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The Original Prescription: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries Can Help You Leverage the Power of Lifestyle Medicine
While the most feared diseases of the 19th and early 20th century have been virtually vanquished by modern medical technologies; science alone appears to be no match for the current health crisis caused by the habits of the 21st century lifestyle. Think about overconsumption, processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, inadequate sleep, increased stress and environmental toxins have led us to a new array of sensitivities, syndromes, and metabolic phenomena unknown to previous generations. If poor lifestyle decisions can cause this much damage, is it possible that positive lifestyle decisions are the key to resisting chronic diseases, or eradicating them altogether? The Original Prescription reveals the fascinating science behind lifestyle medicine and demonstrates how our everyday choices can alter the signals that drive our health. You will learn Understand how to trigger your own healing capacity Reverse and prevent chronic disease Make sense of confusing medical recommendations Increase your quality of life Leverage your health to fulfill your life s purpose Medical solutions should work with our body, not impose an outcome upon it. The Original Prescription is that solution, one that our bodies are waiting for us to fulfill.
Unknown Binding
First published October 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 5, 2019
The real truth about how we can fight chronic disease
I spent a lot of time with this book because it was clear from the outset that Dr. Guilliams not only knows what he is talking about, but is painstakingly careful about expressing his knowledge.
“The Original Prescription,” and the “Lifestyle Medicine” presented in this book can be seen as simply healthy living through what Guilliams calls the “Lifestyle Synergy Model.” This model comes from a realization that a combination of factors work together toward restoring and maintain health. Guilliams’ model has “seven spheres.” They are:
1. Diet/Nutrients
2. Physical Activity
3. Stress Response
4. Chronicity
5. Environmental Influences
6. Hygiene & Habits
7. Community & Purpose
The central idea in all of this is, “Now, after the benefit of decades of scientific research from epidemiology to epigenetics, we can still say, without a doubt, that the intrinsic healing potential resident within our body is far and away the most powerful medical tool we possess.” He adds, “It has been said that ‘the art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.’” (p. 79)
But of course this book is about preventing disease more than it is about curing disease. And that should remind us of another old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” What sets this book apart from others with similar themes is Dr. Guilliams’ thoroughness in approach and guidance, and the obvious expertise he has acquired over the years. I read the entire book from cover to cover and I can say if everybody followed his “original prescription” the state of health in the world would increase enormously.
The basic idea as far as healing goes is this, “Our bodies are designed to take the appropriate messages from our ‘lifestyle’ and turn them into ‘health.’ Since the most powerful remedy is the intrinsic healing mechanism within our bodies, therapies will work best when they are targeted toward triggering these mechanisms rather than circumventing them.” (p. 80)
An important idea in the book is that behaviors “signal” in positive or negative ways certain cells or systems of our bodies toward good health or the lack thereof.
Guilliams cites many studies throughout the book supporting his approach. The one that really stands out for me is the “Diabetes Prevention Program” reported in the “New England Journal of Medicine.” In that study there were three interventions, a placebo, the drug metformin, and lifestyle changes which included losing weight and getting “150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, mostly in the form of walking.” The results: metformin therapy lowered the cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes by 31%, compared to the placebo group.” But lifestyle intervention therapy nearly doubled this benefit, reducing the incidence of diabetes by 58%. (pp. 97-98)
There is some very interesting (but somewhat difficult) material on genes and epigenetics in Chapter 6. In fact, Guilliams challenges the reader throughout the book by presenting background and preparatory medical and scientific material explaining how some of the synergies work. For this reason I think this is an excellent book for clinicians and other professionals as well as the general reader. Here Guilliams emphasizes that foods and other compounds taken into our bodies can positively or negatively “impact gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms.” (p. 110) He believes that “epigenetic changes have been accumulating from generation to generation” over the last 200 years or more that account for the “chronic disease crisis we are currently experiencing.” (p. 111)
Now of course the “problem” with lifestyle medicine is often the fact that patients for whatever reason just won’t do it. Acknowledging that change is difficult, Guilliams believes that it is the responsibility of the clinician to motivate the patient. I think significant changes can occur if we can get our doctors to be more proactive in helping patients go from bad lifestyle habits and choices to positive ones.
