We are trying to educate people to live healthy
We are trying to educate people to live healthy
BANGALORE:  The Seventh-day Adventist Medical Centre in Frazer Town, Bangalore has started a Lifestyle Medicine Department to..

BANGALORE:  The Seventh-day Adventist Medical Centre in Frazer Town, Bangalore has started a Lifestyle Medicine Department to serve the community. Lifestyle Medicine is defined as the evidence based practice of helping people adopt and sustain healthy behaviour that affect health and quality of life. Lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, obesity, cancers and chronic lung disease are the major cause of death worldwide. Dr Narendra Rao, consultant, Lifestyle Medicine, who is heading the department, speaks to City Express about the importance of lifestyle medicine and how it can tackle the problem of non-communicable diseases by educating the public about a healthy lifestyle.What is the significance of Lifestyle medicine in India today?Lifestyle medicine is an emerging and essential specialty it India, but it needs to be perceived as such by both the medical fraternity as well as the general public.  Lifestyle diseases have reached epidemic proportions.  We have over 61 million diabetics in India and over 45 million people affected by coronary artery disease.  In fact, most deaths in our country (53 per cent) are a result of non-communicable diseases in India.  The good news is that a significant number of these can be prevented or at least delayed by making right lifestyle choices.  A plant-based diet, one that is rich in fruits and vegetables, along with increased physically activity, avoidance of detrimental exposures (tobacco, alcohol and drugs), stress management and adequate rest are some of the choices that can go a long way in preventing and managing the scourge of non-communicable diseases.  These interventions will result in monetary savings for the individual and the country.  Not only that, it will definitely improve the quality of life.Our focus is on educating the public in a healthy lifestyle.  This is being done by conducting Jeevan Shailee Health Expos.  These Expos help people understand basic health principles and encourage them to make healthy choices.  The health principles are summed up in the acronym NEWSTART (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest, and Trust in God).  This will address the root cause of the problem unlike many other medical interventions which treat only symptoms.When did this concept gain recognition?    In 1990 Dean Michael Ornish published his research in the prestigious medical journal Lancet where he, for the first time, clinically proved that comprehensive lifestyle changes not only stop the progress of coronary artery disease, but actually reverse it! These lifestyle changes included a eating whole foods, a plant-based diet, smoking cessation, moderate exercise, stress management techniques and psychosocial support. In 1998, he published research showing that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression in only three months, ‘turning on’ disease-preventing genes and ‘turning off’ genes that promote cancer and heart disease, as well as increasing telomerase, an enzyme that lengthens telomeres, the ends of human chromosomes which control aging.What is the latest programme that the department is undertaking?The0Lifestyle department has started an 8-session weight management programme, once a week in the hospital premises. The unique feature about this program is that it promotes a healthy weight which lasts, which is why it is called ‘Lasting Solutions’ , unlike temporary fixes. This physician supervised programme includes lifestyle consultation, lab tests, body fat analysis, interactive lectures, physical activity demonstration, inspiring motivational strategies, and low-calorie recipes. The methods advocated are scientifically sound, safe, natural and affordable so that many can be benefited.  The fee for the entire 8-week program including lab tests is only `3,000.What are the other activities of your department?In addition to regular lifestyle consultations, we also conduct seminars on diabetes, smoking cessation, heart health and stress managements. We also are targeting schools to create awareness in children in order to encourage them to make healthy choices in regard to eating and physical activity since childhood obesity is on the rapid rise.  How is the awareness level among people in terms of lifestyle diseases?The awareness of this concept is still in its infancy. People tend to pay attention to health problems only when it becomes symptomatic and hurts. But by this time, therapeutic interventions are costly and often not satisfactory.  But it has been shown in the West that a healthier lifestyle can decrease disease.

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