Killer Triad Dilemma

In my family, both my father at age 63 and my only sibling a brother at age 48 were taken early due to a combination of coronary artery disease and diabetes. My father struggled with obesity and diabetes from his early 30s. Although he saw his family physician often for care related to his diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, no one spent time in a coaching role to help him with the necessary diet and exercise changes that could have extended or improved his quality of life. My father took a multitude of medications for his heart and diabetes, but medications can’t cure diseases like coronary artery disease and diabetes. At best the meds attempt to control symptoms. If he had modified his diet, lost the extra pounds he carried for so many years and began a walking program, he most likely would have lived a longer life.

My brother who was a smoker and overweight by the time he hit his 40s, dropped dead of a heart attack getting ready for work one morning several years ago. An autopsy showed that he had extensive coronary artery disease and had unknowingly suffered a previous heart attack a year or two earlier. Although he rode his bike for errands in his neighborhood, he continued to smoke two packs a day for 30 years prior to his heart attack. The combination of his obesity and smoking slowly damaged his coronary artery circulation to the point his heart muscle was chronically starved of oxygen. Then one day abruptly without warning he was gone.

A few years after my father’s passing, my mother remarried only to experience with her second husband the third leg of the killer triad- Alzheimer’s. Seeing the illness develop and progress in my stepfather, it’s clear that this is a disease worth preventing. My stepfather is slowly disappearing.The disease has taken a huge emotional and physical toll on my 83 year-old mother who has become the caretaker for her husband. The medication for which he will take the rest of his life seems to help little for his diminishing short-term memory or his growing confusion over the simple tasks of daily living. Recent studies have shown a promising reduction in the incidence of Alzheimer’s for those who maintain a normal weight, exercise regularly and have normal blood sugars.

The big news about the diseases that attack the heart, brain and body parts is that the same lifestyle habits promote their development. My husband David refers to the trio of diseases that attack the heart, brain and body parts as the “killer triad”. If you visit any hospital, or a nursing home these days, the majority of patients are suffering from coronary artery disease (heart), Alzheimer’s (brain) or the effects of diabetes which attacks body parts (pancreas, eyes, kidneys, and lower extremities). As we age, we all fear loss of body parts, a debilitating heart attack or the loss of our memory and personhood. The fact that all three diseases are connected by diet, blood sugar, exercise and smoking cessation means that modifying lifestyle for one disease modifies the risk for all of these diseases. It makes a compelling argument to pick any point of intervention in lifestyle behaviors because you create opportunity to modify or prevent the killer triad.

Although the details of my personal family history are painful to review, it is important to share why I changed careers from being a health care provider to becoming an integrative health coach. Had health coaching been available, it could have made a difference in my family’s lives. The answer to preventing the majority of disease in our country is not as simple or as expensive as a trip to the pharmacy. The answers begin with simple but very challenging changes in diet, stress management, exercise and avoidance of cigarette smoke. The earlier lifestyle course corrections are implemented, the better outcomes are seen in quality of health. That being said, it’s never too late to implement smoking cessation, weight control measures, reduction in dietary sugar consumption and exercise and add quality years to your lifespan.

Because these changes are challenging and difficult to achieve for most, a health coach provides the skills and accountability necessary to guide you through the process to achieve the health related course corrections you want to make in your life.  As always, you can email me if you have questions about how health coaching and how it could change your life.