LITMIR.BIZ

      Food and medicine go hand in hand and sometimes changing our diet can be the best intervention.

      At the age of 12, I witnessed my mother take control of her medical condition that had baffled multiple physicians. She used to suffer random anaphylaxis attacks; the worst form of allergy where your airway can close and your blood pressure drops. The attacks are life threatening and require treatment with an adrenaline shot. After undergoing a barrage of medical tests to find a cause, none was found. As a last resort, her doctors recommended lifelong allergy medications, which unfortunately have a range of side effects. These included crushing fatigue and intolerable nausea but, worst of all, they didn’t completely eradicate the attacks. The daily unease of potentially having an episode was incredibly stressful for her.

      Not content with being reliant on drugs that weren’t completely working, she decided to make radical changes to her daily life. Her Indian upbringing had instilled in her the value of food. As a trained lawyer, she used her research skills and analytical approach to examine the scientific literature and create a plan of action. I watched her completely overhaul her diet and lifestyle, while simultaneously running her businesses, our household and raising two demanding children. Her daily ‘prescription’ included a wholefoods diet packed with vegetables, good sleep patterns, exercise and meditation. She became more confident, stronger and gradually came off all medications with the support of her doctors. Thankfully, she has never needed to use an adrenaline shot again. This was my earliest introduction to the power of ‘food as medicine’.

      My mother’s experience drove me to want to be a doctor. I worked hard to earn myself a place at Imperial College London. I started medical school with the understanding and strong belief that food could be as powerful as pharmaceuticals. However, despite being intrigued by ‘alternative therapies’ at a young age, I wanted to immerse myself in conventional medical training. The body has always fascinated me. Learning the anatomy, biochemistry and foundations of how we function was an incredible experience, but noticeably lacking from the curricula was an emphasis on nutrition. What we put into our bodies on a daily basis is just as important as medication, but I wasn’t taught to appreciate the power of lifestyle and food. Only when I became ill myself would I remember what inspired me to become a doctor in the first place.

      After medical school, I experienced two gruelling years as a junior doctor in central London hospitals. The stress and responsibility on a newly trained medic is unfathomable. Within two weeks of qualifying, I found myself wandering the corridors of a hospital alone, at night, armed with nothing but a stethoscope and two bleeps, providing the sole junior cover for medical wards. No amount of book smart prepares you for hospital life.

      I began to realise how self-sacrificing healthcare workers are for the service. We eat poorly, work awkward hours and the stress is intense. Our environment often dictates what we can eat, and in the interest of convenience, the choice is often a poor one. It’s no wonder that on average our lives are shorter, we’re more likely to suffer mental-health issues and obesity is greater among us than the general population. We are certainly not pillars of good health to look up to!