Ah, the time of the year when all the “Top 10 Lists” come out. Top 10 spring wardrobe trends. Top 10 newsworthy stories of the past year. And of course, the top health trends to watch out for in the coming year. I have always wondered who made these lists, and how do they know what healthy choices people will make?
I have decided to create my own “Top 10 Health Trends of 2019” list based on what my very own patients tell me is important to them, and based on the types of questions I get asked on a daily basis. And without further adieu……..
1. Meatless Mondays for Good
More and more people are echoing similar sentiments, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of my patients end up becoming vegetarian. The reasons are many – they don’t trust the meat industry and where our food is coming from, they find the price too high for a product that just doesn’t taste the way it used to, and they overall feel that being a vegetarian is a healthier choice. While it is very difficult to study dietary patterns, the research suggests that vegetarian diets may actually have some health benefits over being a meat eater, and these benefits include reduced adipose tissue, reduced cardiovascular risks such as stroke, reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and even reduced kidney disease. Lower cancer risk has also been suggested. So stock up on your broccoli this year!
2. Keto is Still Kicking It
In my practice, 2018 was the year of the ketogenic diet. Everyone was trying it, and everyone was asking about it. A lot of my patients who tried it experienced significant weight loss, and were very happy with the results. I still anticipate this diet trend to go strong in 2019. While I am not the biggest proponent of the ketogenic diet, I help people to achieve healthier ways of weight loss via similar principles, such as low carb and low sugar diets.
3. Hook Me Up, Doc
The IV trend is still going strong. Intravenous therapies started getting popular a few years ago, from hangover IV trucks in Vegas to celebrity endorsements of their vitamin drips. I am still getting numerous patients every month looking to keep their immunity strong with vitamin and mineral formulas, and looking to improve their energy with glutathione and other energy formulas. IVs can help with addictions, migraines, PMS, high blood pressure, and even pain. The list is endless really.
4. Better Zzzzzz’s
Sleep, or I should say lack of sleep, has been a recurrent theme in the past, and finally I am seeing more and more people trying to make sleep a priority. People are tired of feeling tired. The over scheduled romanticizing of “busy-ness” is coming to an end, and I see people trying to cut down their stress and anxiety and racing minds with the hopes it will bring them a more peaceful sleep. Sleep is one of the foundations of health. Let’s have sweet dreams this year!
5. Hang on to That Fit Bit
People are still loving their Fit Bit. Not much more to say about that. Technology is sexy, and seeing your steps, and calories, and hours of restful sleep is exciting. It is also a very motivating tool to keep doing better.
6. Exercise is Not a Stress Test
I foresee the days of the high intensity interval training (HIIT) coming to an end, especially for the people that are easily stressed. These types of quick, loud and intense classes that have been all the rage are not enjoyable for my patients, and people are opting for something called low-intensity interval training (LIIT), classes that emphasize holding long poses, similar to yoga, to build muscle and burn calories.
7. Being Your Own Doctor
While this has been a trend for quite some time, I anticipate it to still hold strong, and maybe even stronger than previous years. People are tired of not being heard from their doctors, of not feeling listened to, and not feeling cared about. What I hear from my patients is that all they want is to ask questions, and for a doctor to truly work with them as a person. Because this is often not the experience in a doctor’s office, people are taking health into their own hands. They read a lot, and talk to lots of different friends and colleagues, and try out their own interventions, often with a lot of success. Of course not every health ailment can be treated this way, but I applaud the proactive approach I am seeing.
8. Hemp, Cannabis, THC, Oh My!
Of course we all know that cannabis was legalized in Canada in October 2018, and with that brought a massive increase in cannabis prescriptions. I saw a huge increase in the number of my patient’s reporting they were experimenting wth CBD oil for ailments such as pain, insomnia and anxiety. While research literature isn’t quite clear with what the true efficacy of CBD oil actually is, more and more people are wanting to try it, and I don’t anticipate this slowing down in 2019.
9. Float Tanks, Retreats and Other Things
Another report I heard a lot from my patients this past year, which I anticipate to still go strong, is trying out new trends like float tanks, or finally making time to check out that yoga retreat they had been dreaming of for years. What this basically tells me is that you are all craving hard for some down time, quiet time, “me” time. I think mostly quiet time. Life is busy and loud, and I feel that it is really getting to people. So whether it is going for a quiet walk in the park, meditating, closing the door to your office for a few minutes, or a float tank, give in to that craving and treat yourself to some peace and quiet.
10. Aging Naturally
Fakeness is out, and natural beauty such as grey hair and softer wrinkles are in. Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t want to look or feel old, but I see more and more men and women opting for more natural ways to fight off age, such as mesotherapy and facial acupuncture. These types of treatments stimulate our own production of collagen and elastin, and give a breath of fresh air to tired skin. There is also some research confirming their efficacy to fight off signs of aging. The other big bonus to these natural therapies are that they come with a nicer price tag compared to therapies such as botox or other types of lasers and peels.
Do you like this blog post? If you feel like there are other trends out there that are becoming more popular, let me know so I can share it with others. And of course, if you have any questions about implementing or trying anything you have read, just shoot me an email. Happy new year!
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