BSLM Newsletter: December 2018

Dear Friends,

Dear Members,

BSLM Trustees wish all our much appreciated and diverse members an enjoyable and healthy festive season.

This time of year is often referred to as the season of good will. Wouldn’t it be nice (I feel a song coming on) if we had four seasons of good will! In a singular part of social media, BSLM has recently been ‘accused’ of being part of a religious and nutritional conspiracy. It is all nonsense of course. I only mention it to highlight that we have a clear statement on our website which says what we are and for what we honestly strive. By the way, nutrition is only one part of the 21st century problem of a growing number of lifestyle-related diseases. Let’s keep reminding ourselves of the bigger, some social, upstream determinants. 

As the year comes to a close, on behalf of our trustees, I should like to thank so many of you for contributing so much to the society which really does feel like a big family each time we meet at events around the country. In the following weeks we should have some more information about the 2019 BSLM Annual Conference in Cardiff on June21/22nd. As usual there are some great speakers with important perspectives on the science and art of healthy longevity. You will be impressed! 

So, to all our many members at home and abroad, here is a Scottish greeting, ‘lang may yer lum reek’. This implies "May you never be without fuel for your fire". See you in 2019! 

Rob Lawson FRCGP Dip BSLM/IBLM 
Chairman

Group Consultations

by Dr Fraser Birrell

The Christmas break and New Year are a good time to reflect on the year’s achievements and make resolutions or set goals for the coming year.

In that vein we wanted to share news of our success in securing £250k funding from Sir Jules Thorn Trust to support spread of group consultations across the UK, towards our ambition for 2019 - 2020 of training 1000 teams in primary and 500 teams in secondary care, as well as establishing a virtual training and evaluation hub.

Group consultations also gained a very high media profile from the session we held at the Royal College of General Practitioners meeting in Glasgow this October. Who knew it would ever be front page news and be carried on every national TV and radio news channel as a lead story? Of course, most stories were sensationalised and lacked input from any patients with experience of the model. But at least there was considerable interest and once this becomes known as an effective alternative model of care, both clinicians and patients will be more likely to try it and embed in routine practice once they see the benefits. We hope that there will be more informed media spread when the project is formally launched next year.

There have been high profile presentations at Best Practice & Best Practice Nursing, Future Proofing Outpatients (where implementing groups was the top choice for actions from the meeting), as well as our Annual BSLM meeting in Edinburgh. Furthermore, publications in Practice Nursing (attached) and the forthcoming February 2019  implementing the systems approach issue of the Future Healthcare Journal have summarised the state of the evidence more comprehensively, clearly and transparently than previous review articles.

So, as you reflect on your own practice and achievements this year and thoughts turn to your own priorities for the coming year. Can we suggest you consider whether you can persuade your CCG/STP lead (in England), health board/cluster lead (in Scotland & Wales)  or health and social care board lead (in Northern Ireland) to adopt group consultations as a priority? This maps directly to more effective shared decision making, as well as Realistic Medicine and Rightcare and will enable your area to benefit from our national funding, while leveraging this to create hubs of expertise. This could make a big difference in creating the time and peer support to make lifestyle medicine mainstream.

Reason for good cheer, indeed. Seasons Greetings to all!

Member Spotlight:
Dr Tom Malins

My name is Tom Malins and I’m a GP Partner in Nailsworth, a small town in the Cotswolds. I trained at Leicester University, where I stayed locally to do my foundation years. Following this, I travelled to New Zealand to fulfil a desire to use my degree to see the world and gain different experiences, both from work and outside of the day job.

While in New Zealand, I worked in Nelson and Christchurch, which are both in the beautiful South Island. The open space, mountains and oceans made leisure time an adventure and my free time was usually spent finding new routes on my mountain bike or skiing/hiking/running/surfing with friends. I ended up as a registrar in the emergency department of Christchurch Public Hospital, where I was fortunate enough to be part of an excellent team who treated people who were affected by the earthquake on 22nd February 2011.

