Well rounded doctor

DOCTOR Angelo Madjarov is not the kind of doctor who will prescribe you medication and send you on your way.

He would carefully diagnose you and tell you what exactly is going on with your body, send you home with pamphlets explaining why you have anything from a runny nose to a full-blown cold.

He might even throw in a DVD with a video explaining in detail why you are sick, and how to avoid getting sick again.

He isn’t the run of the mill doctor, who wants to have a revolving stream of patients coming in and out of his medical practice.

He wants his patients to be better, and stay better, and in his effort to do that, he is inviting his patients and the public to join the complete health improvement programme (CHIP) to make lifestyle changes to improve their lives for the better.

We have all heard of every dieting regimen under the sun, have stocked our pantries with bowel cleansers, protein shakes and diet pills to help us lose weight, but two weeks in, we give up and return to the life of ‘slap chips and russians takeaways’ from our favourite Portuguese shops.

If someone told us to join a gym or eat healthily, we would probably think that they are trying to punish us.

Why? Because for most of us, our idea of good food, doesn’t necessarily mean healthy food. Give us cake, copious amounts of braai meat and alcohol, and then we are happy; give us a plate of cucumbers and carrots, and we will feign that we are being starved.

We don’t see the correlation with what we eat, how active we are with affecting our health and happiness. We probably try to approach them all separately instead of understanding how interlinked and connected they are.

While modern life has improved a lot of things for humanity, perhaps the most destructive aspects of our modern lifestyles are the detrimental effects it has had on our health.

From long hours spent sitting at a desk at work, to our children spending more time playing video games than playing outside, we have begun to live a more sedentary life.

As parents and caretakers, we opt for fast food, instead of home-cooked meals because we are pressed for time, family bonding is centred around a television set, instead of spending an afternoon in nature with our loved ones, and unfortunately, our lifestyles and habits are slowly killing us.

Globally chronic diseases are on the rise, and according to a WHO (World Health Organisation ) non-communicable diseases report, chronic diseases will account for more than 57% of deaths caused by disease in 2020, and almost half of chronic disease deaths are caused by cardiovascular diseases.

At an information introductory session for the upcoming CHIP programme that from 15 April to 17 June, Dr Madjarov shared surprising information about our health habits, how they are affecting our lifestyles, and how we can change them.

The floor was also shared with participants who had taken part in the CHIP programme in the last year, to share their testimonials. Whether they were participants who were suffering from chronic diseases or those who had led what they perceived to be a healthy balanced lifestyle, all the participants found improvements in their health and general well-being.

One gentleman who had suffered from two strokes the previous year, found himself being healthier than ever and was cycling 20km a day.

Many of the former participants who had chronic diseases began to reduce the dosages of their chronic medication due to their improving health.

Which goes to show how far deliberate and committed lifestyle changes can improve our lives for the better.

Chip started in 1988 by cardiovascular epidemiologist Dr Hans Diehl as a 30-day community lifestyle-based intervention programme in partnership with the Lifestyle Medical Institute.

The programme is set up over 18 sessions where participants are given a health/lifestyle analysis, their blood pressure; cholesterol etc., are measured at the beginning of the programme and at regular intervals to address their progress.

You are given a participation kit which includes the CHIP textbook, a workbook, and a cookbook to inspire you to make healthy recipes.

The programme covers everything from how your body stores certain foods, to how to improve your lifestyle, be it exercise or even food shopping habits, to how to manage your personal life and relationships, as our emotional well-being can also affect our physical well-being.

All in all, the CHIP programme is a holistic approach to changing your lifestyle for the better

To find out more about the programme, you can contact Dr Madjarov at 061 245 219 or 081 750 7522

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