Principles Of Life Style Intervention In Health & Disease

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle of an individual is governed by so many factors such as culture and family background, education, profession and financial status, social standing, religious beliefs, health status, personal, family and social necessities etc. In fact, everything which governs life and living has a bearing upon the lifestyle of different individual.

Different people have different lifestyles. A good lifestyle is one which gives maximum satisfaction to life by way of establishing all round harmony with forces that govern life which is turn provides good physical and mental health, growth potential and joy of living.

LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION
The lifestyle intervention is a vast field involving deep knowledge of a good number of subjects and therefore it will not be desirable to take up the subject so lightly and allow anyone with superficial and mediocre knowledge to counsel and practice it. Top medical scientists and surgeons have started realizing the limitations of medical and surgical interventions and need for lifestyle intervention in a number of chronic diseases including the psychosomatic ones.

The necessity or intervention in one’s lifestyle arises only when it is observed that

the particular lifestyle and way of living is not providing desired level of efficiency and satisfaction to life
it is proving detrimental to achieving the goals of life
it is creating health problems
the change circumstances warrant so

there is better choice which one can afford to his benefit
the latest scientific findings suggest for something new
one has contracted some disease which can not be cured through other medical means; or
The modification in lifestyle may promote early recovery or prevention from deterioration and acquiring fresh disease etc.
In assorting to lifestyle intervention, the belief that there is some force inherent within the body which brings about positive changes and restores health is certainly involved. The naturopaths term this force as vitality or vital force. The normal and healthy functioning of the bodily organs depend upon adequacy of this vital force. When due to unnatural living and thinking, hostile environmental conditions and various other factors this vital force deplete beyond certain limits, the bodily organs start loosing their efficiency and at advance stages start malfunctioning resulting in hypo or hyper active conditions. Thus the reduced vitality results in physiological changes leading to disease. Unless one believes in the fact that the body has inherent mechanism to heal itself if given an opportunity to do so and that the body is always striving for the good of the individual, lifestyle intervention has no meaning.

Generally the lifestyle interventions are aimed at achieving any or all of the following:

Giving maximum satisfaction to life.
Tuning and bringing living nearer to nature.
Establishing harmony with family and society for optimum convenience, happiness and growth.
Removing obstacles to health, promotion of health, curing diseases or prevention of diseases.
Reducing stress.
Increasing efficiency and fulfi11ing job requirements.

Promoting all round harmony.
Since the point of consideration here is lifestyle intervention in health and disease, it can be said that the lifestyle intervention should aim at

I. Making a person live in tune with constructive principles in nature so as to conserve, economize and increase vital force which promote health and prevent diseases.
II. Reducing the influence of destructive principles in nature which deplete vital force, deteriorate health and promote disease.
Vague ideas create confusion. The discussion will be more fruitful if we consider and define the constructive and destructive principles of nature as well as health and disease. In this connection, I would like to quote the definitions proposed by Dr. Henry Lindlahr as given below:

The constructive principle in nature referred to above is that principle which builds up, improves, and repairs, which always makes for the perfect type, whose activity in nature is designated as evolutionary and constructive and which is opposed to the destructive principle in nature.

The destructive principle in nature is that principle which disintegrates and destroys existing forms and types, and whose activity in nature is designated as devolutionary and destrucitve.

Health is normal and harmonious vibration of the elements and forces composing the human entity on the physical, mental, moral and spiritual planes of being, in conformity with the constructive principle of nature applied to individual life.

Disease is abnormal or inharmonious vibration of the elements and forces composing the human entity on one or more planes of being in conformity with the destructive principle of nature applied to individual life.

The purpose of lifestyle intervention by way of readjusting the physical, mental and biological activities of a person is to achieve any one of the following goals:

To support or supplement some on going medical treatment to cure or give relief to some disease.
To treat a disease exclusively through lifestyle changes.
To promote health and prevent diseases
It should be remembered that a single change in one factor or one behavior use to influence several other factors and behaviors associated with it. Therefore at times a single and simple change produces the needful results. However at times interventions at various levels are required, to achieve the desired results.

