areas show up in real conversations with real people.

1. Nutrition

I’m not a dietician, and I don’t hand out meal plans. But I do ask:

• Are you skipping meals or under-eating during the day?

• Are you getting enough protein to support your metabolism and hormones?

• Do you eat in a way that feels nourishing—or chaotic and stressful?

I ask every single one of my patients to provide a 5-day food log. Nothing fancy. Just 5 days of journaling what they’re eating. I find that this is often where the first dysfunction is identified. Most of us are surprised when we take stock of what we actually eat. Things really do add up quickly!

And here’s the thing. Most people don’t need another restrictive diet. They need someone to help them stabilize their blood sugar, reduce inflammatory load, and actually fuel their body instead of punishing it.

2. Movement

I like to explain to patients that movement falls in to two distinct categories: day-to-day activity and exercise. They each mean to compliment each other. And I’m not here to tell you to just “go move more.” I want to know:

• What kind of movement do you enjoy?

• Are you using exercise to support your body—or to punish it?

• Are you overtraining without realizing it?

I often work with women who feel exhausted and inflamed, but keep doing high-intensity workouts five days a week because they’re trying to “stay in shape.” And I gently tell them—sometimes that’s not helping. Sometimes your body is asking for a different kind of strength.

And I also work with patients who have so many responsibilities that getting active seems like just another task that they don’t have the bandwidth for. So, we discuss what I call “movement snacks” to help gradually make movement a more regular part of their day.

3. Sleep

Sleep is one of the first places I look when someone’s stuck in fatigue, anxiety, or possible hormonal dysregulation.
But instead of asking “Do you sleep 8 hours?” I ask:

• Do you wake up feeling rested?

• Do you fall asleep easily or lie there wired?

• Are you waking up at the same time every night?

We look at sleep like a vital sign, not an afterthought. And if it’s off, it’s often a clue that something deeper—stress, information overload, nervous system dysregulation—is in play.

4. Relationships

This one surprises people. But it might be the most important pillar of all.

When someone comes in feeling anxious, exhausted, or emotionally flat, I ask:

• Who do you feel safe around?

• Are you in a season where you’re constantly giving but rarely receiving?

• Are you carrying emotional weight you’ve never had space to process?

Your nervous system doesn’t separate emotional stressors from physical stressors. Whether the threat is a bear or a boundaryless relationship, your body reacts the same way.

And healing doesn’t happen when you’re bracing every day. So, I coach my patients through various mental frameworks and communication patterns that help them enhance relationships and improve conflicts.

5. Spirituality

This isn’t about religion. It’s about anchoring.

I ask questions like:

• Do you feel like your life has meaning?

• Do you have a place to reflect, pray, or just be still?

• Do you know who you are when everything else is stripped away?

A lot of symptoms come down to disconnection. From their bodies. From their identity. From any sense of groundedness. And in my experience, helping people reconnect with that deeper part of themselves is one of the most powerful tools we have.

Why these five?

Because when someone says, “I just don’t feel like myself anymore,”
I don’t look for the one thing that’s “wrong.” I look for what’s missing.

And more often than not, it’s one of these five.

This is what I mean when I say whole-person care. Not a slogan. Not a brand.
Just an honest attempt to treat human beings like they’re human.

If this sounds like the kind of care you’ve been looking for—care that sees the whole picture—I’d love to work with you.
At TrueCare DPC, we slow down, listen closely, and walk through each pillar together to figure out what’s actually going on—so you can stop guessing and start moving forward.

Text me today at (910) 758-1769 to learn how our membership works or click here to enroll!