With a letter from Executive Director Fraser Quin, a change in recommended step count, NewScientist Event summary and many more opportunities, BSLM has already had a busy August!
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Aug 2023
Welcome member to
Your home of lifestyle medicine news
Another busy month here at BSLM and in general, Lifestyle Medicine is a fast becoming a topic that is on many individual's radars. We are so grateful for our Members and this diverse, passionate community that has grown around us. We want to thank you for all the collective and individual efforts and activity that ensures Lifestyle Medicine is at the forefront of conversation within the medical field and beyond.
Below is your guide to all things Lifestyle Medicine this month, feedback and insight into August so far and the months to come.
In this month's Newsletter...
HEADLINE NEWS
A Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Members,
It always seems a bit repetitive to begin my pieces with “there's so much exciting development work taking place at BSLM”. However, its been a few months since I last posted an update on what's going on at BSLM, and I can report that there has been so much development already, in all areas. I thought therefore that a simple list would be the best way to convey the breadth of work taking place.
- Emma Mulligan was promoted to COO in recognition of her incredible work around systems, process and membership. Emma is also the Deputy Executive Director.
- BSLM were the lead actor in the setting up of the World Lifestyle Medicine Organisation (WLMO), based in Geneva. I am the interim Executive Director of this organisation. There are currently 38 members of this organisation, which is operated via a General Assembly and is completely democratic. The first President is Ifeoma Monye, representing Africa.
- BSLM set up a wholly owned subsidiary, World Lifestyle Medicine Education and Services Ltd (WLMES). This enables BSLM to trade overseas, primarily in education services, which is not allowed as a charity under Scottish regulations (OSCR – Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator). This is what is called an “arms length” organisation, which protects BSLM from all liabilities. BSLM is the sole member, all profits automatically go to BSLM, and two BSLM Trustees, Dr Frances Elliot and Mr Laurence Stewart, sit on the WLMES board.
- Andrew Howie and Kate Woolley continue to develop the learning academy, Andrew in terms of business and administration, and Kate in terms of content. As we go to press we are just shy of 300 enrolled in the Core Accreditation. This just since January this year, is a phenomenal achievement and testament to the hard work by all HQ staff. We are now in advanced discussions with LM Societies throughout the world to support and develop their own Core Accreditation, using local case studies, local graphics, describing local systems. Unfortunately this growing list remains confidential until the Societies themselves release details, but on top of this we are seeing learners joining directly through BSLM from around the world individually, including form USA, Africa, Croatia, India.
- BSLM HQ continues to develop with additional staffing resources coming in during early winter this year (December). This will strengthen the existing team, provide new skills, and allow for the further development of BSLM services, both in the UK and overseas. Key posts will be around Business Development - Education, and Community Development – UK projects.
- We are currently in discussions with several Health Trusts about embedding Lifestyle Medicine training, through Core Accreditation, across all health care staff from physicians to AHP’s.
- We continue to expand corporate relationships, to secure funding for BSLM which allows us to do our charitable work.
- We continue to develop Member services, and ensure networks and opportunities for members are delivered affectively. Interaction between Members and BSLM has gone from below 20% 2 years ago to over 85% now, so we are working in the right direction. Never complacent, however, so feel free to contact the office with any suggestions for development, offers of help, willingness to write a course for the Learning Academy and so on.
- We are developing stronger relationships now with most of the Royal Colleges and other Lifestyle Medicine Organisations. The Royal Colleges in particular now see LM as a solution, and something to be embraced, not an oddity and an after-thought, which in turn opens up new opportunities for BSLM and our members.
- Manchester 2023 will be sold out soon, and it promises to be another fantastic event. We are in Newcastle in 2024, and hope to be in Brighton in 2025. It also looks like Warwick in 2026, so as you can see planning never stops!
The list really could go on, but enough is enough for now. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our members for supporting BSLM, the work you do in your communities, and helping us to bring that to the wider memberships attention. I would also like to thank what is still a small BSLM HQ team, that have achieved so much in such a short period of time, with so few resources.
See you all in Manchester in September.
Dr Fraser Quin, Executive Director
BLSM 2023 Conference
The countdown is on!
You've probably already seen a reminder on your newsfeeds, emails and also most likely your own calendar reminders, but we want to remind you as this is one of the last chances to grab your tickets to join us!