FACTORS TO BE CARED IN LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION
Lifestyle intervention is a process to bring about normalcy or harmony in an individual in case of a disease condition and build or promote health when one is not ill, in accordance with constructive principles in nature on the physical, mental, moral and spiritual planes of his/her being.

In lifestyle modification in relation to health and disease, the under mentioned factors are required to be specially considered and modifications done where ever needed in accordance with the well laid down principles concerning them:

Basic Functions of life:

Eating,
Sleeping,
Sex
Relaxation
Spiritual upliftment.
Personal necessities:

Dressing and cosmetic
Living environment and home furnishings
Mobility and conveyance
Job or profession
Exercise and rest.
Mental aspect:

Study, Education and Skills

Aptitudes and preferences for satiation of sense organs,

Hobbies,

Manias and phobias

Liking and disliking (feelings)

Assertiveness

Inhibitions and areas of unassertiveness.

Family and Social aspect:

Adjustability

Morality

Love and hate, anger and tender feelings

Closeness and openness

Relationships,

When all is well, it can be presumed that the person is having a healthy lifestyle.

If all is not well, something may be wrong in any or all the factors narrated above.

The physician is required to examine each one of the above factors thoroughly and deeply and thereafter alter or modify whatever is wrong, insufficient and excessive keeping in mind that every body is unique and no one principle is applicable to all. That which provides maximum benefit and satisfaction to one is the best lifestyle for him.

PRINCIPLES TO BE OBSERVED IN LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION:
Vague ideas and superficial grasping of facts and problems are not desirable especially in counseling of lifestyle intervention as the new lifestyle may affect not only the life and living of the person seeking advice but also to others who are associated with him/her. Therefore take time to fully understand the patient and his problems.
In case the new lifestyle adopted by an individual is producing negative results, he should be brought back to his/her previous lifestyle for sometime and then after thorough study, fresh intervention program should be introduced.
Drastic changes at time are counterproductive and frustrate the patient. Proceed step by step with simple changes.
The physicians practicing lifestyle intervention techniques should acquaint themselves well with the concepts of vitality, healing crisis, disease crisis and laws of nature.
Intervention in spiritual aspects is to be avoided as far as possible unless the patient is grossly confused over the matter. Care should be taken that inherent spiritual tendencies of the individual are not altered. One should be allowed to make spiritual progress through his/her own path. Only the basic ideas are required to be clarified. Total freedom in matters of spirituality is of the utmost importance. One should be generous enough to believe that all paths lead to the same goal. The role of lifestyle interventionist is simply to make the patient aware that spirituality is integral part of him/her and negligence in spiritual upliftment is not desirable. Prayers done according to own faith help in reducing stress, increasing efficiency and achieving goal. Real contentment comes only through spiritual upliftment.
The innovations of science, fast technological advancements etc is shrinking the world and bringing people and different cultures nearer to each other creating a sort of crisis. A new global culture is in the offing and those who could not keep pace with these fast developments at rimes suffer from depression anxiety and other psychosomatic problems. Change in age old values in this scientific age is inevitable and it has a definite impact on the lifestyle of the people. Try to understand and distinguish the universal values which never change (such as Yamas and Niyamas as defined in Patanjali Yoga Sutras) and those values which are outcome of geographical condition and life situation which change with the passage of time and circumstances. Make this aspect clear to the patient if he/she is confronted with such problems.
Habits and behaviors can be modified through appropriate training programmes such as assertiveness trainings, behavior therapy etc. and new skills can be acquired. If need be, the patient may be referred to specialists of such fields for better and fast result.
All human beings want dignity and self fulfillment. Make the patient know his/her own wants and feelings, his/her rights and duties and teach how to become assertive for those wants and feelings. A good number of people suffer from problems due to unassertiveness.
Apart from making suitable modifications as may be needed in various factors outlined above in proceeding paragraph, set a goal of life and sub goals thereto in case the patient has no such goals or inappropriate goals have been set. This will motivate the patient to adopt a new way of life, renew his enthusiasm, generate fresh energy and make him move fast transforming his personality.