A New Healthcare Model
My time in London was pivotal to the community outreach preventative health care model I have created. Although everything you could ever need is right on your doorstep in one of the largest international cities in the world, commute time anywhere is 30-60 minutes, each way.
Whether you are going to visit a friend, work, train or theatre, this travel time soon becomes normal. It is not normal however anywhere outside of London where typically, communities feel they are deprived of that availability the big city lights offer. If, however we can take the 30 minutes mindset of the city outside the city, it opens up a world of access. People simply often do not exploit, or even know what is on their doorstep.
“If we can take the 30 minute mindset out of the city, it opens up a world of opportunity”
Something else I have established since retiring from rugby was a real lacking in adult participation in learning new movement skills. I have found that there is a wealth of clubs and coaching available for young kids to learn new skills, which is great, but for adults who simply want to try something new, a distinct scarcity.
My personal movement practice has drifted from traditional strength and conditioning (S&C) to one of 'movement is movement'. This has included gymnastics, parkour, yoga, calisthenics, Jamaican dancehall, ballet, contemporary dance, rock climbing, acrobatics as well as the good old S&C. I am aware that not everyone is as forgoing with starting something new and this is actually a big barrier to adult participation in such practices.
We live in a modern society that is a far cry from the way of living identified by our 'Blue Zones' and is a significant contributor to a host of public health crises' crippling our National Health Service (NHS), including but not limited to; depression, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety.....the list rolls on.
Luke R. Davies mission statement is to bring group BioPsychoSocial intervention programmes that are not only accessible to the community, but fun, engaging and socially driven. There is an emerging evidence base to show that if we enjoy something, we are more likely to stick at it, play simply has to be at its heart. This is a potential gold standard for preventative health and we are in discussions about rolling this out nationally as an NHS referral scheme that is condition specific (chronic low back pain programme, diabetes, elderly fall prevention, teenage obesity.....), the dynamic flexibility of the model is essentially unlimited.
“As soon as you are the most intelligent in the room, you are in the wrong room. As long as I have Rhys and Paul about there is no danger of me being in the wrong room any time soon”
I am very proactive in ensuring I don't commit what Professor Robert Sapolsky calls 'Pathological categorisation'. We as humans like to think in buckets, or boxes as I have eluded to in this thread. We draw arbitrary lines that people conveniently 'slot' into. There is a but though. What happens when we are presented with for example, someone with chronic low back pain. The Chiropractic bucket will rationalise that a joint is out of place and causing the pain. The Physiotherapist might argue that their core is not strong enough. The Acupuncturist could claim that 'chi' is disrupted and preventing healthy flow of energy leading to the pain. The orthopaedic surgeon might see the disc bulge as something to snip off and the Trainer might see a squat pattern they don't like. When we pay attention to boundaries we cannot see the bigger picture, what happens then is we over emphasise the bucket we happen to live inside of. It is unfortunate that treatment often reflects the clinicians training more than what the patient necessarily needs.
“When we pay attention to boundaries we cannot see the bigger picture, what happens then is we over emphasise the bucket we happen to live in”
The ability to not live "pathologically in any given bucket" as Sapolsky puts it is what was so intuitively attractive in how both Rhys and Paul went about clinical business. I have no patriotic allegiance to Chiropractic, it is the bucket in which I live professionally, however a BPS approach transcends buckets and boundaries.
I am very passionate about food and diet and what I love most is teaching people to learn and play with new, novel movement, empowering people to take ownership of their lives and get out and explore. I try to get a bit of our Mexican fisherman into their lives. That to me is why I became a healthcare professional, there is nothing more rewarding than helping guide someone either back to what they used to be able to do or delving into unchartered health / training territory.
It is no doubt a more demanding way to operate as it takes more time and energy to understand and interact with patients and arguably not the way to make the most money. I didn't take this route to make money. It is my belief and experience that while snake oil salesman may be impressive and "sell" you the latest gimmick, fad or quick fix, people also respect transparent honest information - even if that does involve some home truths! The simple things in life are really what count, the 'sexy basics,' these are what my promise is to deliver at Luke R. Davies. I made a lifelong learning commitment to those who seek my care out when I took this route and if I learn a better way to do something, expect to see it implemented immediately. If I cannot help I will at least direct you to someone else who might.
For more information on upcoming programmes, check them out {here}. If you would like to bring my model to a community near you please get in touch where we can discuss if it is possible.
You have learned as much about everyone else responsible for getting this company up and running and rightly so, you will have hopefully learned enough about me in the process.
A final shout out must go to my best friends; George, Slim, Frosty, Plank and Shane. They keep me honest day in day out and no matter how long we may leave it, nothing changes when we hang out. It was a godsend having Shane with his like-minded skeptic touch through our Chiropractic studies. Good times!
Check out the testimonials section for feedback from many of the people who have been and continue to be part of this journey.
Welcome on board, let's have some fun!
Luke R. Davies :)
