We were extremely happy to join Bramham therapy (Marlborough) today, responding to feedback and demand for in-person consultations.
We offer consultations there starting from tomorrow (December 2023), so book your slot now and we look forward to providing you with a warm welcome!
One of the biggest factors standing in the way of longevity is frailty,
A recent huge meta-analysis study (highest level of data for a clinical study that gives the most significant results) has shown that risk of frailty can be reduced by a Mediterranean diet. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37087024/
But what is a Mediterranean diet? Listed below are the key dietary pointers to achieving a Mediterranean diet used in this meta-analysis, so try to consider these when you plan your meals...
Every main meal: Incorporate 2 or more servings of vegetables with a variety of colours and textures, olive oil, 1 cereal (preferably wholegrain, can include bread pasta rice etc)
Every day: 1-2 servings of olive is/nuts/seeds, 1-2 servings of herbs/spices/garlic/onions to achieve variety of flavoured. You can also include 2 servings of low fat dairy daily in the Mediterranean diet.
Every week to limit: Less than 3 servings of potatoes, 2 or less servings of sweet treats, less than 2 servings of red meat, avoid processed meats but one or less serving if needs be!
If you are finding it difficult to incorporate this advice into your regime why not book a consultation with thelongevitydocs.com so we can provide you with personalise advice and infographics to help!
Dr Andrew Fisher, November 2023
Updated: Nov 21, 2023
Stress invades our internal space and threatens who we are: no wonder it stresses us!
The threat from stress reflexively causes us to freeze or fight it, both deepening our entrapment. It often becomes normalized in our workplaces and our homes as external pressures build, and we keep adapting to higher and higher levels of it in our lives.
There is another way: building a regular practice of monitoring stress levels and keeping in contact with your inner self, with a menu of techniques and actions to replenish your energy levels and your confidence to overcome it.
Our fears about stress prevent us being able to process it effectively, as they shroud stress in a dysphoric tone, fuelled by our adrenaline in a freeze-fight-or-flight response. Often the freeze part of this is uppermost and we feel trapped and utterly pessimistic. If we do manage to fight or flee, it is in a dramatic emotional reflex which may land us in the frying pan from the fire of the stressful trigger.
Instead, we need to be prepared for stress and rehearse its arrival on our shoulders. We need to relearn our neural networks which will respond to it in a novel way, defining stress as a call to action like a low fuel warning light.
With practice and learning, we should identify stress levels at earlier and lower points to enact the necessary adaptation and diversion sooner and with less impact. But the foremost difference is learning to respond through action, both cognitive and emotional, rather than a defeated paralysis.
It can feel patronizing to suggest such a glib response to a miserable experience such as stress, especially at a time we are overwhelmed by its torrents. But preparing ourselves during a calmer time and practising internal “housekeeping” manoeuvres which are applicable both in the calm and during a storm helps embed this approach, like an maintaining an anchor ready to be deployed.
Housekeeping can include self-reflective practice such as journalling, mindfulness meditation, yoga, nasal breathing or physical exercise. A focus on learning about stress, both its physiological and psychological aspects, and reflecting on potential or actual sources of stress helps us name our opponent. Even spending time acknowledging your current stress levels and feeling the extent of them helps to draw a boundary around their edges. This is the start of breaking the stress down into a manageable size, to feel in charge of it even if you can't be in control of it.
Start to identify your sources of stress, naming and defining them specifically. What changes would help you reduce the stress from each of these sources, no matter how idealistic? What first steps towards those changes could you take?
What do you need to make those changes?
If you would like help in making those changes, why not book a consultation and coaching session with thelongevitydocs.com to support you in achieving this?
Dr Angus Tallini, November 2023