The conference is just over one month away on the 21st-23rd of September, with limited tickets remaining. We have an eventful few days planned with fantastic speakers, SIGs, Catering, Sponsors and lots of interactive activities too.
Some of the BSLM Staff Team were down in Manchester, at Manchester Central where the Conference will be held this year, scoping out the final adjustments for this years big event - we can't wait to see you there.
We had a busy day having a tour round of the venue and finalising all things BSLM 2023 - including what is always a highlight, the yummy, nutritious food!
If you have any further queries do contact us on office@bslm.org.uk however you can purchase the final few tickets down below if you don't already have the date in your diary.
We're really looking forward to welcoming you in the upcoming month at Manchester Central!
Reminder: BSLM2023 Gala Dinner
Friday 22nd Sept | 7.00pm - 11.45pm
Less than 30 tickets remain available for the annual BSLM Gala Dinner!
LIFESTYLE MEDICINE IN FOCUS
Some noteworthy Lifestyle Medicine features within the recent news in Britain.
The Broken Plate 2023
The Broken Plate 2023 Report by The Food Foundation is a breakdown of what needs to be done to support everyone to eat well. By assessing eight key metrics which highlight our current food environment and This year’s report assesses eight key metrics which provide an indication of our food environment, the current circumstances that are at play and what are the next moves to make sure we, as a nation, can make the critical moves to reach a sustainable level of healthy eating as Lifestyle Medicine.
A study was published on August the 9th in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology that suggests that less steps than previously recommended per day can increase life expectancy.
Your commute might be healthier than you think!
Welsh Nurse is funded by her community to take Lifestyle Medicine course
The Hywel Dda Health Charities, (official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board) raised funds through generous support of the Pembrokeshire community for Neuro-oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Janet Bower to embark on a Lifestyle Medicine based course.
After the public funded course in prescription of Lifestyle Medicine. Janet is maintaining her passion with Lifestyle Medicine and, in her own right, currently completing the BSLM Core Accreditation.
Janet supports people diagnosed with a primary brain tumour across local areas to her. Its so inspiring to see her supporting her community with Lifestyle Medicine! I'm sure we'll hear more from Janet going forward.
Other Lifestyle Medicine News and Events
Symprove and Dr Dawn Harper on UTIs
Symprove, one of our Organisational Members, has been working with Dr Dawn Harper, Practicing GP and medical broadcaster, to understand the evidence base behind different management options for urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Download the accredited CPD to read more about the impact of antibiotic prescribing in UTI management, alternative management options and self-care and lifestyle management approaches to help reduce the risk of UTIs.
Grief and Lifestyle Medicine
By Dr Jodanna Dawson
We would like to share with you the latest blog on our website. We are so grateful that Jodanna Dawson has provided us with this beautiful piece, opening up important dialogue around a difficult topic.
Jodanna is very keen to connect with others who have found the benefits of lifestyle medicine to help support them when experiencing grief. Jodanna has opened up about her own personal experience associated with baby loss and postnatal bereavement care. Although she is particularly keen to hear from anyone who has been through a similar experience, she would welcome the opportunity to discuss with others in the BSLM community about their own personal experience of grief / loss using lifestyle medicine as a support.
5th European Lifestyle Medicine Congress
10% off for BSLM Members!
The 5th European Lifestyle Medicine Congress is coming up in Budapest, Hungary in November this year.
We're delighted to have been invited, we're looking forward to catching up with global Lifestyle Medicine stakeholders there alongside the 3 day itinerary at Semmelweis University that is a mixture of talks, workshops and interactive discussion.
As part of our communication partnership with European Lifestyle Medicine Organisation, we are also delighted to offer BSLM members 10% off their tickets if they'd like to attend! If you're able to make it, you'll see our own Dr Rob Lawson and Dr Fraser Quin there too.
Other BSLM August Updates
Edinburgh Fringe Featuring Lifestyle Medicine
On the 9th August, BSLM Trustee, Dr Barbara Phipps and three friends ran a hugely successful one night show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Entitled "Living Proof: Stories of hope and recovery from chronic pain and illness" it attracted a full house and great feedback!
Linwoods are now Organisational Members!