Beginning in Chapter 7 “Levering Lifestyle as Intervention” Guilliams gets specific about just what to eat and what not to eat, what behaviors are positive and which are negative. He goes beyond the “no smoking,” eat “fresh whole foods,” etc. to “mindful eating” and getting up from our desks frequently to walk all the way to the chemical way that exercise triggers glucose transport into skeletal muscles! And actually much more. This book rewards study.
I am entirely pleased with Dr. Guilliams and this excellent book but I have one point of contention that I must bring up. It is a minor one but one that I think should be noted. Guilliams writes on page 126 “Every day that our health keeps us well enough to pursue that great purpose for which we are designed, we are blessed.” Now, this is a fine sentiment but one is troubled by a medical scientist (which Guilliams certainly is) confusing living things that have evolved with things that are designed.
Furthermore the notion of “purpose” in the chapter that focuses on his seventh sphere, “Community & Purpose” is presented in a way that is less than scientific and perhaps a bit narrowly understood. It appears that Guilliams confuses “purpose” in biology and science in general with religious purpose. In science there is no purpose to life. “Purpose” is an anthropological fallacy superimposed on life. In most religions it is quite different with many conflicting doctrines that define purpose for humans. Guilliams sees purpose from a Christian perspective. He writes, “You exist for a purpose—you are no accident.” He believes that human purpose is “defined by God.” (p. 255)
His laudable point is that people who believe they have a purpose in life are on average healthier than those without a purpose. He gives the example of a healthy looking young woman and the same wretched woman after a couple of years on meth or crack cocaine. What he doesn’t realize is that the woman who has destroyed her life is the one clearly with purpose. Her purpose is to get more meth. This is what addictions do: they provide a narrowly define purpose for the addicted. Get. More. Crack.
I agree with Guilliams that we all need a purpose. But that purpose may change with the years. When young we need to become educated and get employed and raise a family. (Most of us anyway). My purpose now is to stay as healthy as possible in case somebody needs me. To imagine that some God needs me or has dreamed up some purpose for my life is to revert to a childish and unscientific view of the world.
One other thing to note: this book is somewhat difficult. There is plenty of jargon and some fine distinctions that can only be realized through focused reading. Nonetheless this is an outstanding piece of work that is exactly the prescription that we need to fight the chronic diseases that plague us today.
—Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
I spent a lot of time with this book because it was clear from the outset that Dr. Guilliams not only knows what he is talking about, but is painstakingly careful about expressing his knowledge.
“The Original Prescription,” and the “Lifestyle Medicine” presented in this book can be seen as simply healthy living through what Guilliams calls the “Lifestyle Synergy Model.” This model comes from a realization that a combination of factors work together toward restoring and maintain health. Guilliams’ model has “seven spheres.” They are:
1. Diet/Nutrients
2. Physical Activity
3. Stress Response
4. Chronicity
5. Environmental Influences
6. Hygiene & Habits
7. Community & Purpose
The central idea in all of this is, “Now, after the benefit of decades of scientific research from epidemiology to epigenetics, we can still say, without a doubt, that the intrinsic healing potential resident within our body is far and away the most powerful medical tool we possess.” He adds, “It has been said that ‘the art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.’” (p. 79)
But of course this book is about preventing disease more than it is about curing disease. And that should remind us of another old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” What sets this book apart from others with similar themes is Dr. Guilliams’ thoroughness in approach and guidance, and the obvious expertise he has acquired over the years. I read the entire book from cover to cover and I can say if everybody followed his “original prescription” the state of health in the world would increase enormously.
The basic idea as far as healing goes is this, “Our bodies are designed to take the appropriate messages from our ‘lifestyle’ and turn them into ‘health.’ Since the most powerful remedy is the intrinsic healing mechanism within our bodies, therapies will work best when they are targeted toward triggering these mechanisms rather than circumventing them.” (p. 80)
An important idea in the book is that behaviors “signal” in positive or negative ways certain cells or systems of our bodies toward good health or the lack thereof.
