Lifestyle Medicine

By Dr.Graham

You May be asking What is Lifestyle Medicine?

Lifestyle Medicine is a new way of thinking about disease, but not really a new way of treating it.

With the invention of modern drugs, such as antibiotics, drugs for blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol and even drugs for depression and anxiety, we have forgotten about traditions and practices across the world that modern drugs have replaced.

But, modern medicine is evolving and retracing its roots to our past and to the knowledge that our bodies have not evolved as fast as modern technology.

So, it takes us back to the specific needs of each human being, which are actually very similar.

Although, as you will see some people-depending on their genetic make-up- will not deal well with ‘no-exercise’ and ‘ refined cardbohydrates’, while others don’t seem to be affected by these modern lifestyle changes.

In a nut shell, lifestyle medicine is about how each of us can live to support good health. It’s not supposed to be yet another ‘goal’ to hit if we need to be healthy, it’s a way of living that can become routine and automatic.

While it’s all about allowing our body to do the healing where appropriate, it respects the place and often the need for modern medicines which can be life saving and life prolonging for many.

Below you will find a few areas of your lifestyle that you can address yourself. If you are interested Dr. Graham runs mindfulness and yoga programmes which can aid your road to recovery and also improve your overall wellbeing day-to-day.

Dr. Graham can also provide an exercise programmes for anyone with heart or lung disease and diabetes.



 
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Exercise is for everyone, young and old.

Did you know that the recommended weekly exercise dose is:

  • 2 strength training sessions,

  • 150 minutes of walking, cycling or swimming (or any other aerobic execise)

  • plus two exercises to improve balance, such as standing on one leg, or hopping?

The links below will take you to pages that show you how to get fit, keep motivated, and keep your family fit.

There are also two exercise videos for men and women

Meditation

Mindfulness combines intentional daily meditations with awareness of ourselves, our thoughts and behaviours in everyday life. The practice of mindfulness works by bringing love and compassion to every situation and helps us see how the judgement of ourselves and others can is ultimately unhealthy.

Meditation has been scientifically proven to improve our general wellbeing by reducing our experiences of stress and helping us build better relationships.

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Nutrition

Eating a healthy diet is a well known, proven way to live longer and feel happier. But it’s not that easy when surrounded by high sugar, processed/refined foods.

Over the last 60 years our diets have changed dramatically, with the rise in processed, convenience foods, with the addition of sugar to everything we eat and the over use of frying foods in seed oils. An unforeseen result of trying to reduce the heart disease epidemic was the demonisation of all fats-not just the polyunsaturates. This resulted in diets filled with carbohydrates as we tried to satisfy hunger from a low fat diet.

I am building this section but below is a link one food group you can include in your diet to help reduce your chances of cancer as a start.

You can also read about anti-oxidants found in many foods here

 
 

Human touch and companionship

These are essential for connection and belonging in our lives.

For people who have experienced significant trauma- emotional abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing violence in ones family, bullying, persecution in society- there can be a lot of fear around both human contact and close relationships.

In these situations exercise and mediation may not be attainable or for some people even useful in improving their health. And medications may never help reset the pathways in ones brain set up by adverse experiences.

There are many ways to come to terms with trauma:

  • Body work or massage

  • Reflexology

  • Yoga

  • Wilderness is Medicine retreats

  • Working with a skilled therapist with whom you feel safe and heard.

  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EDMR)

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