It is well known that about two-thirds of the U.S. population is either overweight or obese. The U.S. Surgeon General has stated that approximately 75% of Western diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, gout, arthritis, excess weight gain, hypertension, diabetes, some cancers, impotence, biventricular disease, constipation, heartburn, and gallbladder disease, are "lifestyle-related." They are directly correlated with our high fat diet, inadequate amounts of exercise, smoking, high intake of caffeine, and high amounts of stress coupled with insufficient support.
Hoping to address this alarming situation, more than 20 years ago, cardiovascular epidemiologist Hans A. Diehl, DrHSc, MPH, created the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP). Since then, this 40-hour community-based lifestyle intervention program has helped more than 40,000 people rediscover their health by preventing, arresting and reversing their diseases. It has been conducted in more than 150 North American cities as well as in Bangalore, India, Australia and Switzerland. Depending upon the needs of the group, the meetings are held either "live" with Dr. Diehl delivering the program personally (usually meeting four times per week for four weeks) or as a "video-based" program with certified CHIP facilitators (normally two times per week for eight weeks). In addition, Dr. Diehl is a best-selling author ? To Your Health, Dynamic Living, and Health Power (co-authored with Aileen Ludington, M.D.) -- as well as the executive editor of a 24-page quarterly Lifeline Health Letter; he has produced scores of health videos. CHIP empowers people through its scientifically-documented, educational and inspirational program that addresses common western diseases -- those that used to be seen primarily later in life.
Today, these diseases increasingly appear at far younger ages. CHIP may make all the difference in one's life -- even the difference between life and death.
In 1999, CHIP launched a "community health transformation template" in Rockford, Illinois, a city with a population of 130,000. The intention was to transform Rockford into the healthiest city in American, thereby enabling it to serve as a model and template for cultural transformation on a community-wide level. Recently, CHIP was recognized as just such a model by HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and was "approved" under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a "STEPS to a HealthierUS" applicant. In addition to "live" CHIP, a series of CHIP videos are offered through schools, churches, corporations, and hospitals. In Rockford, CHIP is sponsored by the Swedish American Health System's Center for Complementary Medicine.
Who is the typical CHIP participant? Generally, CHIP participants are over the age of 40. Most are between the ages of 50 and 59. There are twice as many women as men, and almost 90% are married. Clinical research, published in peer review journals, has found that they have the following lifestyle diseases:
Over the course of the program, strict adherents are likely to experience significant clinical improvements such as the following:
Class & Video Lecture Schedule
Week 1
Modern Medicine: Miracles, Medicines, & Mirages
The limitations of high-tech medical approaches in dealing with lifestyle related diseases
Portrait of a Killer: Onslaught from Within
Atherosclerosis, the culprit in many lifestyle diseases
Stalking the Killer
Reviewing the risk factors for coronary heart disease
Eat More and Weigh Less
Basic guidelines for healthy, sustained weight loss
Week 2
Going Up in Smoke
Smoking ? the most controllable risk factor for coronary heart disease
The Magic of Fiber
The role of fiber in preventing and reversing lifestyle diseases
Reversing Hypertension
Changing the major risk factors for high blood pressure
Disarming Diabetes
Lifestyle factors that can arrest or reverse diabetes
Effective Cholesterol Control
Dietary factors that prominently affect blood levels of cholesterol
Fats in the Fire
The role of excessive fat intake in lifestyle diseases
Week 3
Fit at Any Age
Benefits of regular exercise in preventing and arresting disease
Boning Up on Osteoporosis
Cause and prevention of this so-called "disease of aging"
Lifestyle and Health
Clinical studies that demonstrate how lifestyle choices are related to health
The Optimal Diet
Positive dietary guidelines for the prevention and reversal of Western diseases
Week 4
Diet and Cancer
Dietary factors in the development and prevention of common cancers
Atherosclerosis of the Mind
The importance of adaptability in achieving and maintaining optimal health
The Gift of Forgiveness
How a spirit of forgiveness enhances emotional and overall health
Building Self-Worth
The development, preservation and role of self worth in a healthy person
Sidebar
Connie Thebarge's Story
At the age of 59, Connie Thebarge, a patient at the Ottawa Heart Institute in British Columbia, Canada, was told that her doctors could no longer help her. After all, in addition to suffering from hypertension, she had diabetes and painful diabetic neuropathy. She had two heart attacks followed by a triple coronary bypass surgery and an unsuccessful angioplasty. Every day, she had to take 27 pills. Not surprisingly, she was also depressed.
