My thoughts on today’s Independent piece

Written by Dr. Kate McCann
19th June 2022

What were your thoughts on this piece from Independent.ie

I had a mixed reaction.
I’ll start with the good:

o see an Executive Healthcheck incorporating lifestyle medicine aspects into their care.
2. It highlights real – and needed conversations – that doctors have with patients about reducing health risks.
3. It’s good the highlight the need to get checked on #FathersDay which is the last day of #MensHealthWeek
Ok, now the not-so-good:
1. The writer timed this piece poorly – highlighting a luxury €600 service the day after national #CostOfLiving protests in the middle of #inflation.
2. The patient most at risk from lifestyle-related health complications are those who have the most trouble accessing healthcare and support. Nutrition becomes a real concern for these patients with the #economiccrisis.
3. The writer would have done better to include that patients can get health assessments from their GP.
4. The writer could have done a little more research into the specialty that is lifestyle medicine. The massive, all-at-once, doctor-led health recommendations are NOT how lifestyle doctors practice medicine. It doesn’t work, for one. LM is built on doctor-patient relationship, making small, patient-led, patient-centred changes over time for long-term success.

5. The writer used usual angle that gets easy clicks and likes: joking about #alcohol misuse. More responsible journalism would have also pointed out that alcohol misuse accounts for ONE THIRD of our national healthcare budget (liver disease, cancer, heart disease, mental health, etc.)

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