Lifestyle medicine

I was just thinking along these lines. But about children (mostly boys) who are labeled ADD/ADHD, and how they’re expected to sit quietly in a classroom and behave for hours on end. They wind up medicated and punished and feeling badly about themselves when they just need to be able to burn off their excess energy and engage in learning in a different way.

I have more thoughts about the mental health angle of this, but would like to see what others have to say.

It’s our environment and way of life that makes us sick. All the crap/pollution in the food, water, air. Also not enough time to properly prepare food and exercise.

There is no such thing as "Western medicine"! There's medicine and not-medicine. If it can be proven to wrok in a double-bling study, then it's medicine, period.

Pseudoscience and garbage from mommybloggers has given equal weight to both, so if I were you, I would be very selective where you find your health and wellness beliefs.

The pharma industry makes a mint of dealing with symptoms while keeping the actual cause, which created the symptoms, untouched. The symptoms come back again and you need more medicine, or treatment, to deal with them.

Our whole society is built on the premise that we are broken, but should never find out what's supposedly wrong with us and instead chase after the latest trend in snake oil quackery.

*If it can be proven to work in a double-blind study....lol

See?! I've ingested too much kombucha and tumeric to type properly!

So many of my female friends follow this line of thinking about "western medicine," the "medical patriarchy" (I mean, come on! Still?), and how women's ailments are not respected or even diagnosed. So they fall for the whole panoply of vague ailments. I've always thought it odd that the sex that has to endure monthly cramps finds every twinge unbearable. I had cancer in my bone marrow and I couldn't believe how many women talked to me about listening to this or that charlatan or quack instead of medical doctors (of whom, about 50% were women). One kept insisting that I eat blueberries because they're good for the immune system which chemo can wipe out. Fresh fruit is a no-no when you don't have an immune system because of the bacteria that is present on fresh produce. Every doctor was wrong or only interested in making money.

I've had the same oncologist for 10+ years and I would (and have!) trust him with my life. Listening to some herbalist or crystal-waving would drive me to the brink.

[quote] If it can be proven to wrok in a double-bling study, then it's medicine, period.

We can forgive the "work" typo because a double-bling study must become the DL standard, the court from which there is no further appeal.

r3, Lifestyle medicine is about eating healthy, managing stress, exercising and getting adequate sleep. If a problem crops up that can't be controlled by lifestyle changes then turn to medication. The current system uses pharmaceuticals as a default method of treatment.

The documentary is pretty interesting.

r6, the vast majority of people are not immuno-compromised, so advice about not eating blueberries doesn't go very far outside of your situation.

Food is NOT medicine, but every quack selling vitamins (unregulated) and supplements (unregulated-often toxic) opens with this "logic". The anti-vaxx sentiments generally follow!

Good god, how can so many of you attack a healthy lifestyle? This approach is a way to reduce the need for medication, not eliminate it.

R10, food is medicine for many diseases, as is the abstinence from certain foods.

What an ignorant comment.

I know vitamins in the US are unregulated, they could be filled with sawdust for all we know but the EU has stricter controls, right? So we should get them in Europe?

Thanks, R3. People facing debilitating and deadly disease want to believe that a daily infusion of three heaping tablespoons of turmeric and a sprinkling of fresh berries on their cereal and an invigorating walk around the block will chase away disease.

The Cancer Centers of America are filthy rich because they attract people who want kind words and hand-holding and smiles and hope, not some sourpuss, pressed for time, practitioner of evil Western Medicine who doesn't hold your hand while he's not mincing words about prognosis and treatment options.

They want to believe a Dr. Oz, who recommendations are only supported by reputable research and 1-in-6 of which contradicts established medical research.

They want to believe that yoga and lifestyle choices are not simply contributory to general wellbeing but that they target specific toxins and pathogens.

If it's just about healthy lifestyles, fine and good.. But don't call it Lifestyle Medicine and they back down and say well, it's really lifestyle, not medicine.

Eh. I have MS. There's plenty of this type of information around. Trust me: if it was unassailable and true, no one would have MS anymore. Disease eradicated. And front page news.

But many kind well-meaning friends and strangers send this crap to me all the time. I thank them for their concern. I used to explain that many people - including myself - have researched this information, and there's no there 'there.' Now I just say thank you and continue to be miserably sick.

r14, Poor diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep and high levels of stress are the root causes of the majority of chronic health problems in the US. There are better ways to tackle those problems than by popping a pharmaceutical which will only treat the symptom. US medical schools don't address these issues, especially when it comes to nutrition.

