Do you know what “holistic” health is? Most people I ask confuse it with homeopathy. But holistic means using a whole body approach to medicine. That the body is an interconnected system.
Why do I ask? Well, if you’re worried about cancer, diabetes or heart problems, it turns out that a holistic approach is best. Researchers say that a healthy lifestyle that defends against one of these conditions defends against them all.
“We (medical researchers) tend to silo ourselves in our research, but there are a number of risk factors shared in these three diseases,” says Tim Byers, the Colorado University Cancer Center’s associate director for cancer prevention and control.
For instance, when you lose large amounts of weight from around your middle, you eliminate abdominal fat that would otherwise produce inflammation in your immune system that can lead to a host of problems in your arteries and major organs.
The World Cancer Research Foundation points out that obesity represents a major risk factor for cancer that is so serious, it may be a cause for one in five cancers of the colon, pancreas, breast, kidney, esophagus, endometrium, and gall bladder in the United States today.
Similarly, being obese adds to your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The World Heart Federation links 58 percent of type 2 diabetes and 21 percent of ischemic heart disease to obesity.
“Obesity leads to a chronic inflammatory state and circulating growth factors that have adverse effects on the heart, and can also contribute to the development of cancer,” says Byers. “But we tend to study these things in isolation, by disease and not by risk factor.”
And you can think of these factors in the same holistic way when you plan how to live a healthier, longer, less painful life. As Byers points out, you can lower your risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes by:
- Eating a better diet filled with fruits and vegetables while eliminating processed foods with refined sugar and damaged fats.
- Staying away from cigarettes and other tobacco products.
- Getting exercise.
- Limiting your alcoholic beverages.
But there’s another factor that Byers leaves out – I would also add the importance of getting a good night’s sleep every night of the week. Plenty of research shows that sleep is crucial for keeping the heart happy, improving blood sugar and reducing the risk of cancer.
Put all of these factors together, and you’ll probably stay active, healthy and sharp right through your golden years!
