We're pleased to introduce Alexandra Williams, founder of Holistic Hyperbarics in Berkeley, CA, and our newest Human Touch Wellness Council member!
This month, Alex shares with us some background on how she folllowed her passion for "whole-person healthcare," and while many business partners use our various massage chair models, she shares how Human Touch Perfect Chair® zero gravity recliners help within her practice:
My whole professional career has been a singular boundless pursuit in healing people. I've worn many hats in healthcare, from surgical recovery to labor and delivery to emergency care on an ambulance. I was always considered an oddball because of the level of care I tried to give to my patients. To most, my actions seemed above and beyond what they understood their responsibilities were, to me they felt like baseline care. In every interaction with my patients, I always asked myself 'What more can I do to make this person whole'. I made the time to link their medical history with their personal history, listen to underline worries, directed them to other resources, and took the time to explain all their options. Earlier in my career as an EMT, I quickly realized the medical system is built around avoiding that mindset. We are trained to treat the acute problem and send them on their way. The relationship between caregiver and patient by design was/is very transactional. In my opinion, that gap in whole-person care is where we loose as healthcare providers.
Two years ago I tore my shoulder wrestling and found myself on the other side of that acute transactional care. The doctor took one look at my shoulder, prescribed me Vicodin and sent me on my way. My care plan was simple, just don't use it for 3 months. As an athlete, I felt scared I would never be the same. I left with a whole lot of pills and more questions than answers. So I did my own whole-person care and discovered hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an alternative to pain killers. I bought my first chamber and healed my shoulder in 3.5 weeks. But the lasting effects didn't stop there. I slept better. My focus heightened and I became a better athlete. Friends started coming over to use it, then friends of friends. The conditions varied but the need for comprehensive whole-person care was the consistent thread. Quickly I began to realize there was a need for not just hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an alternative for conventional medicine, but for a center where patients know they will be heard and cared for. Just like that, Holistic Hyperbarics Inc was born.
As the founder of HH, I am committed to curating a space where patients feel held. The experience at our center is a carefully crafted safe space to rest and heal. I took our time to design a beautiful modern center where the focus is not just the treatment but the overall journey of the session. Incorporating the Human Touch Perfect chair was a seamless addition to my practice. No other chair on the market comes close. It has the perfect marriage between elegant design and thoughtful craftsmanship. They are used in our intake area and in post-session care. Our patients come early just to lay in zero gravity before getting in a chamber for treatment. My practice wouldn't be the same without them. These chairs are an essential part of who we are as a company. Patients feel transported to a different place when sitting in them, a place where healthcare meets them where they are and actually heals them.
I am grateful to be on the HT health council and look forward to sharing more about how we use our Perfect Chairs.
