The Western medical system has long used the Body Mass Index (BMI) tool to measure an individual’s health. BMI measures a person’s weight divided by their height, and uses the resulting number to indicate the body fatness and health of an individual. Essentially, BMI assesses a person’s health based only on their size. However, scientists and medical professionals over time have pointed out that BMI fails to consider other aspects of health such as age, sex, fat mass, muscle mass, race, genetics, and medical history. Using BMI as a sole predictor of health has been shown to increase weight bias and health inequities. So, what does Holistic Integration use as a measurement tool instead?
At Holistic Integration, we utilize a measurement tool called Body Composition Analysis which measures the Phase Angle of a patient’s body. Phase Angle is a measurement of how well the cells in your body communicate with one another. Your Phase Angle values can clue you in with what’s going on in your body. It can help identify health risks and address existing health issues and help track progress of lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) over time. For most people, it has helped them make data-driven health and wellness decisions. At Holistic Integration, we use it to personalize a patient’s health care plan. Think of Phase Angle like giving your body’s overall health a number grade.
The cells in your body are constantly working to filter good and bad substances in and out of themselves through their cellular membranes. When your cells are healthy, they effectively filter out these bad substances, resulting in an overall improvement of health. But when the cells are unhealthy, toxins and other harmful substances can infiltrate the body more easily, resulting in a decrease in your overall health. The numbers of the phase angle scale indicate the health of your cells — a higher Phase Angle grade shows increased health, whereas a lower phase angle grade can indicate a deterioration of health.
Keep in mind that Phase Angle is not a diagnostic tool, meaning it won’t tell us what disease process or issue is present. Phase Angle is a measurement tool that serves as a marker of your level of health, helping to inform your care team regarding what issues and additional diagnostics should be pursued in order to proceed with a diagnosis and customized care plan.
Our goal here at Holistic Integration is to help our patients reach and maintain an ideal phase angle grade–we want to see all of our patients reach a Phase Angle grade of at least 7.5. When a patient has a Phase Angle score of 4.5 or below paired with abnormal diagnostics results, we immediately begin a completely personalized plan of care, including a re-measurement of Phase Angle once per month, helping providers to consistently track improvement. Over time, with treatment, patients will feel better and more balanced, meaning their body is reaching homeostasis. Consequently, they will see a steady increase in their Phase Angle. An increased Phase Angle grade directly correlates with feeling more energetic, balanced, and healthy.
We offer a wide array of structural and functional services (want to learn more about Structure Function medicine? click here) to help you reach that ideal grade, including comprehensive diagnostics, EDS (Electro Dermal Screening), Natural Supplementation and Homeopathics, Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care, Occupational Therapy, Food Sensitivity Testing, Nutritional Counseling and Weight Management Programs, and so much more.
Interested in scheduling your first appointment? Call us at 317-848-8048 today and you’ll learn your Phase Angle grade at your first visit.