Seven of the top 10 leading causes of death in the world are noncommunicable, or chronic, diseases. Most of them are preventable. And though you probably won’t hear it from your pharmacist or even your doctor, they’re reversible.
“When we think about how a chronic disease starts, whether it’s cardiovascular disease or atherosclerotic disease in regards to strokes or prediabetes or diabetes or hypertension, a lot of that stems from metabolic dysfunction,” says Dr. Tom McCoy, a board-certified family and obesity medicine physician, during a panel discussion at the 2023 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Which really comes back to a lack of activity, not paying attention to foundational nutrition, and not having a movement strategy that we do every day. If we do those three things, we address it,” McCoy continues.
McCoy was joined by cardiologist Dr. Rodrigo Jasbick, psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer, physician Dr. Amy West, CrossFit affiliate owner Dale King, and CrossFit Senior Manager of Health Education and moderator Mike Giardina (CF-L4).
The critical problem in healthcare, the panelists agree, is a symptom-focused approach to treatment.
“I actually think the main reason we have a pill for every illness is because nobody has been able to figure out how the hell do all of these things fit together?” says Palmer. “And at the end of the day, the solutions are all the things that you already know … clean up your diet, exercise. … It’s sleep, it’s get off the substance use, it’s all of those things. If you do a comprehensive lifestyle treatment program, you’re probably going to attack the root causes of all these different illnesses.”
McCoy agrees.
“With the precision medicine approach, where you’re addressing root cause instead of addressing reactionary symptoms, you can actually have foundational change,” he says.
And CrossFit affiliates, panelists say, are uniquely positioned to bring that change to life.
“We can make recommendations as physicians, but it’s not until those recommendations become habit that they’re actually effective,” says Dr. West. “And that’s where the affiliates come in.”
Table of Contents:
5:00 – What is the definition of chronic disease?
14:56 – What behaviors can CrossFit coaches focus on to improve the health of their members?
17:05 – How does the CrossFit community play a role in shaping new behaviors?
25:36 – What are some important considerations affiliate owners and coaches should keep in mind when working with new athletes who are struggling with chronic disease?
32:39 – What are some ways affiliate owners can connect with physicians and healthcare professionals in their communities?
42:35 – Q&A
Webinar On Demand: We Cure Chronic Disease