Lifestyle Medicine In Action: Looking Forward Having trouble viewing this email? View as webpage. Lifestyle Medicine in Action February 2012 President's Desk: Looking Forward This will be my last column as ACLM President. As I write it there is nostalgia, but more importantly there is excitement about what is coming next for Lifestyle Medicine. Core to that future for organized LM are the results of the recent election. We had an amazing group of candidates – we thank everyone who was willing to stand and serve. I'm pleased to announce that our President Elect is David Katz, MD, MPH. Dr. Katz is a nationally and internationally known Lifestyle Medicine expert. I'll never forget his admonition to the audience as he gave the Katherine Boucot Sturgis lecture last year at Lifestyle Medicine 2011 – "in the treatment of chronic disease there is LIFESTYLE MEDICINE (in huge letters on his slide), and there's everything else (in very small letters on his slide)". Our secretary-treasurer for the next two years will be George Guthrie, MD, MPH. Dr. Guthrie has served actively and ably for the last 2 years in this capacity. I'm thrilled he's willing to continue to contribute to Lifestyle Medicine so substantially. Our two elected directors are Sami Beg, MD, MPH and Dexter Shurney, MD, MPH. Dr. Beg is associate medical director of US Preventive Medicine, Inc. With his appointment he brings significant experience in the corporate and policy world and years of advocating LM – all with a still youthful energy and creative mind. We're thrilled he will be helping to guide ACLM. Dr. Shurney is the Chief Medical Director of the Vanderbilt Health Plan. He has contributed substantially to ACLM by sitting on the AJLM editorial board, as Chair of our Publications and Communications Committee, as well as in a Director's capacity. He also brings experience with him from the corporate and professional organization world. We're thrilled he's willing to continue his service for another two years. Continue reading at lifestylemedicine.org Advisor Spotlight: Michael Holick, MD, PhD Michael Holick, MD, PhD, is professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University Medical Center. He is widely recognized as the foremost authority on vitamin D. We welcome him as the newest expert Advisor on the ACLM Board of Advisors. Dr. Holick was the first scientist to identify the major circulating form of vitamin D in the body as 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. He later isolated and identified the active form of vitamin D as 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Dr. Holick considers vitamin D deficiency to be our most common health challenge, observing that vitamin D is "in a class by itself, with far-reaching effects on the body that align with the way hormones act to influence metabolic pathways, cellular functions, and the expression of myriad genes." He points to findings now linking vitamin D deficiency to cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, infectious disease, depression, impaired cognitive function and other conditions, asserting that the benefits of adequate vitamin D go far beyond maintaining optimal bone health. Despite evidence of its profound importance to human health, the global scale of vitamin D inadequacy is not yet fully comprehended. Dr. Holick asserts that "vitamin D deficiency is the most prominent malady that exists on the planet today." He points out that the solutions for preventing and treating the problem are simple and achievable, with vitamin D supplements widely available and relatively inexpensive. He also advocates for sensible sun exposure when possible, as the best source of vitamin D, also known as "the sunshine vitamin". He explains that vitamin D is in fact a hormone, not a vitamin, and that skin, when exposed to sunlight has a large capacity to produce vitamin D. Dr. Holick questions the prevailing wisdom of shielding ourselves from the sun. "Most of the world's population has been brain-washed into thinking that any exposure to sunlight is bad medicine." Continue reading at lifestylemedicine.org New CME Events Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives March 22-25, 2012 Napa Valley, CA Presented by Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America The 33rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions April 11-14, 2012 New Orleans, LA Presented by The Society of Behavioral Medicine Food As Medicine July 7-10, 2012 Washington, DC area Presented by The Center for Mind-Body Medicine Welcome, New Members! Abraham Chukwu, MD Associate Physician: Occupational Health, Centegra Health Systems McHenry, Illinois Gerald Cooke, MD Private Practice Internal Medicine Chicago, Illinois Susan Hart- Cavallo, MD Director of Lifestyle Medicine, Physicians Holistic Health Alliance Mishawaka, Indiana Deborah Kiley, MN, DNP Family Nurse Practitioner, Integrative