Conventional medicine is miraculous, it saves millions of lives. But what if, in addition to conventional medicine we could expand our understanding of what medicine is – and simultaneously empower ourselves to prevent and reverse chronic illnesses?
Although when we think of ‘managing symptoms’, we typically think of medication, it actually exists within alternative, complementary and conventional medicine. As a bodyworker, I am aware that with some issues, I am temporarily relieving symptoms, which was part of what inspired me to study Root Cause Health Coaching™ and lifestyle medicine.
What is lifestyle medicine?
Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based approach to prevent and reverse chronic disease.
When we hear the word ‘lifestyle’, we may think of diet, sleep and exercise; but lifestyle medicine is much more than this. It also addresses our habitual thinking patterns, need for social connection, stress, traumas and unresolved emotions. There is a wealth of research that now shows that our health and well-being are influenced by all of these factors. For example, evidence now shows that social isolation is as bad for our health as 15 cigarettes per day. Many of us have experienced the effect that social isolation can have on our emotional and physical well-being during the coronavirus pandemic.
It's not "just" stress
We now know that by exploring all of these factors, we can address many of the chronic illnesses that may have been previously labelled as ‘stress related’ and approached via symptom management.
People are reversing Type 2 diabetes, for example, through lifestyle-based programs that are supported by the UK government.
Many types of “medicine”
We can self-heal though: time with loved ones, laughter, releasing emotions, letting go of the past, empowering ourselves, a sense of purpose, social support, diet, stress management, movement, regular sleep, time in nature… We are born with this knowing.
We are whole, complex and interconnected.
An empowering shift in responsibility
We may have a strong connection to the old health paradigm: that our body is a machine that breaks or is affected by external factors – and requires external experts and medication to help with the issue. Imagine how it would feel to believe that you can work with your body and it’s innate intelligence to self heal… that you have the power and the ability to help yourself and feel better. Lifestyle medicine is grounded in empowering people – as the experts in their own experiences – and more simply, guiding, helping and supporting – in partnership.
Why does it matter?
85%
of adults experience stress regularly.
In the United Kingdom in 2019, over 8.6 million appointments were due to chest pains which were driven by stress-related mental illnesses.
Furthermore, circulatory issues related to stress-related illnesses accounted for around 6.8 million appointments, while 2.8 million made appointments with their GP because of musculoskeletal issues caused primarily by stress.
Gradual lifestyle changes + addressing the root cause = symptom change
If you have a lingering symptom that you’d like to understand and address the root cause, get in touch.
Our body's natural rhythms and the symptoms of imbalance
Our bodies inner compass always wants to head towards health and wellness. The view that our bodies are a machine that breaks down is being replaced with the understanding that our bodies have an intelligence of their own – one that we can work with and support towards greater overall health and well being.
Inline with the natural cycles of day and night, our bodies go through balancing cycles of stress and repair.
Mild stress or pressure is good for us, it can enhance our performance or help us achieve our goal. However, excessive or prolonged stress can knock us out of our natural healthy rhythm of stress and repair.
Prolonged stress and repair
Ever planned a lovely chunk of time off only to feel ill when it finally arrives? It’s frustrating to make plans for time out only to find that our bodies have other ideas! When we overexert for too long we can find that when we stop our body will take full advantage of the opportunity to recover. Forcing us to stop and dropping us into a deeper, longer term regeneration that aims to rebalance the extended stress – and is beyond the scope of a good night’s sleep.
Signs that our body is repairing
When our body is in recovery, we can feel:
Exhausted
Confused or foggy
Warmer extremities, fever and inflammation
Lower blood pressure
Increased appetite
In stress the opposite is true. Try observing these signs and begin to observe your body’s rhythms and signals. You can download my free PDF guide to explore these specific patterns behind your symptoms.
Every tissue in our body is continually listening to our experiences so that it can adapt and help us. Just think of a juicy, ice cold, fresh, tangy lemonade on a hot day and notice your saliva glands respond! This process happens on an unconscious, subtle level with any of our thoughts and feelings. Our bodies are miraculous and every little shift is geared towards helping us survive and thrive. When we are living in survival mode, or chronic stress, symptoms emerge.
Address the root cause
We all experience distressing or traumatic events during our lifetime. This could be anything from the tragic loss of a loved one to a jarring comment from our boss; the impact is in the eye of the beholder. When these moments of distress occur, a chain reaction is ignited in the body, ultimately designed to help us cope. An emotion, story, belief and memory become held within the tissue, but transformation and recovery are possible.
In a session, we explore lifestyle factors (such as sleep, exercise, diet, stress management and social connection) AND we address the root cause. Through lifestyle medicine and Root Cause Health Coaching™ we have the potential to prevent or reverse 80% of chronic symptoms – without side effects. There is a vast amount of growing research to support this.
Take the next step
An informal 20 minute chat, via video call to ask questions and explore how we could work together.