THE WELL
In our 14th edition of Cultivating Conversations we spoke with Jordan Crofton, the Director of Patient Care at THE WELL and a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who specializes in Functional Medicine, a systems biology–based approach to medicine that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. Here, Jordan shares an inside look at THE WELL and its offerings and highlights how Functional Medicine can benefit anyone looking to improve their health and wellness.
“THE WELL is pioneering a new way to care for your health.”
We create spaces, products and programs that integrate modern medicine and ancient modalities to deliver personalized, holistic healthcare that works
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE TRANSLATES INTO?
Functional Medicine is a systems biology–based approach to medicine that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. It targets underlying imbalances rather than merely treating the symptoms.
“In Functional Medicine,
we view the body as an interconnected set of systems.”
And, consider a wide range of factors including genetics, hormones, gut health, diet, stress, sleep patterns and other lifestyle components when assessing and treating a patient.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY AT THE WELL LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I spend the majority of my time on direct patient care which is what I’m most passionate about. I treat patients with all kinds of ailments – digestive issues, autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalances, anxiety, decreased immunity (just to name a few!) so my days with patients always look different.
“I spend a lot of time looking at patient lab and diagnostic results and formulating care plans for my patients.”
I also spend a chunk of time staying up to date on research and am constantly reading new studies and articles. One of the incredible things about working at THE WELL is the collaborative nature of care we’re able to provide to patients, and I spend time consulting with other practitioners (ie our acupuncturist, health coaches, energy healers, etc) to make sure we’re optimizing every modality to heal each patient.
From a business development standpoint, I spend time strategizing our long-term growth plan as we continue building out a medical practice to best fit the needs of our patients. We’re constantly striving to innovate and elevate our level of care.
“My overarching goal when I show up to work every day is to improve the lives of as many people as possible.”
WHEN THE WELL FIRST OPENED IN 2019 IT LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT THAN IT DOES TODAY. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE BRAND EVOLVE OVER THE PANDEMIC?
“We first opened our doors as a membership club with the intention of like-minded members coming together to support each other on their wellness journey.”
When we reopened our doors in April 2021, we decided to offer our services without membership to increase access and flexibility, and with the goal of empowering more people to take greater agency over their health. This has organically led to a space and community for those who are genuinely interested and committed to their own wellbeing.
AS A DIRECTOR OF PATIENT CARE, HAVE YOU SEEN DIFFERENT PATIENT NEEDS AND REQUESTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC?
Absolutely, this has been a challenging time for a multitude of reasons.
“we’re especially seeing reflected from a mental health perspective.”
We work with a lot of patients struggling with increased anxiety, stress and depression. There was an interesting study out of Brown and Boston University which found that in the early months of the pandemic in 2020, around 27% of adults were experiencing depressive symptoms (for context, this number was around 8.5% pre-pandemic).
What’s staggering is that this number has continued to rise and recent data shows that 33% of U.S. adults reported elevated depressive symptoms in 2021 – that’s well over 100 million Americans. Typically, we would expect depression and anxiety to peak directly following a traumatic event and then lower over time, but this has not been the case with this pandemic as there seems to be a great deal of continued uncertainty and fear.
HOW DOES THE WELL APPROACH EASTERN VS WESTERN MEDICINE?
We have an expert team of renowned practitioners trained in Functional & Integrative Medicine, Chinese Medicine and other modalities.
“We offer a holistic approach to healing and wellness.”
Our practitioners communicate and collaborate to help patients reach their goals and address all types of health concerns by examining root causes and utilizing multiple healing modalities.
IN NOVEMBER 2021 THE WELL AT HACIENDA ALTAGRACIA, AUBERGE RESORTS COLLECTION LAUNCHED. HOW DOES THIS NEW LOCATION INSPIRE ITS SERVICES AND TREATMENTS?
We deeply respect Costa Rica’s indigenous healing traditions and wanted to incorporate them into our offerings. For example, all of our treatments begin with a purifying ritual, which includes an herbal exfoliation, an application of a local clay treatment and house-made coffee butter using beans from farms in the region.
One of our most unique and special services at THE WELL at Hacienda Alta Gracia is THE WELL River Bath, a therapeutic massage that takes place alongside The San Ignacio River, which runs through the rainforest. Similarly, the Maderoterapia treatment uses a massage technique that originates from Latin America with tools that are harvested from trees–
“the thinking being that the tools transmit the earth's healing vibrations.”
WITH MANY PEOPLE’S NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS CENTERED AROUND HEALTH AMBITIONS, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO HELP PEOPLE STAY ON TRACK FOR THEIR GOALS?
I’m biased but I recommend seeing a Functional Medicine practitioner to optimize health. The beauty of Functional Medicine is that it can help patients across such a spectrum – I treat patients who are dealing with major health issues and navigating new diagnoses as well as patients who are already quite healthy and interested in optimizing health and creating a longevity roadmap.
Advanced diagnostic testing allows us to understand the processes going on in a patient’s body in order to get to the root of disease and imbalance – and identify potential risks before they actually become disease. We focus on preventive and personalized medicine and look at the whole picture with every patient who walks through our door.
This means I work with each patient to develop personalized lifestyle recommendations that can allow them to keep on track.
“I often suggest patients work with a health coach.”
In order to supplement our visits to have a reliable resource and accountability partner to work with on a regular, even weekly, basis.
AS A TRENDSETTING, HEALTHCARE COMPANY, CAN YOU SHARE SOME NEW TRENDS THAT YOU’RE EXCITED TO SEE IN THE WORLD OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS?
Right now a lot of us are living with pretty chronic levels of high stress, which constantly activates our sympathetic nervous system.
For background, we have two components of our autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic nervous system (our ‘fight or flight’ response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (‘rest and digest’).
Ideally, we want to be spending the vast majority of time in a parasympathetic state. One incredibly powerful, research-backed way to do this is through meditation, but many people struggle with it on their own.
“The wellness space has come a long way IN making meditation more accessible.”
There’s quite a few new apps and gadgets (EEG headbands, biofeedback devices, PEMF tools, etc.) geared towards supporting and elevating meditation practices.
I’m also excited to see increasingly more tools aimed at empowering patients to take greater ownership of their health. We’re seeing so much innovation around wearable technology which allows us to better understand everything from our sleep patterns and heart rate variability to our blood sugar levels throughout the day. This kind of data (when used appropriately) can be wildly helpful to better understand and optimize our health.
WHO INSPIRES YOU IN THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS INDUSTRY?
“Dr. Frank Lipman,
our Chief Medical Officer at THE WELL, has been a long time mentor of mine.”
And, he has always inspired me when it comes to practicing medicine. Dr. Frank Lipman was a trailblazer in Functional and integrative medicine and practiced this way long before alternative approaches were popular and ‘wellness’ became such a buzzword.
He’s never been afraid to veer outside of what’s conventionally accepted in order to heal his patients, and because of that, he’s been able to help thousands of patients over the past four decades.
© All Photo Credit via THE WELL