Lifestyle-related disease—chronic disease—is debilitating America. Seven of the top 10 causes of death in the United States are chronic diseases. As of 2012, about half of all adults—117 million people—had one or more chronic health conditions, with one of four adults having two or more chronic health conditions. We have the highest obesity rates we have ever had. We have the highest diabetes rates we have ever had. Although medicine is advancing at an impressive rate and new breakthroughs are unequivocally going to arrive, for many people, and our wallets, it may be too late. Eighty-six percent of all health care spending in 2010 was for people with one or more chronic medical conditions. For 2011, the estimated annual costs for cardiovascular disease and stroke were $320.1 billion, including $195.6 billion in direct costs (hospital services, physicians and other professionals, prescribed medications, home health care, and other medical durables) and $124.5 billion in indirect costs from lost future productivity (cardiovascular and stroke premature deaths). When a disease like diabetes is affecting ~10% of Americans, is costing us an estimated $240 billion per year, and is estimated to affect 1 in 3 Americans by 2050, it becomes unmistakable that we need to do something other than wait for a medical miracle. Luckily, we already have the solution, if not part of it. Lifestyle methods—nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness—can help us reduce our lifetime risk of all major chronic disease by an incredible 50- 80%. According to the World Health Organization: "if the major risk factors from chronic disease were eliminated, at least 80% of all heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes would be prevented, and more than 40% of cancer cases would be prevented."
There is ample evidence suggesting that changes in lifestyle (i.e. diet, exercise, stress management, etc.) can have a positive impact on one's health. In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, patients who adhered to healthy dietary principles (low meat consumption and high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain bread), never smoked, were not overweight, and had at least 30 minutes a day of physical activity had a 78% lower overall risk of developing a chronic disease, including :
■ 93% reduced risk of diabetes
■ 81% lower risk of heart attacks
■ 50% reduction in risk of stroke
■ 36% overall reduction in risk of cancer
A meta analysis concluded that a combination of at least four healthy lifestyle factors is associated with a reduction of the all cause mortality risk by 66%. In the INTERHEART Study, lifestyle factors accounted for 90% of the PAR (population attributed risk) in men and 94% in women for coronary heart disease. For those already suffering from diseases, these methods can help alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life, offering an alternative to many times expensive and side-effect filled medications. These methods also having the potential to help reduce the need for medications.
Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine certainly has the potential of becoming part of the solution to America (and the world's) medical problems. As this field grows, many wonder just how knowledgeable doctors throughout the country are on the subject. Although in the past these methods may not have been present in medical education, today this is completely changing. Schools are modifying and improving their curriculums on a regular basis, and there is an increasing focus being placed on educating our future caretakers on the use of these methods. Many wonder to what extent. As a medical student at the University of California-San Francisco, one of the leading medical schools in the country, I am going through one such curriculum. I have subsequently created this website/personal blog for the reasons below:
- Provide information on the growing field of lifestyle medicine
- Document my experiences with a 21st century medical curriculum at a leading medical school, especially as it relates to lifestyle medicine
- Create a website where evidence-based information can be found regarding lifestyle as it pertains to disease, quality of life, sports performance, and public health
- Personal and professional development
Over time, my goal is for this website to be a nontraditional source of information for many that are interested in the topics of nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, the US medical school experience, sports performance, and public health. I invite you to grow with me as I undertake one of the most fascinating experiences the world has to offer.
Of important note/disclaimer: I am neither claiming to be an expert (yet!) nor a doctor, so please keep that in mind. Sometimes I will simply post my educated opinions instead of evidence-based rants, so keep that in mind too. Although eventually I intend for this website to grow into something very professional and perhaps discussion-based, I guarantee that in the near future there will be non-professional comments and opinions throughout my posts. This website is to become a hobby of mine, so don't mind me if I also post pictures and depictions of things I do for fun. I do not wish to portray myself as one-dimensional but as someone who also has a life and does normal things like everyone else. That being said, I hope you enjoy what this website has to offer!
Welcome! :)
