SOUTH AFRICAN LIFESTYLE MEDICINE ASSOCIATION
Over the years since I graduated in 1975, I have seen a dramatic change in the disease profiles amongst my patients. This is particularly noticeable in the rural parts of Africa. In the early days, working at a Mission Hospital in Lesotho, it was rare to see...
Introduction: Lifestyle Medicine is most meaningful and inspiring when adopting its principles brings dramatic improvement in health and wellbeing. This is especially so when a fellow medical practitioner discovers this transformational potential. I have personally...
Running on Empty? By Dr Nyasha Grace Gogoma There is a medical condition that lurks just beneath the surface, affecting billions of people all over the world, yet often going unrecognized and under-diagnosed. Symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and fatigue are...
By Dr Lydia Altini MBBCh DipIBLM NBCHWC “No western disease has been reported to be other than rare or uncommon in communities subsisting largely on foods rich in starch and fibre and low in fat, salt and sugar.” Dennis Burkitt, MD As a medical student, I remember...
By Amanda Oakes-Cornellissen Living in a hyperconnected world In today’s digital age, screens have become inseparable from daily life – used for work, education, social connection, and entertainment. However, what was once a tool for convenience has increasingly...
By Dr David Glass We fall and scrape our knees, and a few weeks later, the scars are barely visible. We slip off a rock and land hard on our chest, breaking a rib. For a few weeks, we have to sleep at night lying propped up in bed because of the pain. But six...
By Dr Nyasha Gogoma Picture this: rose petals strewn across the floor, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a chilled bottle of wine, and a gourmet candlelit dinner – a Valentine’s Day scene straight out of a TikTok. The 14th of February can be a highly polarising day;...
By Dr Megan Michaux Perhaps the black sheep of the lifestyle medicine family, the harmful substances and behaviours pillar, often gets pushed aside during discussions and consultations. Why? Maybe because it is one of the most challenging areas to change, or because...
Dr Lydia Altini MBBCh DipIBLM In early November, the first-ever South African clinical practice guideline for treating adult obesity was published in a Special Issue of the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ).1 With obesity now a global epidemic driving major health,...
By: Dr Megan Michaux As healthcare professionals, most of our training focuses on the classic one-to-one consultation. We’re taught how to listen actively, show empathy, and keep the conversation centred on the patient in front of us. But what happens when the...