A couple of years ago I was working with a wonderful group in a program called Maverick. We were encouraged to think about our vision for our healthcare practice. Mine was to reduce the burden of chronic disease by 50%. A big goal but we need some big goals in healthcare as our current system is not always delivering good outcomes for people.

What are these chronic diseases that affect 46.6% of Australians? They include cancer, arthritis, type two diabetes, respiratory diseases and heart disease. The cost of supporting people with these conditions is $38 billion annually, but this money is mainly spent on acute treatment and medications rather than any real focus on prevention. Nationally our preventative health spend is around 2%.

For those with Type two diabetes for example the treatment is likely to be glucose lowering medications rather than exercise or nutritional prescriptions. Even if the GP has time to discuss nutrition chances are they don’t have the time to work through the dietary changes needed to effectively balance blood sugar. The GP also doesn’t have the capacity to refer for appropriate exercise options under Medicare.

Balancing Blood Sugar is a critical part of improving your health as you age, a concept that was highlighted in the ReCode protocol training in delaying Alzheimers. The brain is the biggest user of glucose in the body relative to size accounting for about 30% of our use. Systemically if we are having issues with glucose metabolism, such as commonly found in hypoglycemia and metabolic syndrome, then our bodies become increasingly resistant to insulin which is essential for the uptake of glucose. A 2011 study in Neurology showed an increased risk of dementia in people over 60 with elevated blood glucose.

Another key risk highlighted in the Recode training was underlying infections and heavy metal toxicity. The Indian journal of Pyschiatry’s 2006 article on “Reversible Dementia’s” highlight’s the reversible causes at between 0-23% and includes on its list a range of heavy metal toxicities as well as infections such as spirochetes which are seen in Lyme like illnesses.

In clinical practice I often work with older clients who see good improvement in their health and energy by improving their diet, tweaking or adding more exercise and supporting themselves with appropriate supplements. Unfortunately not everyone has the ability to commit to a course of naturopathic treatment and work individually with a practitioner. My eight part Ageing Outrageously program was developed to bridge this gap, providing people with the information they need at the cost of approximately one consultation.

The program covers all the key information that you can use to improve your health and how well you age. It looks at critical dietary support with a focus on Balancing Blood Sugar and Getting Moving as well as looking at whether there are possible interactions with common medications. In addition the program focuses on supporting your Gut and Digestion, which are essential to being able to absorb nutrients from your diet as well as looking at how you can support effective detoxification.

The major advantage of an online program is that a bigger group of people can work on improving their health than I can work with individually. It mightn’t get me to a 50% reduction in chronic disease but its a good start. More information on the Ageing Outrageously program is on this link. Registering on this link means you will also get regular content on Ageing Outrageously as well as being advised of any specials including the upcoming Black Friday sale!