When it comes to health care, western medicine has always taught its patients that they are victims of their genes, hereditary issues, etc. They tell us that if our grandfather had heart disease and our father had heart disease/attacks, then our fate is sealed and we are set-up to be an unavoidable victim. We are told that disease is something you’re stricken with, not something you develop or create on your own or lifestyle induced. This victim mentality has allowed the pharmaceutical industry to flourish and prey upon the public’s misunderstanding regarding disease as well their ability to take control of their life and health.
The newest, cutting-edge science, research, and technology have proven that we can choose not to be victims. We don’t have to accept that our health destiny is set in stone and that the reason our cholesterol is 350, we’re 80 pounds overweight, or walk around with 300 blood sugar and are a type II diabetic is all due to bad genes. The new science says different.
From Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease:
Nearly all the major medical societies recently joined in publishing a review of the scientific evidence for lifestyle medicine both for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. There is strong evidence that this approach works and saves money. Unfortunately, insurance doesn’t usually pay for it. No one profits from lifestyle medicine, so it is not part of medical education or practice. It should be the foundation of our healthcare system.
For example, the recent “EPIC” study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine studied 23,000 people’s adherence to 4 simple behaviors (not smoking, exercising 3.5 hours a week eating a healthy diet [fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and limited amounts of meat], and maintaining a healthy weight [BMI <30]). In those adhering to these behaviors, 93% of diabetes, 81% of heart attacks, 50% of strokes, and 36% of all cancers were prevented.
The future of medical care must be to transform the general lifestyle guidance (eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly) that many physicians try to provide to their patients in individually tailored lifestyle prescriptions for both prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Lifestyle is the best medicine when applied correctly.
Chiropractic care has always advocated getting to the cause of the problem. In our office, you will learn the importance of a healthy nerve system, proper posture, nutrition, exercise, weight loss/detoxification, and stress/life management. After all, if lifestyle medicine becomes central to the practice of medicine, our sick care system will finally be transformed into a healthcare system.
References: Lifesyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease. Alternative Therapies, Nov/Dec 2009, Vol. 15, No. 6 By Mark Hyman, MD; Dean Ornish, MD; Michael Roizen, MD
