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A doctor’s journey TOWARD S HOLISTIC HEALTH

Dr. Gemma Newman has been a GP for 16 years. Here she explains why she’s a firm believer in a holistic approach to health…

AS a GP, I see people from cradle to grave. My role is mostly chronic disease management, so I began to seek out other ways to help my patients. I became interested in diet, exercise, psychology and solution- focused therapeutic approaches. I also learned CBT for use with my patients. Over the years, I have incorporated holistic approaches to wellness, including sleep, exercise, mindfulness, flow, meditation and more. There is more emerging research coming out about the role that ancient healing practices can have on overall health, from Reiki for pain relief to yoga for PTSD. Meditation has also been shown to be very helpful; it has been found to improve brain function, reduce inflammation, change your genes’ expression, reduce anxiety, improve gut health and also reduce the amount of day-to-day stress hormones that we deal with.

My medical training was invaluable, but it was really a toolbox that was half full. I use other modalities to help people to prevent illness instead of treating illnesses they already have. It was when I discovered the benefits of plant based-nutritional approaches that the magic really started to happen. Never before had I seen people feel better so quickly. Patients began to be able to improve their hypertension, diabetes, menopausal symptoms, period pains, well-being and depression. One gentleman also managed to reverse his low-grade prostate cancer. Another had her diverticulitis resolve. Another reversed her fibromyalgia. If this lifestyle were a pill, it would be patented for millions. I felt it was crucial to get this information more in the public domain, and so I set up my Instagram platform with that in mind. Now I lecture all around the world, talk on podcasts, create educational content, including a module for Winchester University’s Sustainable Nutrition course, and my first book is due to be published by Ebury at the end of the year.

MEDICAL EDUCATION

In medical school, we didn’t learn anything about optimising nutrition; instead we learned about the pathophysiology of disease, and how nutritional deficiencies can play a part in developing disease. Now, I feel it is crucial for all doctors to help their patients to optimise nutrition and lifestyle approaches for the improvement and prevention of disease. It needs to be added to the postgraduate curriculum, especially for GPs. Just as a gynaecologist learns how to perform a hysteroscopy after medical school, so too can all doctors learn about how to prevent disease as well as to treat it. There are several organisations such as ProVeg, Plant Based Health Professionals UK, the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Culinary Medicine UK and BANT who are working to see this happen.

IS FOOD REALLY MEDICINE?

It’s important that we use every health tool that we have as long as we understand the risks and benefits of doing so. What’s not tested in drug trials, is the synergy or the increase of side effects of multiple medications, especially in the elderly populations. It’s something that is hugely underestimated in real medical practice. Food is so important, because we use it as the building blocks for our body and it is the most concrete way of changing our risk of chronic disease. Medication can benefit my patients and I believe that it is important to use whatever we can to help enhance health. I do think it’s possible to reduce medication in people who previously needed them and but have made significant lifestyle changes.

The pharmaceutical industry is able to fund studies which can influence the way clinicians think. I don’t think that is all bad, we just need to find the balance between developing medications that can be useful and also emphasising the importance of creating health through our lifestyle and the decisions that we make, about ourselves and our bodies. I think many people often feel disempowered in their bodies. I would love for people to know that they have a lot more autonomy over their health decisions than they think.

THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE

Many GPs feel overloaded and unable to cope with the workload, with the result that some patients do not get a doctor who is focused on helping them to heal. It is hard on the doctors, the system and the patients.

In the post Covid world, changes that were starting to happen have been accelerated. There are a lot more teleconsultations and the use of other healthcare professionals as adjuncts to the clinician including physician assistants, paramedics and specialised nurses. Seeing people face to face can provide so many more opportunities for connection.

If I could change one thing in the NHS, I would make sure that there was less bureaucracy, the ability to increase the consultation time to fifteen minutes, and the ability to easily refer to nutritionists, dieticians and herbalists as part of our preventative referral pathways. In the broadest sense, it would be wonderful to have more of an emphasis on prevention, training on lifestyle and how it can prevent disease at medical school level and beyond.

More generally, we need shifts in town planning and food policy too. I would encourage the change in agriculture necessary to support our population long term into health, which would involve subsidising conservation agricultural practices, and stopping the subsidisation of the animal agricultural industry. To make healthy foods affordable and easy to access. More green spaces, less billboard advertising of cheap convenience food, ensuring fruits and vegetables were affordable for everyone.

FINAL TIPS

The most rewarding part of my work is when I feel I truly connected to somebody and that I have made a difference to their day, their week, their month or maybe even their life. In holistic practice, you can help your clients to open up to new possibilities, and things that they previously wouldn’t have even imagined for themselves.

My advice to help my patients achieve longevity varies depending on the person, but personally I feel the three most important factors for a long and fulfilled life are:

1. Finding happiness in your situation, whatever that might be.

2. Connecting to people around you.

3. Having an emphasis in life towards listening and giving.

What we put inside our bodies not only fuels us, but nourishes us too.

What would I say to young medics, therapists and practitioners? Listen. Really look at the person they are treating and ask themselves, “What does this person need from me today?” Allow them the time to let them talk about what they need. This builds the practitioner-patient relationship and helps them to effect change. It is also important to let go of the outcome. Give without expecting and the person can be fully in control of the decisions that they make. Letting go of the outcome doesn’t mean that you don’t care about the patient, rather it gives them the autonomy to change and make decisions for themselves. Help your patient to trust their body. n

i

In our next issue Gemma will

discuss plant based nutrition.

Find out more at www.gemmanewman.

com or @plantpowerdoctor