We're delighted to have Linwoods Healthfoods join us as an Organisational Member this month. Linwoods are leaders in the Health Foods sphere, aiming to promote health and well-being through their nutritious, sustainably produced, sourced and high in organic quality health foods
FEATURED BSLM EVENTS
Head to the dedicated BSLM events page for the full list of upcoming events
BSLM Monthly Webinar Update
Due to BSLM 2023 falling in the month of September, we are not holding a monthly webinar next month. We thank you for your understanding and hope that instead you'll join us either virtually or in-person to enjoy all that BSLM 2023 has to offer!
If you are looking to still utilise the previous recorded webinars we have, you can find them on our Webinars page under Previous Webinars.
We look forward to presenting our next one in October!
BSLM August Webinar
Our monthly BSLM member's webinar series took place this month on Tuesday 15th August at 7pm.
We had two amazing speakers providing us further insight on the following topics:
Both speakers brought valuable expertise, insights and lived experiences to the webinar, leaving all that attended with food for thought.
If you attended, did you find that there were parts of the speaker's topics or content that particularly stood out? What did you take away from the session?
If there is any topics you'd like to see or any suggestions of improvement, (apart from Emma's camera working!) please do contact us.
NewScientist Events July 2023 - A Summary
By Dr Chetna Patel
NewScientist held an event called The Science of Health and Wellbeing, which consisted of two sessions. The morning was focussed on diet and exercise and the afternoon focussed on how to live better and improve your wellbeing.
Diet, exercise, a healthier lifestyle and wellbeing are of course, fundamentals in Lifestyle Medicine. We are so grateful that Dr Chetna Patel, Regional Lifestyle Lead for London, attended the following event giving us a summary of how these apply to Lifestyle Medicine while creating links to the speakers. Hopefully we'll be able to see some further insight from the below speakers soon!
The morning session on Diet and Exercise consisted of talks from:
Personalised nutrition with Dr Kate Bermingham, Senior Nutrition Scientist at Zoe - Kings College
Summary and points to take away:
- Dr Kate Bermingham discussed human variation and factors which determine individual responses to different diets and lifestyles. Emphasis on variations between humans which can cause weight changes, BMs and why we need personalised care.
- Interesting data and studies which could be applicable to Lifestyle Medicine
- Lots of interesting examples of factors influencing BMs eg sleep, when we eat, speed of eating, age of participants, time of day, exercise, meal ordering, sleep, eating speed, snacking.
- Explanation of what dips in BMs can mean physiologically– eg feeling ‘Hangry’
- Interesting to lean about factors that can influence BM’s, gut transit time, the gut microbiome.
Can you outrun a bad diet? With Dylan Thomas, Professor of Human Physiology and Director for Centre of Nutrition, Exercise, Metabolism - University of Bath. Expert member of the Chief Medical Officer’s 2019 UK Physical Activity Guidelines.
Summary and points to take away:
- Engaging, detailed scientific talk, which focused on the impact of exercise and physical activity on energy balance.
- Talk included descriptions of the effect of prescribed exercise, daily energy expenditure, theoretical comparison of energy consumption/energy expenditure. Graphs/data used to support information eg energy expenditure in ‘prescribed’ and also ‘non- prescribed’ movement.The data and physiological evidence given supports Lifestyle Medicine advice.
- The second topic of this talk was the impact of exercise and Physical Activity independent of energy balance. This reflected on the benefits of Physical Activity in broader terms with data to support, including changes in physiology (Insulin response, blood markers, gene expression) and data about effect of bed rest on insulin resistance/glucose levels.
- Dylan talked about research he is currently involved in with an interested Cardiology Consultant– the effect of Lifestyle Medicine on coronary artery disease.
The third talk of the morning was: Obesity drugs with Simon Cork, Neuroscientist - experience in the field of gut hormone regulation of appetite. This talk's focus was on the class of drug, past/present weight loss drugs, pharmacology/mechanism of action of these, not Lifestyle Medicine. Very relevant to Healthcare workers and helpful to understand appetite/hunger/weight in this context.
The afternoon session on how to live better and improve your wellbeing consisted of talks from:
Sleep with Nicola Barclay, Sleep Scientist, Sleep Universal Limited
Summary and points to take away:
- A talk on the areas of: Why do we sleep, the circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock and entrainment.
