Healthy eating, a holistic lifestyle, and natural healing have become more prevalent in recent years. These practices are also growing in popularity with patients who suffer from chronic illnesses or pain management problems. To the unfamiliar, holistic medicines are a different kind of medical practice and one that people find more comforting than conventional treatment. However, getting a qualified holistic health practitioner is a serious job.
One of the significant challenges for holistic health practitioners is marketing. In general, family doctors don't give referrals to these doctors, as they aren't recognized by most insurance companies. Also, most doctors in this field of medicine are not trained in sales, so they aren’t marketing themselves effectively
Austin-based LeBaron Agency specializes in custom-made marketing for holistic health practitioners to help them spread awareness of what's possible with holistic and functional medicine. Leveraging her research skills gained as a documentary filmmaker, the company's founder, Estephania LeBaron-Papanicolaou, helps these doctors promote their practices so patients can find them easier. Having experienced the nightmare and difficulty firsthand, Ms. LeBaron understands just how needed these services are, and how much difference they can make in people's lives.
Ms. LeBaron's journey into holistic health started in 2015 when her then-18-year-old son was involved in a head-on collision with a semi-truck. The accident left him with a spinal cord injury and confined him to a wheelchair, effectively upending his entire existence. It also came with intense pain and other complications that defied medical intervention. To manage them, the doctors prescribed opioids, but that almost cost Ms. LeBaron's son his life, prompting the family to look beyond Western medicine for solutions.
The pursuit of find the right functional medical doctor was arduous work. Spurred by her son's pain and despair, she did everything possible to find a solution, which meant a lot of trial and error. There weren’t any databases or directories for natural pain relief in her area. Confused and cluttered with inconsistent results, it was too hard to sort through alternatives to find real solutions.
After months of wrestling with fear and helplessness, her research finally led her to a functional medicine practitioner who knew how to help. This experience is what drives her passion. She never wants another parent or person to struggle to find help as she did for her son. They had to pay out of pocket for the services, but the reward of her son’s health and well-being far outweighed the cost. She knew the alternative was losing her son, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do to save him. Today, her son is no longer on pain medications or other prescriptions. Through the experience, she's also discovered viable solutions and the doctors who provide them.
"I know there are many other people who are where I was back then," Ms. LeBaron explains when sharing her mission. "I believe in having options, and if you don't know about them, you don't know you have the options. Even if these therapies are sometimes not covered by insurance, some of us still want to know about them."
With her extensive background in video production and her network connections with top-tier marketers, Ms. LeBaron can fill the gap and help Austin-based functional medical doctors reach more people seeking better health outcomes. "Together, let's educate the public on the wealth of healing and restorative benefits that you bring to your clients," she urges these practitioners.