Health Coach Anchorage, Alaska James Lando, MD, MPH Career Epidemiology Field Officer Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Sumedh Mankar Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Student, University of North Texas Fort Worth, Texas Roberta Meltzer, MD Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Medical Walk In Torrington, Connecticut Peg Miller, MD Director, Women's Medicine Collaborative Providence, Rhode Island Joanne Pizzino, MD, MPH Medical Director, Total Life Clinic Cary, North Carolina Steven Tuschman, DC Co-Owner, Healthy Nation Consulting, Inc Minnetonka, Minnesota Mitcheal Metzner, PhD Veterans Administration Medical Center Fallbrook, California Thomas Harman, MD Medical Director, LifeView Care, PLLC Bloomington, Minnesota ACLM membership empowers the Lifestyle Medicine movement, advancing healthcare that treats the cause. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of being a member, you can read about them on our website. Research Summaries The following presented by WebMD Low Levels of Vitamin D May Be Linked to Depression Change Diet, Alter Your Brain Grief May Boost Heart Attack Risk Drinking Black Tea May Lower Blood Pressure Does 'The Biggest Loser' Hurt or Help Obese People? Does Junk Food in Schools Matter? Natural Trans Fats Less Unhealthy Than Manmade Variety Positive Psychology has Limited Health Benefits Herbal Medicines for Arthritis not Backed by Evidence The following presented by American Medical News Insured Americans have Healthier Lifestyles than Uninsured The following presented by American MedlinePlus Fish Oil Plus Exercise May Do Older Muscles Good Need to Exercise More? Think How It Will Help You Now More, Faster Weight Loss Seen With Gastric Bypass Than Banding Overweight Teen Girls May Have Higher Acne Risk Too Much Vitamin D Could Be Harmful to Heart Vitamin D Doesn't Ease Lung Disease Symptoms Frequent Red Meat Eaters at Higher Risk of Stroke How to Keep From Overeating When Eating Out Your Taste for Fat May Reside in Your Genes Weight Gain Often Unrecognized by Young Women Magnesium-rich Diet May Lower Stroke Risk Exercise May Help Those at Higher Risk for Alzheimer's Seeing Red Pomegranate Seed Oil Fails to Cool Hot Flashes The following presented by American Medpage Today (May require log-in) Sex OK for Most Patients With Stable Heart Disease 1 in 5 Americans Had Mental Illness in 12-Month Period Glimmer of Hope in U.S. Obesity Picture Bacon, Sausage Linked to Pancreatic Cancer For the Overweight, Some Carbs Better than Others The following presented by Kaiser Health News Heavy Doctors Avoid Heavy Discussions Links to Opinion Articles, Practice Advice and Patient Handouts The following presented by WebMD How to Eat Less and Enjoy It More Juicing: How Healthy Is It? Carbohydrate Cravings: Normal or Not? How to Boost Your 'Good' Cholesterol Low Testosterone and Your Health 20 Tips for Better Sleep Surprising Reasons Why You're Gaining Weight The 'Good' Fat You Should Be Eating Foods to Help You Feel Better The following presented by KevinMD Obesity is a Sign of Good Health in Some Cultures Keep Your Kids Off the Obesity Chart Overweight People Have a Weight Thermostat that is Turned Up Too High The following presented by Medline Plus ADHD: Treating with Eating? Avoid Getting Scorched by 'Hot Yoga' The following presented by Berkeley Wellness Alerts Making Sense of Sensa Questions About Quorn The Lowdown on Low Testosterone A Breast-Healthy Lifestyle The following presented by Berkeley Wellness Alerts Mindfulness Matters American College of Preventive Medicine ACPM meets with Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) officials to discuss integrative medicine. The CDC launches new workplace wellness assistance program (the National Healthy Worksite Program, or NHWP to assist employers in implementing strategies to reduce chronic disease rates. First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have unveiled new standards for school meals that will result in healthier meals for kids across the nation. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report on obesity prevalence shows more than one-third of adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents were obese in 2009-2010. Study shows frequent screening not necessary for older women with normal bone density. Educational Training Programs ACLM's Student/Young Professional Task Force has created a directory of academic programs with curricular content relevant to Lifestyle Medicine. (Please note that the directory is not a comprehensive listing nor a formal endorsement by ACLM.) For more information: http://lifestylemedicine.org/programs Lifestyle Medicine in Action is: Editor-in-Chief: Marc Braman, MD, MPH Managing Editor: Kathleen Jones, MA Contributing Writer: Wayne Dysinger, MD, MPH Contributing Editor: Kathy Cater Research Summaries: Lindsey Christenson, M.Ed