- Examples of sleep disorders which were interesting.
- Benefits of sleep and problems with poor quality sleep (eg on diet, cognition, function. Effect of light, temperature, food, drink, exercise. Importance of routine. Sleep trackers and development of orthosomnia. Related to a large amount of information featured in the Core Accreditation.
The second talk of the afternoon was: Your immune system - can it be boosted? With Dr Al Edwards, Associate Professor in Biomedical Technology, University of Reading / Southampton. This talk's focus was on the general health state and the effect on the immune function (ie if the immune system is affected by general health), specifically around immunity and Vitamin C, which was really engaging. Also a highlight on microbes and the immune system which was a little less relevant to Lifestyle Medicine. Great topic but sadly did not give any conclusive evidence.
The third talk was: Stoicism with Tim Lebon, Accredited psychotherapist and author. The talk covered the history of stoicism, factors which are within and outwith our control. Discussion on the importance of spending time building up virtues/skills that enable us to live well. Discussion about thoughts and beliefs, how these can affect out psychological and physiological state. Some discussion about thinking pattern disorders (from a CBT perspective) which was interesting, however less Lifestyle Medicine oriented.
Overall it sounded like an enlightening and useful event to go to see the speakers present on such topics. We hope in the future NewScientist will bring out more events that highlight the importance of Lifestyle Medicine.
A big thank you again to Dr Chetna Patel for passing forward her experience and notes, as all of you can now benefit from the event too. As the above, Regional Lifestyle Leads and other volunteer roles often attend industry events for the purposes of promoting Lifestyle Medicine and BSLM, as well as sharing feedback with us.
If you're attending a similar event and would like to do so too, we encourage you to share with us so you and the BSLM community benefits!
Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART)
Discount available for BSLM Members that embark on the course!
With Dr Miriam Maisel
Dr Miriam Maisel is happy to offer Stress Management and Resiliency Training (S.M.A.R.T) to our BSLM community. She conducts these training sessions in 8 week cycles, with the next starting on the 6th of September.
She presents the course in the original form, taught at the Harvard-affiliated Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine. She is one of very few doctors outwith the US authorised to teach the course, so this is a valuable opportunity for all interested.
The course has evolved over decades since the 1970's to include CBT and acknowledge the societal changes in which stress can arise. It provides valuable tools to intake and apply the course in best method that suits the individual taking the course.
Further insight provided by the September Cycle Flyer below
The next cycle runs from 6th December to 8th February with Christmas and New Year off.
Other Events
Learning Academy
A Note from our Clinical Director of BSLM Learning Academy
Calling all budding lifestyle medicine course writers!
Do you have an area of special interest within lifestyle medicine that you would like to write a course in?
Building on the success of our Microbiome and Core Accreditation in LM courses, we are looking to expand our range of options for learners.
Our experienced team will support you every step of the way. If you would like to learn more about what course writing entails you can watch this video of our vice president, Ellen Fallows, talking about course writing.
We are currently particularly looking for writers in the areas of women’s health, child and adolescent health, and weight management, so please do let us know if you have expertise in these areas. However, if you have another idea for a course, please get in touch and we would be happy to explore it with you.
To express interest please complete this form and we will be in touch to discuss next steps.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Dr Kate Wooley, Clinical Director of BSLM Learning Academy
A reminder if you're not quite ready for writing a course, but would be interested in presenting on an evidence-based topic - we'd love to hear from you for our monthly webinars.
Look at our other BSLM courses
BSLM 2023 Core Accreditation attendance
A reminder to all of those enrolled on our Core Accreditation, and Core Accredited Members to get their tickets at BSLM 23 conference. Limited Tickets left!
NHS NETWORKS
Top News Stories in August
How do people feel about virtual wards?
The Health Foundation commissioned a survey of 7,100 members of the public and 1,251 NHS staff members to find out how supportive they are of virtual wards and what they they think is important for making sure they work well.
Sweeteners ineffective for weight control
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidance recommending against the use of non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases.
Feelings of self-doubt can stir up a lot of fear, anxiety, and stress. With many people having the feelings or thoughts of imposter syndrome this virtual workshop focuses on the triggers, positive effects and tools and techniques to be able to identify those and act upon them.
Email us - office@bslm.org.uk
