This academic degree encompassed a combination of neuroscience, psychology, nutrition, endocrinology, and immunology, and how they all tie together in the context of mental health and well-being.

My dissertation was entitled “Treating the Person Behind the Chronic Pain: A Review of the Science and Practice of Psychological Treatments for Nociplastic Pain”, where I did a deep dive into pain theories, types of chronic pain, and the available scientific evidence of the latest psychological treatments for pain.

Most physicians and health professionals don’t receive enough education on nutrition, physical activity, sleep, social connectivity, and the avoidance of risky substance use, which are the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine.

Certification in Lifestyle Medicine indicates that the individual has mastered the science of preventing, treating, and reversing chronic disease in an evidence-based manner with official acknowledgment from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (for professionals and practitioners).

There are many health coaches out there, so how to know which ones are indeed qualified to help you?

The (American) National Board Certification credential (NBC-HWC), offered in collaboration with the National Board of Medical Examiners, represents the profession’s highest standard and is based on extensive research and the training, education, and assessment of coaches who attended an NBHWC-approved school that meets specific criteria and standards.

Health & wellness coaches partner with clients seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values. In the course of their work, health & wellness coaches display unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their capacity for change, honoring the fact that each client is an expert on their own life, while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.

I am very proud to belong to this community. Find my official profile listed at: https://nbhwc.org/find-a-certified-coach/#!biz/id/605a6a10af848e4c1e0ca363

Perhaps more than ever, yoga is being widely studied and evaluated for its positive effects and benefits. This evidence-based research not only reveals the science of yoga, but it also explains its therapeutic efficacy when used in conjunction with conventional medicine.

A Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) credential is earned by yoga teachers whose training and teaching experience meet Yoga Alliance standards.

Our approach is individualized and applies yoga as therapy to support nervous system regulation and chronic pain management.

Find my profile listed at: https://www.yogaalliance.org/TeacherPublicProfile?tid=301860

The Eating Freely Program is an award-winning program combining psychology with nutritional therapy designed specifically for emotional and binge eating and developed by Emma Murphy MIACP, Disordered Eating Specialist for over 12 years.

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder among US adults, and it is usually accompanied by multiple comorbidities including psychiatric and medical comorbidities. It just makes sense to address this condition in an integrative health approach. We are currently the only ones in Singapore to offer this program, and we are very proud to be part of this community of wonderful practitioners.

Find me and the other certified practitioners under: https://eatingfreely.com/international-practitioner-directories/

Functional Nutrition for Chronic Pain blends evidence-based nutrition strategies into an integrated pain-care model, using the connection between nutrition, gut health, and the link to the neuroimmune system. Proper nutrition – knowing what patients should eat and what they should avoid to resolve the root cause of their pain – is the biggest key to addressing inflammation.

I am currently the only practitioner with this credential in Singapore.

Find my profile and of other professionals listed at: https://integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/practitioners/

A Yoga Coach blends talk- and movement-based coaching into one empowering experience, using yoga practices for the mat and the chair, and promoting the facilitation of movement, mindfulness, and compassion techniques.

A Team Well-Being Coach has the ability to coach leaders and their teams to create cultures of well-being, using the same framework used in Dr. Carmack's Well-Being Ultimatum, using evidence-based centered well-being theory to create, launch and evaluate well-being programs that transform team cultures to well-being.

A Genius Break Coach uses mindful movement to coach the practice of self-care and self-compassion with the Genius Breaks method. Genius Breaks were created by Dr. Suzie Carmack, and include strategies for mindfulness, movement, and more positive self-talk.

Those methods add so much to our compassionate approach. To learn more about them visit https://www.yogamedco.com/ and https://www.drsuziecarmack.com/.

Explain Pain is pain science education for health professionals – cutting-edge education in pain treatment, the neuroimmune system, and neurodynamics. We are proud to offer those tools in our coaching.

To find me and other professionals trained in pain education visit: https://www.noigroup.com/clinician-directory/

Culinary Health Education offers proven strategies to counsel and motivate patients to improve their cooking habits for better health.

It is not enough to tell people what they should be eating to improve their health. It is important to look into what they can afford, their cooking skills, their family habits, their culture. Nutrition coaching in the lifestyle medicine context makes much more sense when coupled with culinary health education.

We are very happy to have participated in this training, offered by the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Learn more here: https://www.instituteoflifestylemedicine.org/?page_id=511

Food is brain medicine. Nutritional Psychiatry is an evidence-based strategy that can change one’s mental health trajectory. Studies show that the right foods can be incredibly effective tools for improving mental health, and when added to conventional treatment methods they can greatly enhance the efficacy of treatment.

The connections between mind and food are part of our focus and as such we follow this field closely.

I’m currently the only professional in Singapore to have undergone this training. Find me listed here: https://drewramseymd.com/clinician-directory/

This is a specialization in the dietary management of IBS using a low FODMAP diet. This course synthesizes the latest findings from the scientific literature and gives an in-depth theoretical and practical understanding of the pathophysiology of IBS and the appropriate prescription and implementation of a low FODMAP diet.

We work together with medical doctors in the field of gastroenterology to support patients through their IBS healing journey.

Only registered dietitians can be listed on their official directory, but we are happy to have concluded this training, which you can learn more about here: https://www.monashfodmap.com/online-training/dietitian-course/

This training is experiential, applying Mindfulness concepts to chronic pain management, and exploring trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive best practices, including ethical, privacy, and safety issues in group facilitation. Concepts in secondary pain, context, neuroplasticity, and immunity are also explored. It provides insights into the lens through which chronic pain sufferers view their world, and showcases trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive mindful facilitation in a group setting.

This training has been very informative in our approach. Mindfulness is a central piece that blends together the different parts of our integrative care, including mental health, chronic pain management, and embodiment.

Learn more about this training here: https://learn.utoronto.ca/programs-courses/courses/3699-mindfulness-based-chronic-pain-managementtm-practical-training

Diet choices are now the top cause of death and disability globally. This university-based course on plant-based nutrition was aimed at health professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, dieticians, nutritionists, physiotherapists) who would like to incorporate evidence-based nutrition into routine clinical practice.

Among the content, it consisted of an in-depth review of the scientific literature supporting the role of plant-based nutrition in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. This included cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, dementia, obesity, bone health, women’s health, and gastrointestinal disorders.

My approach is not to convince clients to follow any specific diet, but to use the power of food as medicine by incorporating more plants in their plate in order to prevent and reverse disease. It is not about restricting, it is all about adding what is missing. I have lived a plant-based lifestyle for many years, and that has had a profound impact on my well-being as well as on my GI disorders and chronic pain. For those seeking advice on living a more plant-forward life, I can provide the science, the coaching guidance and well as the culinary skills to help you along this journey.