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When family physician Lisa Doggett worked in community clinics, she was expected to spend no more than 20 minutes with each patient. That meant that she had to treat people for what are often called “lifestyle diseases,” like diabetes and heart disease, without the opportunity to actually learn about their lifestyles. “I might encourage patients with heart disease to eat more fruits and vegetables, but I didn't have time to understand the underpinnings of their dietary choices, often influenced by a combination of culture, finances and personal preferences,” Doggett writes.
Doggett says she welcomes new appetite-curbing drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which have been shown to help with weight loss, control blood sugar and reduce the incidence of heart attacks. But these medications are expensive, and fewer than half of American insurance plans cover them. And like all drugs they come with side effects.
The bigger problem, she writes, is a health care system designed for "sick" care — supported by a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry — that does not prioritize disease prevention.
Doggett now practices lifestyle medicine, which prevents and treats chronic disease through adoption of healthy habits including a minimally processed diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains; regular physical activity; restorative sleep; stress management; and social connection. She says we can’t rely on drugs alone. Societal changes like reforming nutrition assistance programs to make healthy foods more affordable, and building walkable neighborhoods, would go a long way towards promoting lifestyle change in the United States.
Read Dr. Doggett’s editorial for our special series Living Better.
ICYMI: Your secrets to living a long and healthy life.
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Twenty-five percent of US adults have a fear of needles, according to the CDC’s estimate. A meta-analysis found that 16% of adults avoid getting a flu vaccine because of their needle fear– and that was before the pandemic. Pediatrician Stefan Friedrichsdorf is on a mission to get children more comfortable with shots, a comfort that he hopes will follow them into adulthood, as KQED’s April Dembosky reports.
His protocol is just a few simple steps, including applying an over-the-counter numbing cream at the injection site 30 minutes beforehand, and asking parents to hold their children while the jab is administered. These techniques could also help people with dementia, who often don’t know why they’re being stuck with needles.
Learn about Friedrichsdorf’s “Ouchless Jab Challenge.”
Plus: A single-shot treatment to protect infants from RSV may be coming soon
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We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
All our best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR Health editors |
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