A few months ago, while reading one of my monthly PT journals, I came across a continuing education course being offered for lifestyle medicine. Intrigued, I read the course description and found that it detailed my monthly columns for the past six years. Medicine has come a long way in recognizing the importance of how we feel and how it affects our bodies. The people you communicate with regularly, what you eat and drink, and how you sleep are some of the pillars associated with lifestyle medicine.
Physiotherapists who treat older adults (which every clinic in town does) look at the effects of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease, and neurological conditions. These are non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and occur throughout life. They are mainly caused by behaviors such as lack of exercise, smoking, poor eating patterns, and excess weight as a result of many of these problems. According to data from a 2019 US Health report, 77% of people over 65 have high blood pressure, 35% of men and 24% of women have heart disease, and nearly 20% report a history of cancer. and nearly 30% reported a history of cancer. % have diabetes. Integrating lifestyle medicine into PT practice provides an avenue to improve the health and wellness of society and guide clients to make meaningful and lasting changes in their health status.
Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based practice that helps people adopt and maintain healthy behaviors that impact their health and quality of life. Lifestyle medicine emphasizes the use of whole foods, plant-based diets, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of hazardous substances, and positivity as key treatments for treating and reversing chronic diseases. Promote social connections. This description of lifestyle medicine shows how it is complementary to traditional medical practice and not a separate type of medical practice or a form of alternative medicine.
The evidence for a healthy lifestyle is indisputable. Here’s some evidence to support a healthy lifestyle. A 1990 study showed that one year of a low-fat vegetarian diet, smoking cessation, stress management, and physical activity led to regression of coronary atherosclerosis. To date, thousands of studies have been added to the health benefits of improving lifestyle choices.
Six pillars of lifestyle medicine
Lifestyle medicine has six pillars that medical professionals should address with patients. No one pillar is more important than another. Dr. Michael Puthoff, PT, PhD and Nola Peacock, PT, DSc published a paper titled “Integrating Lifestyle Medicine into Physical Therapy for Aging Adults” in his GeriNotes for May 2022. Announced. The information below is a summary of the paper.
Exercise/physical activity: In my column (June 2023, How to look younger next year), I wrote about how exercising regularly will make you healthier and therefore look younger next year. This book contains countless facts that show that daily exercise (aerobic exercise 4 days a week and strength training 2 days a week) is the key to slowing aging and reversing some heart-related diseases. I am.. How to incorporate it into your practice: Adults need 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, plus two days of strength-building exercise each week.
nutrition: This speaks for itself. The key to improving your diet is that your engine revs better when you have good fuel in the tank. That means you’ll feel better, sleep better, and perform better. A healthy diet is also important for improving or eliminating the signs and symptoms of many diseases, such as diabetes. A good rule of thumb is to eat foods with a short shelf life. That will be all fruits and vegetables. Avoid boxed foods with long expiry dates as they contain a lot of preservatives to keep them “fresh” for longer. For more information about nutrition and a healthy body, check out my November 2019 column, “What Your “Gut” Is Telling You.” How to incorporate it into your practice: Focus on whole foods, primarily plant-based, that are rich in fiber, nutritious, and have health-promoting and disease-fighting effects. Examples of dietary patterns that meet this criteria include the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic diet, the flexitarian diet (a semi-vegetarian diet focused on plant-based foods with limited meat use), and the vegetarian diet.
sleep: Sleep is our reset/recovery time. If you don’t sleep well, sleep deprivation can be devastating. Dozens of chronic pain dysfunctions are associated with sleep deprivation. (See my January 2019 column, “Sleep Health and the Science Behind Good Sleep”). Integration into practice: Adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each day.
Social connections: In my October 2023 column, “Loneliness and Health,” I wrote about the need for social connections. Having meaningful social connections with family and friends can add years to your life. How to incorporate it into your practice: Strive to build healthy relationships with others for emotional resilience and overall health.
stress management: In January 2023, I wrote “Can Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Reduce Back Pain?” This article reviews the literature and discusses the use of inward-focused (meditation) or outward/movement-focused methods (kinesiology, such as walking, running, cycling, and dance) to reduce stress. I support using either one. How to incorporate it into your practice: Practice stress reduction techniques that work for you on a regular basis.
Substance abuse: Many of us feel that having one or two drinks two or three nights a week is a safe and social activity when shared with others. However, check this and ask your healthcare provider about your usage. The CDC has a comprehensive site to help anyone assess their drinking habits. The website is: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/alcohol-screening.html. How to incorporate it into your practice: Avoid addictive substances that increase your risk for many cancers and heart diseases. It mainly focuses on nicotine, excess alcohol, and other drugs.
How lifestyle medicine is infiltrating evidence-based health care and how your primary care physician (PCP), nurse, dietitian, physical therapist, chiropractor, or other licensed health care provider I hope you’ve found it helpful in improving your lifestyle choices. He is able to lead a healthy and active lifestyle well into his late 80s, perhaps even into his 90s.