Despite the stimulating work and easy availability of outdoor pursuits, after two and a bit years, the UK and family drew me back home. I completed my GP training in 2015 in Gloucestershire and have enjoyed various roles across the southwest before settling in my current position.

My interest in lifestyle medicine started with an enthusiasm for outdoor sports, amongst which I’ve competed in triathlon, multi-day adventure races, long distance cycle rides and mountain bike events. I am interested in the effect of exercise on health - from the positive impact on musculoskeletal health to the elusive runner’s high and the more mental and spiritual feeling of being outdoors and the simple appreciation of nature. Since the birth of our daughter, Connie - I have become increasingly fascinated in nutrition. This is something we are generally taught little about, but I feel has a role in almost every consultation in my daily practice, whether diet is causing ill health, or may be a route to better health. As I’ve learnt more, I’ve realised how much more there is to learn about - from biochemical processes to the impact on the environment. I am a proponent of lower carbohydrates, healthier fats (a play on the LCHF acronym) and believe there are many routes to healthier living.

I first heard about BSLM when I booked in to attend a conference in 2017 in Bristol and I was struck by the energy of all who attended. I enjoyed the recent event at RCGP in London and can’t wait for BSLM 2019 in Cardiff. For me, lifestyle medicine is a movement that I feel reflects my values and allows me to practice evidence based medicine, whilst keeping the prescription pad in the desk drawer. I am currently working to introduce group consultations for metabolic health, a community gardening space and a Park Run affiliation for our patients.

A key principle that I think lifestyle medicine delivers to patients is empowerment. By informing and educating people, they are given the means to positively impact their own health, which cultivates a sense of responsibility and self efficacy in this realm. This can only be good for the patient, and for society at large.

Lifestyle Medicine – The Future of Our Healthcare
University of Leicester’s Nutritank Society’s Launch Event

by Dr Shrinal Kotecha and Dr Kurren Sandhu

Nutritank Society aim to promote lifestyle medicine training within medical education. University of Leicester launched their Nutritank Society in June 2018 and had an amazing turn out at their first ever ‘Freshers Fayre’. We were contacted by the president of the society to come and speak at their Launch Event. They were keen to provide an overview of Lifestyle Medicine and we were both very excited to speak about the lifestyle medicine movements, especially after having completed the BSLM Diploma in August 2018. We were given the title ‘Lifestyle Medicine – the future of our healthcare’.

The turnout was brilliant; a range of medical students from all year groups. Providing them with free home-made smoothies on arrival, they formed groups of six for our interactive lifestyle medicine quiz. We explored components of lifestyle medicine, highlighting key evidence-based facts of how simple lifestyle interventions have proven to be so beneficial in preventing and managing non-communicable diseases. It was impressive to see how much they already knew about certain aspects of the field! There was a lot of interest expressed from all the medical students with many very keen to expand their horizons within lifestyle medicine. We highlighted the #1Change campaign and the vast majority of students were already signing up to become BSLM members at the end of the talk!

We aspire to continue the lifestyle medicine movement in the East Midlands and were very delighted and grateful to be able to present at University of Leicester’s Nutritank Society’s launch event! 

Recent Posts from the BSLM Blog

Preventing Christmas Weight Gain
by Dr Sue Kenneally

As a population we are gaining weight and the majority of people in the UK are now overweight or obese. Obesity is a complex medical condition requiring intervention from multiple sectors of society including the medical profession, pharmaceutical industry, food manufacturers, media, advertising companies, government and others.  Enabling people with obesity to reduce their weight is a focus of significant research and resources, but another critical part of the management of the obesity epidemic is to prevent further weight gain in people who are in the healthy weight or overweight categories.

Health Education & Lifestyle Medicine
by Dr Punam Krishan

The bit of the GP consultation that I love the most is the bit I rarely get time for in my surgery – health education and lifestyle medicine. A year ago I found my tribe with team BSLM and felt that I had the chance to be able to contribute, with support, to do what I became a doctor for – helping to better the health and wellbeing of my community “in sickness and in health”.

