Hope you've had a slightly sunny end to February - with signs of spring! ☀️ Read for February's lifestyle medicine updates! 🧬
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February 2024
Welcome member to
Your home of lifestyle medicine news
It's not a leap year this year but we've managed to fit in as much as a full month! We hope you've kept busy with the slightly warmer weather and keeping active outdoors.
As always we want to take this opportunity to thank our growing Membership and this diverse, passionate community that has grown around us. We are grateful that month on month you follow our updates, contribute and build this fantastic and inclusive network across the UK and beyond!
Below is your guide to all things Lifestyle Medicine this month, insight into February at BSLM and also what's in store come for March!
In this month's Newsletter...
HEADLINE NEWS
Have you got your tickets yet?
SUPER EARLY BIRD TICKETS FOR BSLM 2025 NOW AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY!
With our Super Early Bird Tickets, there will never be a better time to book your place at BSLM 2025, offering the best value available for the conference. As members you are at the core of our community, so we are offering you all the opportunity to get your tickets first, and at the best rate!
LIFESTYLE MEDICINE IN FOCUS
Some noteworthy Lifestyle Medicine features within the recent news in Britain.
Due to the unsafe storage of prescribed and over-the-counter medications around children, this can cause unintentional poisoning in children under 11.
It's important that key messages about the need to store the medication we do take safely – and how to do so – are communicated through pharmacies, GP surgeries and any outlet where these medicines can be bought:
"More drugs with a risk of dependency or withdrawal are prescribed to adults in the most deprived areas, which is reflected in the increased risk to children living there.
More targeted messaging about storing medicines safely could help people living in more deprived areas, the researchers say. The findings strengthen the argument for measures such as home safety assessments as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)."
Call for Abstracts: BSLM25
We are looking for examples of original, important or relevant work in the areas of science, research, clinical application (including service improvement or audit projects) or public health. Successful applicants will be offered the opportunity to present a poster live at BSLM 2025, with top submissions offered main stage oral presenting opportunities.
Newest Releases available to read now!
The newest release in February, as there were quite a few, are:
On the 6th of February; Low Back Pain in the Third Trimester: Social Implications for Pregnant Women in Nigerian Suburban Hospitals, was released. The 11th February saw a Correction to Cold Water Swimming and Pregnancy: A Scoping Review and Consensus Recommendations, following with the 14th February releasing Predictors of Adherence to Diabetes Self-Care Management Among Diabetes Patients in Public Health Facilities of Central Ethiopia: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study. On the 20th of February, both Parent's Motivation and Behaviour to Protect Their Children From COVID-19: A Prospective Test of Self-Determination Theory and Factors Associated With Inadequate Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults in Bangladesh: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Survey were released together. The final release for this month was An Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Health on the 25th.
We want to hear about your Lifestyle Medicine success stories!
Such a valuable part of our annual event. Once again, we’re inviting submissions for poster presentation abstracts which demonstrate the value of lifestyle medicine in clinical practice.
Current health policy is calling for a shift from treatment to prevention!
Should prevention be more tests and earlier medications or surgery? Or is real prevention more policy action, public health and lifestyle medicine? The data suggests we should double down on policy, public health and support to address the root causes of ill health. Compared with information on age and sex, polygenic risk scores for 22 major diseases explained less than 2% of additional mortality variation, whereas the “exposome” (what we are exposed to in our lifetimes due to our environment and lifestyle) explained an additional 17%.
Lifestyle Medicine works at a one-to-one level to personalise assessment and support to improve factors such as inactivity, social isolation, poor quality diets, harmful tech use and more. Lifestyle Medicine practice in a consulting room, requires strong policy and public health action to enable people to live healthy lives in their communities.
Other Lifestyle Medicine News and Events
Linwoods: Dr. Alan Desmond Shares 5 Key Reasons Why Flaxseeds Should Be Part of Every Man’s Diet.
Looking for a simple way to support your heart, digestion, and overall well-being? Flaxseeds could be the game-changer you need. That’s why we’ve teamed up with leading gut health expert, Dr. Alan Desmond, to bring you the science-backed benefits of flaxseeds.
As a Consultant Gastroenterologist and bestselling author, Dr. Alan knows firsthand how powerful these tiny seeds can be for men’s health. Read on to discover five compelling reasons why adding Linwoods organic, cold-milled flaxseeds to your daily routine is a smart move for your heart, waistline, and even your prostate.
New Course: Dr Behrooz Behbod
In aid of our upcoming Lifestyle Medicine: Workforce First Study Day event theme, which is free for all NHS, health and care sector workforce, we thought it would be good to share this resource with you:
This resource is made by Dr Behrooz Behbod whom we worked with when creating our Lifestyle Medicine Start-Up course. For more information on both please hit the links below.
The course on supporting learners for a lifestyle medicine business startup is designed to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the essential tools and knowledge to launch and grow a successful practice in lifestyle medicine. It covers critical aspects such as developing a solid business plan, understanding legal and regulatory requirements, and identifying target markets.
LATEST NEWS AT BSLM
We've included some updates below to give you an idea of what we've been up to & updates for you.
An interest of BSLM: The Future of the Rosebank and Jackdaw Oilfields
BSLM are Members of UKHACC (UK Health Alliance for Climate Change) and recently attended the meeting which had focus on the government’s consideration around the future of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oilfields. In support of opposition to any new oil and gas fields in order to secure a healthy, liveable future, our Planetary Health Special Interest Group have drafted this email should you wish to support the initiative and reach out to your local MP as a result.
If you haven't read this yet, do so on our website below.
