Readers Digest UK - December 2021

people can feel more lonely. How we

eat and drink changes and healthy

living takes a nosedive. There’s social

pressure and saying no can be

difficult. Striving for perfection can be

a challenge too—we feel we’ve got to

create that perfectly happy experience.

How can people have a happy

Christmas? Pause, reflect and notice

the small things that make you happy.

Connectedness is important—choose

who you want to be around. If you

know someone is lonely, reach out,

even just to help with their shopping.

Kindness can help you re-energise.

How can they be happy and healthy in

the long term? It’s very individual. I’ve

developed a free online LQ test on my

website, dralkapatel.com. This can

help zone in on the aspects of your

lifestyle that need to be improved.

Move more, eat better, sleep better,

but the key thing to remember when

making any change is just to start and

then feel the ripple effect. Q

For more information head to Dr Patel’s

website, dralkapatel.com

Ask The Expert:

How did you become interested in

lifestyle medicine? I’ve been a GP for

20 years but the last few years I felt

quite unsettled by general practice.

Patients were increasingly dependent

on me and on my prescriptions. So

I left and volunteered in palliative care

in India. It changed me. What I saw

was kindness and compassion, self-

care and people looking after each

other. I came back and discovered

lifestyle medicine.

What is it? It is an evidence-informed

lifestyle change approach to prevent,

treat and reverse lifestyle-related

illnesses. I call it self-care medicine,

root-cause medicine. It takes you

back to all the important causes of

changes in our health which lie in our

lifestyle. Health isn’t something that

lands in your lap; it has to be

something active you do.

What are the main challenges during

the festive season? There are financial

pressures. Family obligations can seem

overwhelming. Meanwhile, some

Dr Alka Patel is a GP, lifestyle

medicine physician and the founder

of Lifestyle First, which aims to

empower people to take care of

their health and happiness

Happy Holidays

DECEMBER 2021 • 45