Quality Improvement:
What can the world of lifestyle medicine learn from Toyota?
by Dr Campbell Murdoch

The world of lifestyle medicine is one that recognises the whole individual, their community, the environment and many interacting components. The lifestyle medicine complexity presents some significant challenges. Often in healthcare, and probably in most areas of life, there is a tendency for problems and paradigms to be simplified to make them useful and useable. This works well unless the paradigm is wrong, and in hindsight there are many wrong paradigms that lead to widespread unhelpful healthcare practices; such as aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. And what about bloodletting as an example of how a wrong paradigm can allow well-meaning healthcare practitioners to cause harm.

BSLM AdventurEd – Weekend of Healing Thyself!

Objectives:

Relax: enjoy being physically activity and socialising.

Learn: expert tuition and great presentations

Event: Highland Retreat

Location: Taymouth Marina, Kenmore & Ardtalnaig (Loch Tay)
Dates: TBC subject to numbers interested.

Structure: 2 nights 2 days

• Physical activity - walking, kayaking, open-water swimming, SUP boarding
   
• Practical: bush craft & survival or shooting lessons from former Special Forces
   
• Educational: Networking and formal
   
• Relaxation: 30 person sauna with loch to swim in to cool down & cocktail bar!

Weekend Itinerary

Proposed B&B - luxury flats @ Taymouth Marina

NB: Thursday night included in cost if we choose luxury accommodation.

Price does not cover any food & activities during the day on Friday.

Friday

1900hrs - welcome talk & social drinks at bar

Saturday

0800 - 0900 - breakfast at restaurant

0930 - 1200 - moderate hill walk to bothy

1200 -1300 - pack lunch

1300 - 1600 – bush craft & survival teach/ rifle shooting teach @ bothy

1600 - 1700 - walk/lift back

1700 – 1830 - Education - 2 or 3 guest presentations

1900 – 2000 - sauna

19.00 - 20.00 – Cocktail bar

 2000 - late- Dinner & bush craft/shooting awards

Sunday

0800 -1000- breakfast

1030 -1200- activity options: kayaking on Loch Tay/ swimming/ SUP boarding/ walking

1230 -1400- lunch at Marina

1400 -1430- final presentation/farewell

Staff named are BSLM members:

• Jamie Gilbertson: event organiser & coordinator
   
• Dr Tim Smith - mountain leader & guide
   
• Lesley Aitkenhead - kayak and SUP board instructor & guide
   
• Bush craft instructor / shooting instructor: TBC.
   
• Presenters: TBC but will be fascinating!

Rough cost:

£500pp (based on attendance of 10).

Costs all covered apart from travel and refreshments.

Mini bus costs not included assuming there will be enough vehicles for short journeys.

Community Events

There are many great community events coming up in the next year. Here are just a few from the BSLM events page:

2 February 2019
Discover GP Conference Scotland
Aberdeen
Event Details +
The 2019 Scotland Discover GP conference will showcase the exciting, dynamic and rewarding career that is general practice. Join the University of Aberdeen GP Society in exploring the wonderful diversity…

30 March 2019
Lifestyle-Based Medicine - A Powerful Approach to Better Health
Windsor
Event Details +
A one day conference focusing on a lifestyle-based approach to managing disease. Lifestyle Medicine uses an evidence-based, whole person approach to improve wellbeing, reduce disease burden...

30 March 2019
Orthopaedics and Lifestyle – A Powerful Duo
Liverpool
Event Details +
A one day Clinical symposium covering examination techniques of the Musculoskeletal system and basics of Lifestyle medicine as applied to Orthopaedics / Bone and joint disorders…

18 May 2019
The Evidence for Lifestyle Medicine
Oxford
Event Details +
A day of inspiring speakers on the evidence for lifestyle medicine. Hear about some of the changing paradigms in nutrition, the benefits of physical activity for health and how to…

21-22 June 2019
Lifestyle Medicine 2019: Science and Art of Healthy Longevity
Cardiff
Event Details +
For all interested in lifestyle as medicine – prevention and self-management of non-communicable disease. From cell to community. World renowned speakers and leaders in their fields. More details to come...
 

Submit events that you'd like to see included on the BSLM events page

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