17. I Heal My Own Body : Lifestyle Diseases

Diseases previously known as adult diseases — such as hypertension, heart disease, alcoholic liver disease, lung cancer, osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis, and obesity — are now commonly called lifestyle diseases. This is because their onset or progression is influenced not just by age but by lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise, rest, smoking, and alcohol consumption. According to Health Canada data from 1974, the causes of related diseases are attributed 10% each to genetics, environment, and medical issues, while 60% is linked to lifestyle.

I categorize lifestyle habits simply into three: mental habits, exercise habits, and dietary habits. Paying attention to these three main areas can resolve or prevent the main causes of disease. The reason I began this series focusing first on the eight dimensions of matter and mind was precisely because of mental habits.

During the Zhou dynasty, there were physicians called “dietary doctors” (食醫) who treated illnesses through food. The principle of “medicine and food share the same root” (藥食同源) was well established. The saying “If the energy is stronger than the flavor, it is medicine; if the flavor is stronger than the energy, it is food” (氣厚味薄者藥，味厚氣薄者食) means that treatment with medicinal energy is faster, but for non-urgent cases, treating illness with food is possible. However, since the time needed corresponds to the duration of bad lifestyle habits, patience is necessary.

Hippocrates, called the father of Western medicine, famously stated that diseases not cured by food cannot be cured by a doctor. In my experience, many patients’ symptoms fundamentally improve simply by correcting dietary habits. In the next article, we will examine foods by five colors to find the dietary habits best suited to each individual.

Dr. Jin-man Kim, director of Peace Oriental Clinic