ACNEM's Four Pillars of Health

In educating medical and healthcare practitioners about nutritional and environmental medicine, ACNEM promotes the Four Pillars of Health as the foundation for a healthy life and as the basis of its educational offerings.

01

Healthy Diet and Good Nutrition

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

02

Adequate Physical Activity

Humans evolved to be physically active; a sedentary lifestyle and inactivity are unhealthy2,3 and are risk factors for obesity, chronic illnesses (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer) and all-cause mortality.4,5 Physical activity can lower blood pressure,7 assist blood glucose control in type 2 diabetics,8 reduce anxiety and depression, aid sleep, reduce pain, improve immune system functioning and more.6

03

Restorative Sleep

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.6 It has been estimated that sleep disorders may contribute to up to 70% of diseases.9 Poor sleep is associated with many chronic illnesses including cancer,10 cardiovascular disease,11 depression,12 cognitive decline13 and decreased immune functioning.14

04

Healthy Environment

At ACNEM we envisage the concept of environment to be broad, encompassing the inner milieu of the body, our personal environment (exposure to stress), our home and office environment (exposure to chemicals), and the global environment (air pollution, pesticides, climate change). Environmental factors can detrimentally affect health.15 It is critical that we address the potentially detrimental effects of such environmental factors on health.
References
1Anand P, Kunnumakara AB, Sundarum C et al. Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes. Pharm Res 2008; 25(9): 2097-2116.
2Micozzi MS (ed). Complementary and integrative medicine in cancer care and prevention. New York: Springer, 2007.
3American Institute for Cancer Research (AIRC). Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. Washington DC: AIRC, 2007.
4Lynch B. Sedentary behaviour and cancer: a systematic review of the literature and proposed biological mechanisms. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 2010; 19(11): 2691-2709.
5Peterson CB, Bauman A, Gronbaek M et al. Total sitting time and risk of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality in a prospective cohort of Danish adults. Inte K Behav Nutr Phys Activity 2014; 11.
6O’Brien K, Sali A. A Clinician’s Guide to Integrative Oncology: What You Should Be Talking About With Cancer Patients And Why. US: Springer, 2017.
7Elley R, Bagrie E, Arroll B. Do snacks of exercise lower blood pressure? A randomised cross-over trial. NZ J Med 2006; 119(1235): U1996.
8Karstoft K, Winding K, Knudsen SH et al. The effects of free-living interval walking training on glycaemic control, body composition, and physical fitness in type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 2013; 26(2): 228-236.
9Samvat R, Osiecki H, Sleep, health and consciousness- a physician’s guide. Queensland: Bio Concepts Publishing, 2009.
10Jiao L, Duan Z, Sangi-Haghpeykar H et al. Sleep duration and incidence of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women. Br J Cancer 2013; 108: 213-221.
11Laugsand LE, Vatten LJ, Platou C, Jansky I. Insomnia and the risk of acute myocardial infarction: a population study. Circulation 2011; 124: 2073-2081.
12Johnson EO, Roth T, Breslau N. The association of insomnia with anxiety orders and depression: exploration of the direction of risk. J Psychiat Res 2006; 40(8): 700-708.
13Yaffe K, Falvey CM, Hoang T. Connections between sleep and cognition in older adults. Lancet Neurol 2014; 10: 1017-1028.
14Savard J, Laroche L, Simard S, Ivers H, Morin C. Chronic insomnia and immune functioning. Psychosomatic Med 2003; 65(2): 211-221.
15Cribb J. Poisoned Planet. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2014.