Guilliams cites many studies throughout the book supporting his approach. The one that really stands out for me is the “Diabetes Prevention Program” reported in the “New England Journal of Medicine.” In that study there were three interventions, a placebo, the drug metformin, and lifestyle changes which included losing weight and getting “150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, mostly in the form of walking.” The results: metformin therapy lowered the cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes by 31%, compared to the placebo group.” But lifestyle intervention therapy nearly doubled this benefit, reducing the incidence of diabetes by 58%. (pp. 97-98)
There is some very interesting (but somewhat difficult) material on genes and epigenetics in Chapter 6. In fact, Guilliams challenges the reader throughout the book by presenting background and preparatory medical and scientific material explaining how some of the synergies work. For this reason I think this is an excellent book for clinicians and other professionals as well as the general reader. Here Guilliams emphasizes that foods and other compounds taken into our bodies can positively or negatively “impact gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms.” (p. 110) He believes that “epigenetic changes have been accumulating from generation to generation” over the last 200 years or more that account for the “chronic disease crisis we are currently experiencing.” (p. 111)
Now of course the “problem” with lifestyle medicine is often the fact that patients for whatever reason just won’t do it. Acknowledging that change is difficult, Guilliams believes that it is the responsibility of the clinician to motivate the patient. I think significant changes can occur if we can get our doctors to be more proactive in helping patients go from bad lifestyle habits and choices to positive ones.
Beginning in Chapter 7 “Levering Lifestyle as Intervention” Guilliams gets specific about just what to eat and what not to eat, what behaviors are positive and which are negative. He goes beyond the “no smoking,” eat “fresh whole foods,” etc. to “mindful eating” and getting up from our desks frequently to walk all the way to the chemical way that exercise triggers glucose transport into skeletal muscles! And actually much more. This book rewards study.
I am entirely pleased with Dr. Guilliams and this excellent book but I have one point of contention that I must bring up. It is a minor one but one that I think should be noted. Guilliams writes on page 126 “Every day that our health keeps us well enough to pursue that great purpose for which we are designed, we are blessed.” Now, this is a fine sentiment but one is troubled by a medical scientist (which Guilliams certainly is) confusing living things that have evolved with things that are designed.
Furthermore the notion of “purpose” in the chapter that focuses on his seventh sphere, “Community & Purpose” is presented in a way that is less than scientific and perhaps a bit narrowly understood. It appears that Guilliams confuses “purpose” in biology and science in general with religious purpose. In science there is no purpose to life. “Purpose” is an anthropological fallacy superimposed on life. In most religions it is quite different with many conflicting doctrines that define purpose for humans. Guilliams sees purpose from a Christian perspective. He writes, “You exist for a purpose—you are no accident.” He believes that human purpose is “defined by God.” (p. 255)
His laudable point is that people who believe they have a purpose in life are on average healthier than those without a purpose. He gives the example of a healthy looking young woman and the same wretched woman after a couple of years on meth or crack cocaine. What he doesn’t realize is that the woman who has destroyed her life is the one clearly with purpose. Her purpose is to get more meth. This is what addictions do: they provide a narrowly define purpose for the addicted. Get. More. Crack.
I agree with Guilliams that we all need a purpose. But that purpose may change with the years. When young we need to become educated and get employed and raise a family. (Most of us anyway). My purpose now is to stay as healthy as possible in case somebody needs me. To imagine that some God needs me or has dreamed up some purpose for my life is to revert to a childish and unscientific view of the world.
One other thing to note: this book is somewhat difficult. There is plenty of jargon and some fine distinctions that can only be realized through focused reading. Nonetheless this is an outstanding piece of work that is exactly the prescription that we need to fight the chronic diseases that plague us today.
—Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
July 13, 2017
Great insight and frameworks for understanding how to integrate our life and health!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews