Why Lifestyle Medicine is the Most Important Medicine

By Tereza Hubkova, M.D.

Over 70 million adults in the United States are obese—that’s roughly one-in-three. The top three causes of death in the U.S. (i.e., heart disease, cancer, and COPD) far exceed the annual mortality rates of the next ten causes. During the last five years, the effects on people’s circadian clock and melatonin suppression of blue light from electronic devices has been well-documented. Facebook (i.e., social media) Depression has become a recognized condition. And most recently, the probiotic-driven gut-brain axis has become the latest medical frontier.

 

Perhaps not surprising, these are all lifestyle-impacted conditions.

 

Due to some amazing medical advancements, we have all but eliminated death in the U.S. due to the major infectious diseases of the past—pneumonia and flu, tuberculosis, etc. However, with their decline, we have witnessed the rise of death due to diabetes and suicide—again, conditions with a significant lifestyle component.

 

Yet as a society, we continue to overeat calorie-rich nutrient-deficient foods, smoke, over-consume alcohol, pollute our environment, expose ourselves to harmful chemicals, and live sedentary lifestyles. Health is often impaired by an excess of calories and alcohol, long work hours, and self-imposed stress resulting in often-unnecessary polypharmacy.

 

To varying degrees, we’re all guilty; but add genetic predisposition to the equation, and some become deadly-guilty.

 

Technology and pharmaceuticals can only do so much. Now, there’s never been a better or more important time to treat the cause of our aliments, not the symptoms. Lifestyle medicine is the threshold, and education holds the key. I am passionate about helping people adopt habits making them active participants in their own self-care and well-being, happiness, and energy without reliance on medications.

 

THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY MEDICAL ADVICE. Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or adopting any treatment for a health problem.

Healthy Recipes from Around the World: Russian Borscht

By Tereza Hubkova, M.D.

Growing up behind the Iron Curtain inside communist Czechoslovakia, I was not exposed to a variety of cuisines. Once every couple of years, though, my mom took me to a Russian restaurant called Beriozka (Birch Tree), in Prague.

A trip to our capital was itself a great adventure, but visiting this restaurant for me was the highlight of those days. We almost never ate out in a restaurant, never mind food from another country.

My recipe now is undoubtedly different than that of the Beriozka of my memory. Over the years of making borscht, I combined various recipes and changed them a bit each time based on what happened to be in the refrigerator. What has not changed though, is the heart-warming feeling I get when I eat it with my family—who are now Borscht lovers, even if some started as beet haters.


For a large pot of borscht that could serve 5-6 people, you will need:
2 Tbps Oil (for frying)
1 Medium Onion (chopped)
4 cups Water
2 Large Potatoes (diced)
1 Large or 2 Small Red Beets (diced)

2 Carrots (sliced)
1/4 Large or 1/2 Small Cabbage (chopped well)
4 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
Fresh or Dried Dill (a couple good shakes or one fresh stalk)
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
1-1/2 lbs Lean Grass-fed Beef Cubes (about 1") or 1 Can Lima Beans (vegetarian vs. non-)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

A Dollop of Sour Cream or Creme Freche (for decoration)


If you prefer the non-vegetarian option, in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, start by browning the (salted) beef cubes in a vegetable oil of your choice, for about 7 minutes, then add the chopped onion, cooking until translucent. Then add 4 cups of water and cook covered, over medium heat for 45 minutes (or 10 minutes, for the non-meat version).

Add chopped vegetables as well as the rest of the ingredients (except lemon and sour cream); cook for additional 30 minutes, or until all ingredients are tender.

(If you prefer the vegetarian option, add the Lima Beans now, heating through.)

Squeeze half a lemon (or a tablespoon of vinegar, if you have no lemon) into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Decorate with a dollop of sour cream or creme freche.

Enjoy!

A Tale of Two Parents (and Peanuts)

By Tereza Hubkova, M.D.