This documentary isn't about supplements, the doctors behind this believe in getting vitamins and minerals from food with exceptions like D3 and B12. I personally add magnesium citrate to eliminate restless leg.

I believe in this approach and I also go in for annual physicals, and routine screenings. But, I want to avoid pharmaceuticals and hospitals as much as possible. It is estimated that medical errors cause up to a third of deaths in the US.

R16 Lifestyle diseases- like Type II Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, high blood pressure and cholesterol, can be treated with lifestyle changes.

Cancer, M.S., Type I diabetes, and so on- big, scary diseases that can't be prevented and will kill you- can't be cured with lifestyle changes. The best you can do with natural medecine is lessen your symptoms somewhat or help yourself cope.

No one is forcing anyone (especially in the US) to partake of modern medicine.

Christian Scientists and Jehovah's Witnesses have been legally avoiding medical care for decades.

Her insta mentions Hydroxychloroquine in a positive light.

She has talked about covid-19 because of her background in infectious disease.

Dr. Stancic is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Lifestyle Medicine. She graduated from New Jersey Medical School in 1993 and after completing her fellowship, accepted the position as Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Hudson Valley VA in New York. In later years, she served as Translational Medical Leader at Roche Pharmaceuticals where she led clinical trials in the field of viral hepatitis. In 2012, she left her work in Infectious Diseases to fully dedicate her time to the field of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Stancic's interest in Lifestyle Medicine is rooted in her personal story as a patient living with multiple sclerosis.

Curious why you've chosen to promote yourself here, Saray.

Not trained "in pharma.." but, big Pharma most certainly DOES begin their contact from the first year of medical school, on. The amount of incentives offered are quite attractive. And, the target is really those that enter medical school with the promise of wealth, rather than health.

There are a lot of students that cannot wait to practice so that they can buy that house, that car, etc. THOSE are the students that are happy to hand the pill over rather than suggesting a good diet.

Yes! All doctors are secretly KEEPING US SICK!

They're ALL IN ON IT!

Just as certainly as pharmaceutical companies are crooks, and are encouraged to crookery by Congress, it is equally true that when someone says the words "Big Pharma" with a slight change of intonation or an ever so slightly pregnant pause afterward, you're speaking with a dimwitted Michael Moore wannabe.

I work in an ICU. I firmly believe that a healthy lifestyle may very well keep you out of the ICU, but there's absolutely no substitute for western medicine when shit gets real!

Lifestyle modification and/or alternative medicine may work to prevent some serious illnesses, manage chronic conditions, or help people recover more easily from minor or moderate illnesses. But when your luck runs out, it's western medicine and Big Pharma that brought the world trauma medicine, surgery, chemotherapy, antibiotics, and other things that can save your life in a crisis. Hell, I've been there myself, I'd have died in my forties if not for surgery, transfusions, and massive doses of antibiotics. There are some things that are just beyond the power of organic food and herbal medicines.

r26!! You just need yoga and organic basmati rice and yams!!!

Throw away those toxic antibiotics and vaccines! Don't be a sheeple!!!

I have a family member with MS and she eats a lot of sugar, is obese and still gaining. Says her body “craves” diet soda and drinks a 44oz Diet Coke over the course of each day. She doesn’t exercise because she doesn’t feel well and eats fast food or frozen junk like Mac n cheese or tator tots all the time. I can’t help but wonder how much better she would feel eating healthy and exercising but she says “there’s no cure so what’s the point?”

Yes, no cure, but Dr. Stancic has minimized her symptoms with a healthier lifestyle.

Dr. Stancic started out as an infectious disease doctor working on AIDS.

Sorry to hear about your family member.

Did I miss a comment where this documentary can be viewed? The link only has a 2 minute trailer.

Thank you

You can stream it from Amazon for $3.99

Why can’t “Western “ medicine and lifestyle medicine be complementary? Why does it have to be one or the other? “Western “ medicine certainly has its place and has proven to be life saving over and over again. But, I think lifestyle changes can help mitigate some of the illnesses that require constant medication for a patient.

Thanks R31

They do work together, I don't use an either or approach. I practice lifestyle medicine, but I also go to the doctor and dentist. If I can change my behavior (like exercising more or eating better) to avoid taking medication than that is my first choice.