Resources for Health Professionals
- Key Diet References with Links to Original Research
- Key Exercise References with Links to Original Research
- Key Mind/Body References with Links to Original Research
- Scientific Assessment of Supplements
- Textbook on Integrative Cardiology
- Training in Integrative Medicine
Helping patients to optimize nutrition and lifestyle is one of the most important goals of medical care. However, barriers for many health care professionals are shortages of time and training.
Even when the time available for counseling is brief, impact can be maximized when the health care professional makes emphasizes to the patient that nutrition and lifestyle are the foundation of good health. Obtaining a baseline of a few simple measures, such as number of servings of vegetables and fruit consumed daily, number of minutes of exercise per week, etc. –and tracking changes in these measures at each visit –help to reinforce the concept that nutrition and lifestyle are a priority.
For dietary recommendations, visual guides are often more effective than lengthy explanations. For example, a photo of an optimal quantity of daily vegetables, as shown in the image below, is a quick and effective teaching tool.
Click the photo to download a high quality copy.
The following key references, with links to the original scientific studies, are provided to help enrich your understanding of the potency of nutritional and lifestyle changes.
Key Diet References with Links to Original Research
- Mediterranean Diet Studies:Over 70% reduction in cardiac events through dietary measures aloneMediterranean Diet Study Initial Report Link
- Green leafy vegetables:Each daily serving reduces risk of coronary heart disease by 23%Green Leafy Vegetables and Coronary Risk Link
- Whole Grains:2.5 servings of whole grains/day reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by 21%Whole Grains Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Link
- Nuts:4 servings/week reduce the risk of coronary death by 37%Nuts Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Link
- Fish:2 servings/week reduce all cause mortality by 29%Fish Intake Reduces All Cause Mortality Link
- Fish Oil: Recent meta-analysis showing no reduction in mortality with fish oil supplementationFish Oil and Lack of Survival Benefit Link
Key Exercise References with Links to Original Research
- Exercise Dose Response:14% lower risk of coronary heart disease with 150 min/week of exercise and 20% lower risk with 300 min/weekExercise Dose Response and Cardiac Risk Reduction Link
- Exercise Session Duration: Exercise remains beneficial when in divided into frequent sessions throughout the dayExercise in Divided Doses Link
- Resistance Training: 30 min/week of resistance training lowers risk of coronary heart disease by 23%Resistance Training Reduces Cardiac Risk
Key Mind/Body References with Links to Original Research
- Meditation lowers the risk of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke by 43% in patients with coronary diseaseMeditation Lowers Risk of Cardiac Events
- Positive affect reduced the risk of coronary disease by 22%Positive Affect Reduces Risk of Coronary Disease
- Surgical patients in rooms with a window view of a natural setting recovered quicker than those with a view of a brick wallView of Nature Linked to Quicker Recovery from Surgery
- Rabbits held and played with had 60% less plaque than matched rabbits left alone.Social Interaction Reduced Plaque in Experimental Animals
Scientific Assessment of Supplements
- A scientific review of over the counter products conducted by a respected group of pharmacists (Natural Medicines Database)Natural Medicines Link
- An independent lab that analyzes the ingredients in over the counter products (ConsumerLab)ConsumerLab Link
Textbook on Integrative Cardiology
- Information on integrative modalities and a scientific review of their use in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease: Integrative Cardiology, co-edited by Stephen Devries and James Dalen; Oxford University Press 2010Integrative Cardiology textbook
Training in Integrative Medicine
- The University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine offers an excellent fellowship program in Integrative Medicine (combined distance learning with 3 residential weeks over the 2 year program).Information on Arizona Integrative Medicine Fellowship