🌎✨ What if the healthcare option you've been searching for exists somewhere else in the world? Inspired by my recent trip to Split, Croatia, Episode 191 explores medical tourism — why people travel internationally for more affordable care, shorter wait times, specialized treatments, and healing options that may not be available at home. We explore the possibilities alongside the importance of researching providers, understanding the evidence, considering the risks, and planning for follow-up care. ✈️🩺 💫 Most importantly, this episode is about self-advocacy and self-responsibility. There is more than one way to heal, and healing is never one-size-fits-all. Ask questions, seek second opinions, explore your options, listen to your body, and find practitioners who respect your voice and your personal goals. 🌿 Your healing journey belongs to you — and sometimes finding the resources you need means looking beyond the borders of what you've always known. 🌎✨ Notes supporting this episode: CDC website on medical tourism My Non-Profit – Girls Matter - https://girlsmatter.ca Our Book (episode 249) - Empowered: The Journey From Victim Island To Solution City: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1989849776?psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp” Introduction video about Girls Matter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R3-xqzJLZW14om1PhFClcU_oRSZ8zgip/view Personal Growth and CertifiacatonTrainings: Impact Maker Alliance: https://ima-hub.base44.app/explore?ref=melissa DHARMA PATH™ 4 – in – 1 designation trainings: https://amplifyimpactacademy.com/quantum-life-mastery-school Meet Your Unconscious Mind Workshop: https://amplifyimpactacademy.com/um FREE 7 Day Trial: NuCalm Products to recalibrate your nervous system / improve your sleep:: https://nucalm.com Use my promo code at checkout: YGHJ to get 15% off your monthly subscription, every month. Episode Summary: Key TakeawaysMedical tourism is a growing option for Americans seeking care abroad for lower costs, shorter waits, or access to unapproved treatments.Thorough due diligence is essential to mitigate risks like variable standards, lack of follow-up care, and hidden costs (e.g., travel, complications).Self-advocacy is key: Ask critical questions of all practitioners (conventional and alternative) to understand options, risks, and evidence, ensuring decisions align with personal goals.A holistic view of healing is critical, addressing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies to create an environment where the body can heal. The Rise of Medical TourismInspired by a trip to Split, Croatia, where people travel for high-quality, affordable care (e.g., dental work).CDC data: Millions of Americans travel annually for procedures like dental work, cosmetic surgery, and cancer treatments.Primary motivations:Lower costsShorter waiting listsAccess to specialists or unapproved treatmentsSeeking alternative healthcare philosophies The Holistic Healing FrameworkHealing requires addressing root causes, not just symptoms.Four bodies for healing:Physical: Nutrition, movement, sleep, toxicity.Emotional: Trauma release, stress management (shifting from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest).Mental: Beliefs about healing; a negative mindset can block progress.Spiritual: Purpose and connection. The Imperative of Self-AdvocacySelf-advocacy means participating in your care, not abandoning conventional medicine.Key questions to ask any practitioner:What are my other options?What happens if I do/don't do this?Are there clinical trials or complementary approaches?What does the research actually say?Find practitioners who welcome your voice; you are the expert on your own body. Due Diligence for Medical TourismResearch the provider:Credentials, accreditation, number of procedures performed.Outcomes, complication rates, and published research (not just testimonials).Understand post-procedure logistics:Who handles follow-up care?What is the plan for complications (e.g., infection) at home?Will your home doctor have access to records?Will your insurance cover complications from an international procedure?Be aware of variable standards: Licensing, infection control, and device regulations differ globally.Factor in total cost: Include travel, lodging, medication, lost income, and potential complication care. About the Host: Melissa is an Integrative Health Practitioner and a Board Designated Master Trainer of Hypnotherapy, Trainer of NLP, Time Line Therapy®, and NLP Results Coaching, helping people get to the root cause of their health issues and then get lasting results. Melissa neither diagnoses nor cures but helps bring your body back into balance by helping discover your “toxic load” and then removing the toxins. Melissa offers functional medicine lab testing that helps you “see inside” to know exactly what is going on, and then provides a personalized wellness protocol using natural herbs and supplements. Melissa’s business is 100% virtual – the lab tests are mailed directly to your home and she specializes in holding your hand and guiding the way to healing so that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Melissa has launched Amplify Impact Academy, with business partner, Billie Aadmi and together they train other coaches, practitioners and counsellors in the 4 mind-body healing modalities mentioned above, giving them powerful tools to use with clients to get results with greater ease, speed and grace. These courses teach life skills and anyone can take them, if you want to be a better leader, parent, partner, be empowered in your own life, these courses are for you! Melissa’s passion project is her non-profit, Girls Matter (www.girlsmatter.ca), breaking the poverty cycle 1 girl, 1 family, 1 village at a time. The mission is to keep girls in school and stop teenage marriages, because school isn’t free in over 50 countries around the world and when parents have to make the difficult choices of feeding their kids or paying for school, food wins. And when the girls hit their teen years, they will often be married off so that someone else becomes responsible to feed them. Keeping girls in school instead creates a generational ripple effect, because an educated girl is more than twice as likely to ensure her own children are educated. Educating girls also grows the GDP of countries, when they get into the workforce. This is how together, we can change the world.Guests on this podcast are invited to donate to this important cause. Learn more here in this short video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R3-xqzJLZW14om1PhFClcU_oRSZ8zgip/view?usp=share_link Melissa is also the winner of the 2024 Women in Podcasting Awards in the “inspiration & motivation” category and the 2021 & 2022 Quality Care Award by Business From The Heart and is also the recipient of the Alignable “Local Business Person of the Year “Award 2022, 2023 & 2024 for Whistler. Melissa has been featured at a number of Health & Wellness Summits, such as the Health, Wealth & Wisdom Summit, The Power To Profit Summit, The Feel Fan-freaking-tas-tic Summit, the Aim Higher Summit and many more! She has also guested on over 90 different podcasts teaching people about the importance of prioritizing our health and how to get started. Linktree: a href="https://linktr.ee/yourguidedhealthjourney" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
