acnem’s Four Pillars of Health

A healthy diet is one in which the nutritional needs of the individual is met and supports the mental and physical wellbeing of that person. When diet and nutrition is not adequate, or harmful, illness can result. Research suggests up to 30-35% of cancer-related deaths are estimated to be linked with diet, with the remainder due to other factors including infections, physical inactivity, stress, radiation and environmental pollutants [1]. Poor diet can lead to overweight and obesity, risk factors for many chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and many others [2-5]. The western diet is characterised by a high Omega 6: Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio which is pro-inflammatory [6] whilst other diets eg. Mediterranean Diet are associated with better health outcomes [7].

The good news is that there is much research evidence on the protective actions of many different diets and foods.

Humans evolved to be physically active; a sedentary lifestyle and inactivity is unhealthy [8, 9] and are risk factors for obesity, chronic illnesses (eg. cardiovascular disease, cancer) and all-cause mortality [10, 11].

On the other hand, physical activity reduces risk of many illnesses and promotes optimal physical and mental wellbeing and healthy aging. Physical activity can reduce risk of many chronic illnesses including risk of developing cancer [12] and mortality risk (all-cause and cancer-specific mortality) after diagnosis [13, 14]. The benefits of physical activity carry on into old age: a meta-analysis of 9 cohort studies in older adults found a significantly lower (22%) risk of death from all causes in those who engaged in low-dose moderate to vigorous physical activity [15]. Physical activity can lower blood pressure [16], assist blood glucose control in type 2 diabetics [17], reduce anxiety and depression, aid sleep, reduce pain, improve immune system functioning and more [14, 18-21].

Physical Activity – Luke Khoury

Exercise – Stress for Success – Luke Khoury

“Humans evolved to be physically active. A sedentary lifestyle and inactivity is associated with poor health and increases risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer as well as all-cause mortality” – Dr Denise Furness

Good sleep is vital for our health and wellbeing. Sleep helps regulate many of our bodily processes including appetite, memory, hormone levels, cell regeneration, DNA repair, and weight reduction [14]. Sleep is vital for our emotional wellbeing, helping us recover from stress and regulating our emotions [22, 23].

It has been estimated that sleep disorders may contribute to up to 70% of diseases [24]. Poor sleep is associated with many chronic illnesses including cancer [25, 26], cardiovascular disease [27-29], depression [30-32], anxiety [30], cognitive decline [33] and decreased immune functioning [34]. You can see why it’s important to get regular, good quality sleep.

At acnem we envisage the concept of ‘environment’ to be broad, encompassing the inner milieu of the body, our personal environment (eg. exposure to stress), our home and office environment (eg. exposure to chemicals), and the global environment (eg. air pollution, pesticides, climate change). Environmental factors can detrimentally affect health [35]. For example, the world’s water supplies and entire food chain are contaminated with chemicals that can damage human brains, reproductive systems and hormonal systems [35]. It is critical that we address the potentially detrimental effects of such environmental factors on health.

Environmental Factors – Dr Michelle Woolhouse

“We need to start re-prioritising relaxation, leisure, repair and restoration – this is how our physiology works” – Dr Michelle Woolhouse

The four pillars of health are a focus of acnem’s educational offerings which include webinars, learning modules and short courses as well as structured training pathways to gain acnem Fellowship.

References