This is the third in a three-part series summarizing Verdant Community Wellness Day presentations. You can read Part 1 on Addressing Domestic Violence Among Women in West Africa. here; Part 2 is about how to build a healthy media diet for your teens. here.
shoreline family doctor Dr. Margaret Twolawi During a March 9 Community Wellness Day presentation, he shared how lifestyle medicine can help reduce the risk of developing major chronic diseases. Green Health Committee.
Lifestyle-related diseases are an up-and-coming medical field. Introduced in 2004. Next he focuses on prioritizing patient care through six lifestyle interventions.
- Encourage a diet rich in whole foods and plants
- regular physical activity
- restorative sleep
- stress reduction techniques
- Avoidance of harmful substances such as nicotine and addictive drugs
- foster healthy social relationships
Lifestyle medicine is first mentioned Title of a paper presented at the 1989 Brussels Conference on Indoor Air Quality. This idea is 1998 research presentation The study, led by Dr. Dean Ornish, involved 28 people who adopted a low-fat, plant-based diet, regular aerobic exercise, stress management training, smoking cessation, and group psychosocial support for five years. Regression of atherosclerosis was demonstrated in patients. Meanwhile, the heart disease in the control group continued to progress, with the amount of heart symptoms nearly doubling compared to the experimental group.
Since then, many studies related to lifestyle medicine have been published, which have influenced guidelines issued by several major health organizations. American Society of Clinical Endocrinology And that American Cancer Institute.However, this practice is not yet widespread in the United States
“When I started medical school, it was all about pushing things like statins to lower cholesterol,” Tworaoui said. “But when I look at it now, [the American Heart Association] guidelinesThey talk about lifestyle diseases as the main way to reduce all types of cardiovascular diseases. ”
It's not just cardiovascular disease, she added. The main chronic diseases are: 6 out of 10 Americans are affected These include type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 90% of the US's $3.3 trillion annual health care expenditure is spent on treating these chronic conditions.
“Less than 3% of Americans live a healthy lifestyle. Isn't that crazy?” Twolawi said. She defined a healthy lifestyle as:
– I do at least 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous exercise per week.
– Diet score is in the top 40% healthy eating index.
– Body fat percentage less than 20% for men and less than 30% for women.
– No smoking (including vaping, electronic cigarettes, and marijuana).
Although she emphasizes a plant-based diet, that doesn't mean people have to be vegan or vegetarian. “This means that plants are the main source of energy,” Tworaowi says. “It may be 80% or 70% of your diet.” Such a diet includes fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods while limiting processed and packaged foods.
“Limiting red meat consumption is very important and I wish grocery stores had it too.” [message] It’s behind all the red meat items in the deli,” Twolawi said. “We now know that red meat consumption is associated with colon cancer.”
This reflects increasing research into such associations around the world.in 2021, Systematic Review Of the 148 studies, high intake of red or processed meat was found (90 grams or more per day) The risk of colorectal cancer can be increased by 8%, the risk of colon cancer can be increased by 21%, and the risk of rectal cancer can be increased by 22%.
But addressing the biology of disease and health is not enough. Twolawi said social and psychological components of health need to be taken into account.
“I cannot stand here as a Black physician and not talk about health care disparities,” she said. “It's not a fun thing to talk about, but it's very necessary. When you think about high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, lung disease, people of color (Black, brown) are disproportionately affected. ”
about 40% black About 28 percent of white people have high blood pressure, Tworaoui said, and black people are two to three times more likely than white people to die from preventable heart disease or stroke. Also, black children Seven times more likely to die from asthma than white children.
“Lifestyle medicine can help us take control of our health and help narrow this gap,” she said. Twolawi also encouraged health professionals in the audience to consider how existing social programs, racism, bias and accessibility operate. impact medical outcomes.
“It's not always, 'Oh, it's genetics!' With epigenetics, genes can be turned on or off It’s based on behavioral and environmental changes,” she said. “People have said to me, 'My mother had type 2 diabetes, so I will too.' And I can tell them, 'That's not necessarily true.' It’s not your destiny, you may be more susceptible to certain chronic diseases, but your lifestyle choices… ‘flip the switch’.”
Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Ms. Twolawi attended Stanford University's pre-med summer program in 2004. Two years later, she attended medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine, which included a residency in family medicine with an emphasis on nutrition. . She worked in a Swedish hospital for about eight years, after which she opened a private clinic. Nurturer Well Center Published in Shoreline magazine in late 2020. He also published a book in 2022. Ayomide and Seyi's Kitchen: A kid's guide to plant-based nutrition from A to Z. It's an introduction to a variety of plant-based foods for kids, as well as a guide for families to make their own meals.
Unlike traditional medicine, lifestyle medicine emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes not only in preventing chronic diseases, but also in potentially reversing them through intensive interventions.dutch doctor Hanno Pigil From Leiden University Medical Center I have written While traditional medical models are effective at treating infections and bone fractures, they often fail to treat or address the underlying problems of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
“The majority of chronic non-communicable diseases are caused by gene-environment interactions,” Pizil wrote. “Behavioral and environmental cues cause disease, the nature of which is determined by our (epi)genetic makeup. Eating too much of the wrong foods, prolonged stress, lack of exercise, poor sleep, smoking, Toxins are the most important “extrinsic” triggers. In fact, the environment is of paramount importance in the development of chronic diseases. ”
In a question-and-answer session after her presentation, Tworaoui said she doesn't feel ashamed of people, including her husband, for eating more meat than she does. She said, “She never says [my best friend] “Stop eating at Chick-fil-A!” she said. “The best way to get someone to be more accepting of the way you eat is to encourage and collaborate.”
If you would like to learn more about lifestyle-related diseases, please click here. American College of Life Sciences Contact Dr. Margaret Tworaoui. admin@margaretwolawimd.com.
— Story and photos: Nick Ng
