Nutrition & Lifestyle
In the 20+ years that Dr. Maria Choy has been practicing medicine, she has found that many neurological problems are associated with poor nutrition and certain lifestyle choices, such as smoking. It is estimated that 80% of the chronic diseases in the US can be managed or prevented with diet and lifestyle changes.
Dr. Choy’s principles of nutritional management include:
- Better quality nutrition (you are what you eat)
- Exercise should be individualized to ability and preferences. If exercise is not enjoyable, it will result in the release of harmful neurotransmitters that may also lead to chronic disease.
- Smoking cessation is one of the biggest contributors to better health.
- Do not underestimate the power of love, joy, or happiness – they release the positive neurotransmitters that modulate good health. Meditation, hobbies, and vacations all contribute to this feeling of well-being that results in good health.
Poor nutrition and lifestyle choices can cause:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Depression
- Kidney Problems
- Gas and Bloating
- Sleep Apnea
- High Cholesterol
- High Blood Pressure
- Metabolic Syndrome
- And more
According to the Centers for Disease Control, chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the US. Some other interesting facts:
- 7 out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer and stroke account for more than 50% of all deaths each year.1
- In 2005, 133 million Americans – almost 1 out of every 2 adults – had at least one chronic illness.2
- Obesity has become a major health concern. 1 in every 3 adults is obese3 and almost 1 in 5 youth between the ages of 6 and 19 is obese (BMI ≥ 95th percentile of the CDC growth chart).4
- About one-fourth of people with chronic conditions have one or more daily activity limitations.5
- Arthritis is the most common cause of disability, with nearly 19 million Americans reporting activity limitations.6
- Diabetes continues to be the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic lower extremity amputations, and blindness among adults aged 20-74.7
- Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the US, behind diet and physical activity and tobacco. 8
If you have been struggling with a lack of energy, feeling tired all the time, mood swings, having trouble concentrating, or just feeling sick, you probably have something off balance in your nutritional intake or lifestyle. Central Jersey Neurological Institute’s Dr. Maria Choy can help get you back on track.
Call our Morganville, NJ office at (732) 591-5888 or (732) 446-9900 to schedule an appointment.
- Kung HC, Hoyert DL, Xu JQ, Murphy SL. Deaths: final data for 2005. National Vital Statistics Reports 2008;56(10). Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_10.pdf
- Wu SY, Green A. Projection of chronic illness prevalence and cost inflation. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Health; 2000.
- Ogden CL, Carroll MD, McDowell MA, Flegal KM. Obesity among adults in the United States—no change since 2003–2004. NCHS data brief no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2007. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db01.pdf
- Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Flegal KM. High body mass index for age among US children and adolescents, 2003–2006. JAMA 2008;299:2401–2405.
- Anderson G. Chronic conditions: making the case for ongoing care. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University; 2004.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation—United States, 2003–2005. MMWR 2006;55:1089–1092. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5540a2.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet, 2007. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2008. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/Diabetes/pubs/factsheet07.htm
- Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Ge
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