HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: Improves life expectancy, reduces costs

I compliment the column from Sholeh Patrick titled “Want to live longer?.” I retired from family medicine a little over two years ago with little over 35 years as a practicing physician. I agree with all the bullet points presented in the column with the addition of keeping up to date with age-appropriate vaccinations.

The only point of difference that I have with Dr. Attia is that in my experience, primary care practitioners have always emphasized preventative medicine as top priority. The greatest challenge that I encountered is that a large proportion of the population has been resistant to implementing healthy lifestyle changes. This would include smoking cessation (or cessation of any substance abuse), finding time for regular exercise, eating healthy to keep a healthier body weight, and getting an adequate amount of sleep.

Not only is life expectancy improved, but according to a recent article in The Lancet (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30203-6/fulltext), the authors noted that in the year 2016, an estimated $730.4 billion of total U.S. health care costs were attributable to modifiable risk factors. Therefore, the key for the primary care practitioner is to persuade their patients to live a healthier lifestyle, which is not simple or easy.

DANIEL FLORES, M.D.

Hayden