Lifestyle change is such a difficult and emotional struggle for most. Many people avoid healthy lifestyle changes because they have a fear of failure. They hold a deep-seated belief that they will ultimately fail, so, as a result, they don’t even try to create healthy changes. I have seen the struggles of my patients and I want so badly to be able to spend the time with them, to pump them up, to educate them, and to lead them into a healthier lifestyle. But, as you know, it is not easy to change a lifetime of behaviors in one office visit. The best advice can often be forgotten once the patient leaves my office.

For this reason, I am so excited about what Preventative Health Sciences has to offer for my patients. PHS has designed a treatment plan for diet and exercise that goes beyond what I can offer my patients in a single visit. PHS will help to combine interactive education for diet and exercise with the guidance of highly trained and educated individuals. Most importantly, PHS will be able to assist me in managing my patients! It will be a collaborative management. This is a wonderful concept that I have never been able to successfully incorporate due to lack of time with each patient.

Even more significant, is the fact that there are not any of those so called “fad diets.” As you are aware, fad diets come and go. We want people to be provided with sound nutritional advice that will help them in making choices for maintaining good health for the long term.

As for the exercise component of the program, benefits occur independently of weight loss. Exercise has demonstrated health benefits, including lowering blood glucose levels, increasing insulin sensitivity, and improving cardiovascular risk factors.

I am so excited about this program. I have always promoted preventative medicine and now I see the opportunity to provide it to my patients. Better yet, it is physician directed and patient managed. The patient is in total control of their lifestyle. The patient learns to recognize that their actions reflect their beliefs, and it is what they do that demonstrates what they believe. By taking even the smallest steps, they are communicating that they want to make changes. This is so awesome!

Let’s get busy making some changes today and remember, change begins with knowledge and understanding. Then, we can incorporate what we learn into a long-term lifestyle!

If you would like to learn more about PHS and the programs we offer, contact either myself at Urbandale Family Physicians (276-3406), or my co-worker, Jake Velie at 559-7140.