Americans spend a staggering $2.3 trillion each year on health care, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. However, the U.S. healthcare system ranks only 37th worldwide. The main reason for the overspending and underperforming is a neglect of wellness and disease prevention.
Jim McMinn, MD, an integrative medical physician at McMinn Clinic in Birmingham, agrees that more focus is needed on wellness. “The modern medical paradigm emphasizes diagnosis and treatment, usually with drugs and surgery. One might call this approach ‘sick care,’” he says. “However, at McMinn Clinic we turn this medical model on its head and work with the patient as partners in order to build a firm foundation of wellness with an emphasis on prevention. This is true health care.”
McMinn believes that people should be empowered to take their health into their own hands, and teaching his patients how the body works is an important part of that empowerment. “So many times patients who come to us are struggling with a number of health problems and may be taking a number of medicines,” he says. “Often the root cause for conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are things like nutritional deficiencies. Once we treat the root cause, other problems usually get better.”
McMinn has identified what he calls the “foundations for wellness,” and he applies those elements to the treatment of his patients. The elements make up McMinn’s Pyramid of Wellness. “We build a firm foundation for each patient, just like building a house,” he says. “The bottom four things are essential to life, and if you focus on the bottom two rows of the pyramid, you likely won’t need the top two elements – conventional drugs and surgery.”
The Pyramid of Wellness
Nutrition
“You are what you eat,” McMinn says. “The modern American diet ultimately is the root cause of obesity and many diseases. The top killers – diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke – all are related to poor nutrition.” McMinn Clinic offers advanced nutritional testing and a customized nutritional program for each patient. “We believe that optimal nutrition is one of the most important aspects of a sound prevention program.”
Hydration
Everyone needs to drink an adequate amount of good quality, filtered water each day. “I have treated patients for migraines whose headaches stopped simply with proper hydration,” McMinn says.
Sleep and Rest
“We see a lot of people with insomnia which usually is the first domino to fall,” McMinn says. “When you become fatigued, everything goes wrong. Chronic sleep deprivation is a major problem and can lead to many other unwanted symptoms. We view quality sleep as a serious issue.” The clinic has an aggressive sleep program for treatment of sleep disorders.
Exercise
McMinn counsels his patients on exercise, and personal trainers help patients achieve their exercise goals. “Exercise is a huge part of wellness,” McMinn says. “The number one concern of older adults is dementia. By age 85, half of older people will have dementia. My goal is to be in the right half, and the number one thing you can do to keep your mind active is exercise.” An exercise regimen should include cardiovascular exercise, strength training, balance, and flexibility.
Weight Management
McMinn’s patients have access to a weight loss program that helps them achieve and maintain an ideal body weight. “You can’t be healthy if you are overweight,” he says. “Obesity contributes to many major diseases.”
Stress Management
“Stress is the number one killer of Americans,” McMinn says. “It’s the elephant in the room that doctors don’t want to discuss. It is often the main cause of high blood pressure which causes heart attacks and strokes.” Many studies look at the effects of emotions and stress on the immune system and cancer. “Cancer is such a big part of our society. I used to think you either get it or you don’t, but now I think we all have cancer at some point, but a healthy immune system destroys the cancer before it takes hold. If the immune system is down, it can let the cancer cells escape and take hold in the body, and stress lowers the immune system.”
Social Relationships
A Harvard study shows that good relationships are more important than exercise. “It is important that we maintain friendships and good relationships in our community,” McMinn says.
Healthy Sexuality
McMinn says people who stay intimate and connected have fewer heart attacks. “People who remain sexually active live longer. Healthy sexuality is a vital part of an overall prevention program. It’s good for you, for your partner, and for your marriage,” he says.
McMinn’s pyramid also includes treatment for hormone balance, gastrointestinal health, energy balance and other needs that help patients maintain total health. “I tell people they are not just a collection of organ systems. They are a whole person and we treat the whole person,” he says.
Once patients understand how all elements of wellness work together for good health, they are more empowered to take care of themselves. “I tell them to be the captain of their ship and take ownership of their mind, body, and soul and to work with their doctor as a partner,” McMinn says. “I want them to know what’s going on with their bodies and that it’s how they live their lives and what they put in their mouths that can have a powerful impact on their outcomes.”