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Dear member,
On the back of Lifestyle Medicine week, we’re proud of the united efforts of our international Lifestyle Medicine Societies, and know that we have created more awareness of Lifestyle Medicine as a discipline, globally. We continue to work together to combat the health inequalities, and drive awareness so that all may benefit.
Here in the UK, at BSLM we covered a pillar a day, starting with an overarching introduction to Lifestyle Medicine on Day 1 what it is and why we believe by making changes to the way we live (at individual and societal level), we can have a big impact on the problem of non-communicable diseases.
We loved seeing your #1Change messages and there's been lots of discussion when engaging with you all over the past couple of weeks so just know we’ve made a difference.
Day 2 was all about physical activity & exercise and we shared some previous conference presentations, blogs and other resources to remind, and inspire us, to keep moving. Sleep was the focus in Day 3 and Dr Alka Patel shared some top tips to improve the quality of sleep.
Globally, millions of people die every year because of poor diet. The Lancet’s 2019 Global Burden of Disease study estimated that 1 in 5 of annual global deaths were associated with poor diet. This amounted to 11 million deaths. So Day 4 was all about diet & nutrition.
Day 5 highlighted mental health & stress reduction, to which we often think “easier said that done”, but our mental health is a core component of our overall health, defined by the World Health Organisation as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity.” So, an extremely important pillar and shared some great resources available for you to share.
Next the focus was on the importance of social connection and healthy relationships for health and wellbeing. Studies have also shown social connection can help us to reduce the risk of chronic conditions including obesity, some cancers and heart disease and, following multiple lock down’s, most of us have realised the impact of not having this. Now that we can engage a little closer, don’t forget that disconnecting can play a big role in connecting too.
On our final day, Dr Sue Smith shared some tips around reducing and cessation of harmful substances and realising the important part, is to to understand the reason and triggers to replace these with healthier habits.
BSLM have seen a 65% growth in social media reach from the beginning of the year and we're so grateful for you sharing and interacting with content such as this. We appreciate your engagement on these platforms and looking forward to continuing this to expand to a wider audience and ultimately make a bigger difference overall.
In addition to a very busy LM Week, June is also Family Health & Fitness month so Head of Operations, Emma Mulligan shares a little insight in to how she finds ways to implement her learnings here at BSLM, to have a positive impact on her family's health and ways of making some healthier choices. Read Emma's blog post here.
This month we also saw the third in our monthly Member's webinar series come to life. We were joined Dr Darryl Edwards, movement coach and author, on physical activity and Dr Hugh Bethell talking prehab and rehab – a key focus to combat waiting lists and reduce accumulating health conditions for longevity. Our webinar series has become a popular monthly event and we’re so grateful for those that attend on the night to contribute to the live discussion. Opportunities for non-members to join will be here soon.
We had over 30 physicians and medical professional register for the IBLM Info Session in June. That’s another 30 people interested in certifying in Lifestyle Medicine and joining a global community of over 4000, highlighting professional credibility in this evidence-based discipline and becoming early adopters making a difference within their own worlds as well as the wider society. You can find more info here or watch the overview and if you have any questions, give us a call on 01224 036 560 or office@bslm.org.uk
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If you haven’t already heard, our early-bird offer for BSLM2021 was extended to 21 June to align with rail bookings so this is the last weekend to take advantage of those prices. For those looking at accommodation, we’ve teamed up with Reservation Highway* to provided varied levels of accommodation, based on needs and budgets.
*This link should take you straight to our event but if it times out, you’ll need to re-click or else it’ll ask for a password.
We’ve also received a number of enquiries around #1change merchandise and we're happy to confirm these are still available online.
Our 10% discount for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals to attend BSLM2021 is still live. We value the role that nurses and AHP’s play in the management, reversal and prevention of chronic disease and want to increase the representation from these areas within the Society. Dr Ellen Fallows, BSLM’s Learning Academy Director recently wrote an article for Practice nurse, highlighting the opportunity nurses have in leading the way with Type 2 Diabetes. Read more here. First published in Practice Nurse 2021;51(4):24-29
MedShr - BSLM Member Benefit
As our office function grows, we are continuously looking to how to unlock more value for our Members. One of those ways is by giving access to evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine resources. We are happy to share that we have partnered with Medshr to provide a bank of case study resources, shared and discussed within a BSLM Members group and specific to Lifestyle Medicine.