Yet, today, more than a decade later, Thebarge walks three miles a day, swims twice a week, dances, and travels to Florida and Europe. No longer depressed, she also requires far fewer pills. How was this accomplished? Thebarge participated in CHIP and transformed her life.
Written by the Editors at Weight Loss Buddy Press in collaboration with Hans A. Diehl, DrHSc, MPH, FACN, CNS
About The Author
Copyright ? 2004, by Weight Loss Buddy Press
May be reproduced and distributed as is.
Joey Dweck - your Weight Loss Buddy
PO Box 488 Tenafly NJ 07670
Tel. 877-BuddyUp
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More
As a weight loss mentor it never ceases to amaze... Read More
I made myself a sandwich today and thought I'd be... Read More
Abdominal fat is now seen as a growing health hazard,... Read More
One-size-fits-all diets don't work....but then you probably know that already.... Read More
The cost of a tummy tuck is something to consider... Read More
Stomach-Stapling Surgery ------------ There's no doubt that stomach-stapling surgery leads... Read More
You've decided it's time to lose some weight. A lot... Read More
One way of recognizing a fad diet is... Read More
You are not a kid any more and becoming a... Read More
Every regime has its supply of useless folk lore and... Read More
Food cravings can be triggered by various things including low... Read More
A "normal-tummy" looks at the food pyramid from the bottom... Read More
One of the most popular diets is the low carb... Read More
As our country gains weight at an alarming rate, we... Read More
What do you think of the hundreds of weight loss... Read More
Spring is here and swimsuit weather is just around the... Read More
Dieting is not easy. If it were, we would probably... Read More
What is a mini tummy tuck? Officially called a partial... Read More
Losing weight doesn't have to be boring when you focus... Read More
When Instant Results Take TimeYesterday I decided to "get back... Read More
If you are among the millions of people searching for... Read More
In a culture of blame-shifting we often look for someone... Read More
Any weight loss or diet plan, including low-carb plans like... Read More
In this age being ignorant is like committing a crime.... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..I know a lot of people out there would like... Read More
Chant the following each day, several times. They are mantras... Read More
Did you say there's a way I can eat what... Read More
Let me tell you something - if you are doing... Read More
Our bodies only require a small amount of salt for... Read More
Diet drop out, a significant problem for all types of... Read More
Welcome to bodybuilding weightloss exercise tips!This is the engine room... Read More
First? establish realistic goals. Start with a target you can... Read More
If you're a low carb diet enthusiast, you've probably tried... Read More
How many calories you consume has a big impact on... Read More
Taming the See Food Eat Food ResponseWhat happens when you're... Read More
Have you ever wondered with all the weight loss programs... Read More
Frankie saddled up to the bar at the We-Stuff-Em-All Diner,... Read More
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or... Read More
Let's not talk about diets. Diets are punishment ? like... Read More
Everybody you know is on the latest weight loss bandwagon:... Read More
In our society of fast food and long hours spent... Read More
1. Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot... Read More
Whenever I hear someone say they just can't lose weight,... Read More
Reading labels is an essential part of any weight loss... Read More
Are you one of the 90 million Americans who are... Read More
Although many patients have few problems after bariatric surgery, there... Read More
Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a... Read More
We all have aspects of health we want to improve.... Read More
More and more people are turning to hypnosis or hypnotherapy... Read More
Weight Loss |