We really appreciate your time - Member Feedback
Member experience is of the upmost experience to us at BSLM and we'd love to hear a little more from you. As we grow, your feedback, opinions and suggestions help us shape our service and strategy. Please spare a few minutes to complete the questions below.
NHS Change: On our website!
This has been almost a permanent feature the last few months, but it's still as relevant as it was last year!
Our NHS Change Campaign has now been listed on our news page making it easier for you to share far and wide!
Make sure to check out the campaign video and also the blog release.
Lifestyle Medicine: Workforce First next week!
Quick reminder again this event is FREE access to all NHS, health and care sector workforce.
Join us for this one day, CPD Accredited “Workforce First” Study day where we’ll talk about how you can support yourself first, ensuring you’re in a better position to support your patients.
You can watch this event live, or if you can't get the time to watch on the day, you'll be able to watch on demand when suits you. We understand the great need to prevent burnout in the interim, and that means taking your time to utilise this study day in the best way for your busy schedule!
What's happening in Our Communities?
Voices of Lived Experience: A different update
This area of the newsletter usually focusses on an update ‘BSLM Voice of Lived Experience’ group, comprised of passionate individuals who have all used lifestyle medicine to manage, and even reverse, a chronic illness or condition.
We have a slightly different, but equally as important update this month!
We wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge congratulations to David Wortley FRSA, a key member of this group has now been appointed as the Non-Executive Director for BSLM WLMES, our international trading arm in which makes it possible for us to provide international education. Thank you to all that applied for this role.
We hope to share with you soon more resources and personal experiences in exciting ways - watch this space!
Our monthly Live Well Update
With the Live Well East Lothian Team
“After some successful funding bids, Live Well East Lothian is now able to expand the class timetable to follow demand in the community. We have recently put on two new classes and reached out into a new area in East Lothian, also attracting a different demographic of residents helping us to continue ensuring everyone has access to the exercise they need to live well!
New ‘Better Balance’ class in Musselburgh: This class aims to strengthen joints, improve balance and prevent falls by incorporating full body exercises, getting down on the floor and Tai Chi stretches. All exercises can be adapted to each person's need.
New Dance class in Prestonpans: This dance class is for all ages and abilities and is all about having fun and keeping moving. Everybody is welcome and no partner required.”
Is there something like Live Well East Lothian that you refer your patients to? Something like this in your area that instills a sense of community and wellbeing? Let us know below, we'd love to share initiatives like this one near you!
Our Podcasts
Sound Living is Back!
Ep.7- Small Changes, Big Impact: The Power of Lifestyle Medicine
Microbiome Medics Newest Release:
Ep.23 - From Leeuwenhoek to Today: Unveiling the Secrets of the Oral Microbiome
The Movement Prescription Podcast are back! Their Newest release:
Ep.27 -The Weight of Change: Integrating GLP-1 Therapy with Physical Activity
Every time one of the podcasts above are released we'll be updating the newsletter so keep an eye out for updates here too for your monthly listening fix!
FEATURED BSLM EVENTS
Head to the dedicated BSLM events page for the full list of upcoming events
March's Webinar is round the corner..
.. Here's a sneak peek for this upcoming month!
We hope you enjoyed our January return:
Our previous Webinars are below if you want to catch up on them!
Other Events
Schedule the below in your diary for March 2025!
ELC Works - Lunch and Learn Webinars: Group Clinics to Address Gynaecology Waits
7th March @ 12.30-1.30pm - Online
BSLM's Lifestyle Medicine Support for Weight Management for GLP-1 Therapy
Trellis Therapeutic Horticulture Conference 2025
BSLM's Monthly Webinar: March 18th
DUSMS: All Things Social Prescribing Tayside
Pulse365 Live: 18-19th March 2025
Talk 7: March 19th 25 - Sleep, the Ageing Brain and Maintenance Cognitive Therapy
Nursing365 London
CVRMUK 2025
RCPCH Conference 2025
Learning Academy
The newest course available to you!
It’s been another busy month for the Learning Academy. You will have no doubt seen the social medial posts about our recently released courses - but we have another new release for you as part of our courses mentioned at BSLM24!
What will this course provide?
This course will provide learners with an introduction to Functional Somatic Disorders. Functional Somatic Disorders are symptoms and disorders that do not arise from well-defined structural pathology or disease. They are commonly known as medically unexplained symptoms, functional symptoms/disorders, functional somatic syndromes (which include conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome), psychosomatic or somatoform disorder amongst other names.
Who is this course for?
This course is for any healthcare professional caring for patients with functional somatic disorders. These conditions can be encountered in almost every area of medicine and healthcare and cause significant impairment and morbidity.
Why should I do this course?
Many healthcare professionals receive very little training in this area and better understanding is key to providing effective treatment, and lifestyle medicine is frequently at the centre of this.
A few opportunity reminders:
Do you have an interest in social prescribing? BSLM President Dr Alex Maxwell has been kind enough to write us a course on social prescribing and we are looking for a passionate member with strong knowledge of this subject to help us give it a final BSLM Learning Academy polish as a joint writer. If you would like the opportunity to get this on your CV we would love to hear from you.
We are also looking to appoint a BSLM learner panel to help us continue to deliver a brilliant experience and make our Learning Academy even better. We anticipate that this group will meet quarterly. If you have learned with us on any of our courses then we would love you to join, with the opportunity to acquire Learning Academy credit by way of thanks for your time. Spots are limited so get in touch ASAP.
If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please get in touch with us via office@bslm.org.uk (or via the button below)
Thought about doing our Core Accreditation?
NHS NETWORKS
Top News Stories in February
Study on youth vaping
Addressing inequalities: health literacy geodata
Neighbourhood teams for children and young people
Sustainability in general practice
Email us - office@bslm.org.uk