In ways I never imagined, raising a child has redefined the word "responsibility" for me. My husband, Chris, calls my scrupulous behavior "unnecessary worrying". Deep inside I know he's often right.

"Paralysis by analysis" is another way to describe my state-of-mind when it comes to raising my little girl—especially when she was only a baby. Luckily for me, my husband does not hesitate to act swiftly, perfectly complimenting my indecisiveness.

A little over three years ago, I mentioned to him preliminary results of a study suggesting that early introduction of peanuts to babies may, in fact, lower the risk of peanut allergies. Two months later my nine month old daughter seemed unusually interested in an apple with peanut butter I was snacking on. I turned to my husband. "Do you think I should give her some peanut butter? Maybe not. I'm worried about her having an allergic reaction. Maybe next time we're near a hospital, just in case. Right, Sweetie?"

My Sweetie cast an OMG look in my direction, rolling his eyes. Then he informed me that he had been giving our baby peanut butter a few times a week, ever since I mentioned the study. I almost fainted, but was also tremendously relieved that all had gone well.

At ten months or so, my husband gave our little girl a piece of lobster in a restaurant. "I think I need another glass of wine," I exclaimed to the waitress while biting my nails. But our little pumpkin did just as well with lobster as she did with peanut butter.

Around our daughter's first birthday, my husband and I decided it was time to start giving our daughter both probiotics and fish oil (Omega-3s). True to form, when it came to deciding exactly how much of each to give her, while I was agonizing over exact dosing, my husband simply popped an infant probiotics capsule into my daughter's mouth to be chewed, and let her sip a guesstimated dose of fish oil straight from a spoon—without measuring by dropper. Gasp!

After another conversation, this time about the hygiene hypothesis and the health benefits of owning pets, my husband found the cutest foster dog in need of a new family. One look in Acorn's deep brown eyes and I knew we had to get him. After all, children raised with animals have less allergies. As we discovered two days later, our four legged friend came with bunch of worms and other parasites. "Fantastic!", I hissed at Chris with sarcasm. "Hygiene hypothesis 2.0." But then again, countries known for lots of parasites actually have less autoimmune disorders and almost non-existent Crohn's disease. (We treated Acorn promptly nevertheless.)

Our little girl embraced our new family member right away, including his food bowl, which she would share with him with unmatched enthusiasm. "Don't worry, Tereza," my husband whispered lovingly, "The kind of dog food we buy is healthier than most human food." How reassuring.... Still, seeing her stuff her face with dog food almost every day made me more than a bit uncomfortable. "Sweetheart, it really is not for people," I would negotiate with her. Immediately, my toddler shoved another handful of dog granules in her mouth, announcing victoriously, "Gluten free!"

Somewhere around two and a half my daughter discovered sugar, and all hell broke loose. Don't ever think you'll get away with a "once a week" sweet treat. The little rascal goes through my purse searching for chocolates or mints at every occasion.

"We have to eat rainbow of colors, darling," I tell her, decorating her dinner plate with broccoli, tomatoes, radishes, olives, carrots, and cucumber. "I need something brown!" she exclaims, "Chocolate, mom! We need chocolate!"

We tried to hide the existence of chocolate for as long as possible, in spite of it's health benefits. Somehow I knew that justification would only partially help my guilt and anxiety over how much we caved in. The 80:20 rule (be good 80% of the time, allow some slack the other 20%), started tilting in the other direction.

Despite or because of all of it, our daughter seems to be growing just fine and is smarter than both her parents combined (or so it often seems). The results of the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study are officially out; children exposed to peanut butter at least three times a week, beginning at ages 4 - 11 months, and until age 5, had 70-80% less peanut allergies than children avoiding peanuts altogether. While we do not know if the same applies to other common allergens like milk, eggs, or tree nuts, our toddler got away with everything thus far (she's nearly four now). Let's hope it stays that way. All the best to your children too!

THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY MEDICAL ADVICE. Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or adopting any treatment for a health problem.