We have formed a partnership to move clinical case discussion from open social media to a verified, professional platform for doctors. MedShr is a GDPR and GMC compliant platform enabling doctors to share and discuss clinical cases with a million members in 190 countries. Members will receive comm’s specific to this benefit for onboarding with one click activation, as a BSLM group. More info available here.
In addition, BSLM Members have the opportunity to subscribe to become IANE members which would provide automatic membership to NNEdPro and free registration to the Summit as well as other benefits such as discounts for webinars, publishing in BMJ etc. Find out more.
BSLM Latest News
NHS faces exodus of doctors after Covid pandemic, survey finds
Long hours and the impact of the pandemic are taking their toll on medics, BMA findings show. More risk of doctors leaving the NHS following recent survey, what role is lifestyle medicine playing in those decisions? Find out more.
Supporting people to implement a reduced carbohydrate diet: a qualitative study in family practice
This qualitative study investigates the experiences of healthcare practitioners who have implemented a low-carbohydrate diet.
Caroline Cupid of the University of Leicester hopes that this article will help raise awareness about the success in practice and encourage discussion about how social aspects of eating intersect with dietary protocol. Read more here.
The Rise of Digital Health Apps
Does evidence-based relate to tech too? From 2020 there’s been a huge spike in people turning to their smart phones to track their physical activity and even sleep! Perhaps seeing the data drives commitment or perhaps it’s just seeing the achievement that is the reward itself? Seems like 2020 saw a huge spike in us turning to our smartphones for The Rise of Digital Health Apps and 2021 continues to rise.
Afternoon Tea with Docs: Dr Rob Lawson
Afternoon Tea with Docs hosted BSLM Chairman, Dr Rob Lawson and it shows how evident it is that his passion for medicine and health inequalities started a very long time ago. Full interview can be seen here.
BSLM - Members Opportunity to Contribute
Previous BSLM Conference speaker Sir Harry Burns is looking for examples or initiatives of where your work has reduced health inequalities in an article he titles "Instead of lecturing about lifestyle choices, it’s time to find new ways to address health inequalities" Read more here.
Epigenetics-”the code of life”
Personalized medicine is the future as science identifies the varying effects of different substances on an individual’s health.
Not only is there a need for further research on how our environment and lifestyle choices like diet - impacts epigenetic markers on human DNA, but how the outcomes will differ depending on a person’s body.
NHS Networks: Weekly News Stories
Health MOTs at NHS Vaccination Services
The NHS will offer a range of targeted tests including blood pressure, heart-rhythm and cholesterol checks when people drop in for top-up Covid jabs or flu vaccinations this autumn.
Community mental health services: promoting person-centred and rights-based approaches
This guidance provides a detailed description of person-centred and human rights-based approaches in mental health, examples of good practice services around the world, and recommendations for integrating such services into national health and social care systems and services.
Delivering a Smoke Free 2030
This report calls for further regulations, increased funding levied from the tobacco industry on a polluter pays principle and investment in the communities where smoking has the biggest impact.
Reset Your Health
Until May 5th 2022 Online
Reset Your Health is an informative and individualised online programme which equips the user with evidence-based nutritional advice and the practical skills they need to eat healthy. Using a detailed ingredient-based algorithm RYH provides recipes personalised to an individual’s food preferences, dietary requirements and health conditions helping reverse health conditions caused by lifestyle.
Afternoon Tea with Docs
Every Sunday at 5pm Online on Zoom
Join Dr Linda Mizun and Dr Erica Lin every Sunday for relaxed and educational health and lifestyle medicine discussion aimed at health professionals and the general public. This month's session are focusing autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disorders and arthritis with our very own Chairman Dr Rob Lawson, speaking on May 30th
Lifestyle Medicine in Clinical Practice
Until January 1st 2022 Online
Online Digital CPD Course 2. Accredited for 10 CPD hours by BSLM. This course has been created for busy NHS clinicians to enable them to practice evidence- based Lifestyle Medicine with their patients. CPD which is inspiring and will help you to feel more fulfilled in your own career.
The Future of Healthcare is Lifestyle Medicine
Until July 31st 2021 Online
This digital modular course provided by online CPD provider Inspired Medics is aimed at GPs looking to use lifestyle medicine in their consultations with patients.
