‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has’ said the late anthropologist Margaret Mead.
Honoured to be amongst such a group on Saturday 6 April, marking the 20th anniversary of Yes to Life, the UK’s integrative cancer charity. And WHAT a small group of citizens it was…
Lasting change only happens from the inside out. You’ve got to be ‘in the room’ to be part of it. Here’s Denise with Yes to Life’s founder and chairman, Robin Daly. His daughter’s cancer experience, between the age of 9 and 23 was the beginning of this life-changing organisation.
Also on Saturday 6 April: ‘I am delighted to announce that I have recently joined the University of Chester, UK, as a visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health, Medicine & Society’ shared Dr Rangan Chatterjee.
‘As well as helping to inform the public about the simple things they can do each day to improve their health, I am also extremely passionate about educating the country’s medical students.
Medical education urgently needs to evolve if we are to best serve the needs of our patients and wider society. I am looking forward to working closely with the Faculty to ensure that medical students are up to date with the latest science in ‘lifestyle medicine’ and the practical knowledge and confidence to deliver it to their patients.
This is a huge honour for me. I have taught thousands of healthcare professionals over the past few years on my Royal College of GPs accredited ‘Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine’ that I co-created with Dr Ayan Panja. To now be able to get involved with medical students and train the doctors of the future is hugely exciting.’
As we say ‘lasting change, from the inside out.’
Change happening from the ‘inside out’ over in France too: A new association of integrative oncologists was formed in October 2023. It’s so new they’re still building their website, when we have it we’ll share. For now here’s a taste of the work of one such oncologist in Strasbourg, no language skills required to understand that healthcare is on the move in France too. From the inside out…
Not all changes have to be difficult to be life-changing. Here’s a testimonial from Scott in Newcastle, UK, sharing how small ones have worked. Now to make them ‘long lasting’:
‘About 18 months ago, during my annual check-up, my doctor noticed my blood pressure was high, around 130s over high 90s, so they prescribed me 2.5mg of Ramipril. Follow-up appointments showed my kidney function was fine, but my blood pressure remained high or even worse. I was then prescribed 5mg of Ramipril, which later increased to 7.5mg, but it affected my kidney function. Additionally, my cholesterol wasn’t great, but we prioritised fixing my blood pressure. I was advised to take 5mg of Ramipril along with 5mg of Amlodipine, but after considering the side effects, I opted not to take them.
Instead, I drastically changed my diet overnight, cutting out unhealthy foods like crisps, semi-skimmed milk, ice cream, and switching to healthier options like oats and natural honey for breakfast. I also incorporated salads with tuna and mackerel for omega 3.
These changes, although small, have significantly lowered my blood pressure to 120/80 over the past 2 months without any additional medication. While I’m not perfect with my choices, these adjustments have made a noticeable difference for me.’
Thanks for the feedback Scott, all that from a few articles forwarded from our Heart Disease/Cholesterol resource.
Familiar faces here at the world premiere of the I Could Never Go Vegan film. Dr Shireen Kassam, Dr Alan Desmond, Dr Gemma Newman, Dotsie Bausch, Dr Nitu Bajekal, Rohini Bajekal … all feature on our website, all championing changes to a plant-based diet – all sharing the science validating it as the sustainable diet for our health and our planet’s. UK cinema dates can be found here.
Talking of plant-based cooking: With asparagus in season in Europe we made a delicious weekend lunch from Deliciously Ella’s How to go Plant-Based book. Simple, easy and certainly Delicious.
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