Most Americans are stressed, sleep deprived, and obese and suffer from lifestyle diseases that are largely preventable such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.
Being obese contributes to 50 per cent of adults with high blood pressure, 10 per cent with diabetes and a further 35 per cent with pre-diabetes. sugar.
And the costs are unsustainable and growing. Approximately 90 percent of nearly US $ 4 trillion Americans spend each year on health care in the U.S. for breast diseases and mental health disorders.
But there are new free lifestyle “medications” that doctors can prescribe for all of their patients.
Lifestyle therapy is the clinical application of healthy behaviors to prevent, treat and reverse disease. More than ever, research confirms that today’s “pills” physicians should prescribe to patients the six areas of lifestyle therapy: eating based on whole-plant food, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, reduction or elimination of addiction, and positive psychology and social connection.
We are a primary care preventive medicine physician and a computer immunologist, both committed to implementing a modern study to inform the clinical practice of lifestyle therapy. Our conclusions and recommendations were just published.
We highlight the key take-home points for each of the areas below.
Whole foods, plant based eating
Diets that are high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and lower in animal products and well-processed foods have been linked to the prevention of many diseases.
These diets have also improved health and even reversed cardiovascular, metabolic, brain, hormonal, kidney and autoimmune diseases in more than 35 percent of all cancers.
Use the Healthy Eating Plate as an evidence-based guide to creating healthy, balanced foods. (Harvard University / CC BY-NC)
We believe that future research should include larger trials or new research methods with an emphasis on dietary quality. This would include more data on micronutrient composition and protein sources of plants versus animal-based foods – not just a portion of fat, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Such tests should include children, as many adult complications are precipitated as early as childhood or in utero.
Regular physical activity
For decades, surgeon generals ’guidelines have emphasized that moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity has both immediate and long-term health benefits.
For example, why we age and the extent to which we age – the age of history according to biological age – is determined by multiple molecular processes that are directly affected by physical activity.
And now scientists are gaining a better understanding of the cellular and molecular changes that exercise induces to reduce the risk of disease.
Research priorities for scientists and physicians include gaining a deeper understanding of the type, intensity and frequency of activity, and a better insight into the molecular and cellular changes that occur with exercise.
Restorative sleep
Sleep helps the cells, organs and the whole body to function better. Regular uninterrupted sleep of seven hours per night is required for adults, eight to 10 hours for teenagers and 10 or more for children for good health.
Although insufficient, there is evidence that high-quality sleep can reduce inflammation, immunodeficiency, oxidative stress, and epigenetic alteration of DNA, all of which are associated with or cause chronic disease.
Thus, research on the biological mechanisms underlying the properties of sleep regeneration could lead to environmental or population-based approaches and a policy to better align our natural sleep patterns with applications. everyday life.
Weight management
While a little weight is beneficial, prolonged or extreme stress can get over the brain and body. Persistent stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility bowel disease, obesity, depression, asthma, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, brain disorders and obesity.
One of the most powerful strategies for reducing stress and strengthening endurance is to get a relaxed response using psychotherapy and psychotherapy.
More research is needed to better understand how these treatments work.
Reduce and eliminate slavery
Many social, economic and environmental factors have contributed to the national increase in general substance misuse and, sadly, opioid epilepsy.
Physicians and researchers are beginning to understand the psychology and psychology of addiction.
But the continuing stigma and absent or absent access to services remains a challenge. Clinicians and scientists need to study how to predict who is more vulnerable to addiction and find ways to prevent it.
Priority should be given to treatment that includes integrated care with a focus on the needs of the whole patient.
Advanced Psychology and Social Connection
Maintaining a positive mindset through the practice of gratitude and forgiveness has a profound effect on psychological and personal well-being, which is, in turn, associated with physical health benefits.
Social connections, that is the size and quality of our relationships, are perhaps the most powerful health benefits.
On the other hand, social isolation – such as living alone, having a small social network, participating in a few social activities, and feeling lonely – is associated with increased mortality, increased morbidity, activity lower immune system, depression and mental retardation.
Further research is needed to find out how a person’s biology and chemistry change for the better through more social interactions.
Role of inflammation in lifestyle-related diseases
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors lead to a vicious cycle of inflammation.
While inflammation is a healthy, natural way for the body to fight disease, injury, and stress, too much inflammation actually promotes or exacerbates the diseases described below. high.
The inflammatory response is complex. We have used machine learning and computer modeling to understand, predict, treat and reprogram inflammation – to maintain the healing elements while they reduce the more harmful ones.
Scientists are unveiling new techniques that explain how breast weight can turn genes on and off.
Overcoming challenges and obstacles
We and others who study lifestyle therapy are now discussing how we can accelerate all of these approaches to improve clinical studies on the impact of lifestyle interventions.
At the same time, we and our colleagues understand that there are environmental challenges and barriers that prevent many people from embracing these lifestyle solutions.
There are food deserts where healthier food is not available or affordable. Unsafe neighborhoods, harmful chemicals and substances create constant pressure. Poor education, poverty, cultural beliefs and racial and racial differences and discrimination must be addressed so that all individuals and patients can appreciate and accept the six “pills.”
The use of lifestyle medications is especially important now because unhealthy lifestyles have a pandemic of chronic diseases that are now reducing the COVID-19 pandemic, which is unfairly affecting those with these conditions.
Ask your doctor to prescribe “these six pills” for a longer and better life. After all, they are free, work better than or in addition to medications and have no side effects! 
Yoram Vodovotz, Professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh and Michael Parkinson, Chief Medical Director of Health & Productivity, UPMC Health & Workforce Plan, University of Pittsburgh.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.