About 100 years ago the United States saw an increase of food production and industrialization, and diseases were ‘one cause, one cure’ (e.g. typhoid fever).

Fast-forward a few decades where chemicals and hormones are put in plants and animals for mass production and profit (especially with an increase in population), and a more sedentary lifestyle becomes the norm, and as a result treating or identifying the sole cause of disease becomes much more difficult.

Now, treating disease has to take a different approach such as ‘one disease, many risk factors’, as cancer, heart disease, obesity, and infertility, to name a few, have become the norm. While we are living longer than decade’s prior, we also tend to be sicker with a poorer quality of life. Fortunately, there are many strategies we can employ in our daily life to heal, and mitigate our risk, for deleterious outcomes.

Americans have a shorter life expectancy than residents of other high-income countries (Li, et. al., 2018), perhaps much due to poor lifestyle habits, as well as common frustrations with our healthcare system.

Commonly, people feel like they’re treated like a number versus a person, that insurance does not cover certain tests and/or medications, and all this disconnect dissuades people from going for routine checkups (also great for prevention) like yearly bloodwork, and procedures like colonoscopies, which may catch something before symptoms occur, or a more serious outcome.

In addition, genetics only make up about 5-10% of our health destiny, so people who have healthier lifestyles can prolong their life expectancy and enjoy their longer life.

A recent study done by the American Heart Association concluded that Americans can live 14 years longer by doing these 5 things- never smoking, exercising (moderate to brisk, walking included) 30 minutes per day, keeping a normal body mass index (18-25), consuming a healthy diet, and moderate alcohol level (no more than 1 drink per day for women, and 2 drinks for men).

This can also contribute to a healthier longer life. The study further states that it doesn’t account for socio-economic factors influencing someone’s lifestyle, yet emphasizes the importance of making lasting sustainable changes (e.g. first stop smoking, then work on diet), instead of taking on too much at once.

From a Naturopathic medicine perspective, a healthful lifestyle becomes more specific, as well as being tailored to the person and their concerns, with the awareness that disease didn’t occur overnight, so these choices benefit where they are now, and double as prevention. And they’re not going to ‘out-supplement’ a crappy diet and sedentary lifestyle.

1. Aim for foods on the perimeter of the supermarket, eating fresh whenever possible, filling half your plate with vegetables, especially nutritional powerhouses like dark leafy greens (e.g. spinach, chard, kale) and cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower).
2. Incorporate protein sources like beans, wild-caught fish, safely raised poultry and red meat, and healthy fats like avocado, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, all full of fiber and nutrients.
3. No fried or processed foods, added sugars (read the label, especially words that end in –ose mean sugar) or preservatives, or trans fats.
4. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day, more if you exercise.
5. Minimize your alcohol intake as much as you can because it metabolizes right to sugar, can make us crave more unhealthy foods, messes with sleep and mood, and promotes weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
6. Laugh every day (boosts our immune system, makes our telomeres on our DNA longer- symbol of longevity), and get to sleep by 10:30/11pm.
7. The body makes the most melatonin, our most potent endogenous antioxidant (ie. an antioxidant produced by our own bodies), between 11pm-3am, as we also need this time at night for our body to renew and regenerate hormones, neurotransmitters, and other processes, for optimal function. Going to bed later keeps cortisol, our stress hormone (linked to increased risk for concerns like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hormone imbalance, weight gain, mood disorders, and poor energy) a bit more elevated, and over time, like how all these diseases develop, can be a big contributing factor when symptoms arise.

        ‘Doctor as teacher’ is extremely important in current times as many people are still under the impression that one pharmaceutical or one natural supplement is going to change their health outcome. Prolong it, perhaps, but without changing all the reasons they got to this place, then another disease may manifest elsewhere. Understanding and treating all the possible causes helps change the trajectory of how their dis-ease is going, from completely healing to helping ensure they live their longest, and life with best quality.

This great guest post was written by Dr. Serena Goldstein, a naturopathic doctor specializing in natural hormone balance! I encourage you to go check out her website!

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