Regan Stiegmann was very lively rising up. She known as herself an “absolute sports activities nut.” The Colorado native is a longtime fan of the Denver Broncos, and she or he was the one feminine on the 2000 John Mobley Soccer Camp. Stiegmann performed soccer, basketball, and softball as properly.
“Sports activities was my life,” she stated fondly. “I nonetheless attempt to make {that a} actuality as properly, simply now via medication.”
After she completed highschool, Stiegmann went into faculty and finally, medical faculty as properly. Nonetheless, her life would take a shift throughout these years. Stiegmann joined the army midway via medical faculty. Many college students had turned to the Well being Occupation Scholarships Program (HPSP), which was a scholarship program that included working with varied branches of the army such because the Military, Navy, and Air Pressure. Stiegmann discovered that becoming a member of the Air Pressure might assist her each serve her nation and full medical faculty.
“Right here was a chance for me to carve my very own path and begin an journey,” stated Stiegmann. She is definitely a primary=technology member of the army in her household. Little did she know simply how intertwined her army profession and her skilled profession would grow to be. Stiegmann has served within the Air Pressure for a little bit over a decade, and she or he would grow to be a double board licensed flight surgeon, with a deal with life-style medication. That focus got here to her whereas she was finishing her rotations in medical faculty.
“I spotted that a lot of what I used to be seeing on the wards and in clinics had been medical circumstances that had been utterly preventable,” she defined. “I had this epiphany second the place I requested myself ‘how is that with this subsequent technology of medical professionals, and extra particularly, army medical professionals, that I’m not being taught the best way to stop, deal with, and reverse these persistent ailments that appear to stack up?’”
Stiegmann would discover her method to a residency in preventive medication, and she or he would additional focus on life-style medication. For these which can be unaware, lifestyle medicine is a specialty that emphasizes life-style adjustments and interventions as the first modality to stop, deal with, and reverse persistent circumstances. There are six pillars to life-style medication: a complete meals, plant-predominant weight loss program, bodily exercise, sleep, stress administration, avoidance of drugs that might be counterproductive similar to medicine and alcohol, and constructive social connections. It’s a definite shift from conventional medication, which is usually centered on managing ailments and signs relatively than discovering well being options. Way of life medication is a observe that some docs similar to Stiegmann have built-in into their practices, however different well being care professionals haven’t discovered the best way to apply it but. That innovation could also be intimidating to some, however not Stiegmann. As a matter of reality, she embraces being in a task that may very well be thought of leading edge and making a measurable distinction.
“I very a lot love the revolutionary facet of the home,” she shared. “It could actually actually rub some folks the mistaken means once you innovate actually onerous and actually quick, and that’s what I do – as a result of folks’s well being is on the road.”
Stiegmann is now in her post-military profession, however the work she is doing retains her intently linked to her brothers and sisters in service. The army makes use of the phrase “life-style and efficiency medication,” however the finish aim is identical – assist folks handle the foundation reason for their medical points to allow them to be their greatest for themselves, their households, and even their nation. Many individuals aren’t even conscious of the impression these pillars can have as a result of they consider they must depend on prescriptions. Some could not discover themselves worthy of doing so. Stiegmann hopes that they may study and understand that they not solely might, however they need to.
“We now have to do higher at our bodily well being and health. We now have to understand our sleep, stress administration, and our meals decisions, and mitigate dangerous substance use similar to overindulging caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. We now have to start out intelligently weaving collectively the six pillars.”
Whereas some could study this and really feel dangerous for not making use of the pillars sooner, Stiegmann referred to a quote from the late Maya Angelou that’s becoming relating to educating others on life-style medication.
“Do the perfect with what you understand, however when you understand higher, do higher,” she recited. Ever since she got here to her realization, her private mission is to assist others prioritize well being upkeep relatively than deal with illness administration. She isn’t solely centered on lively members of the army. Many veterans whose days of service are behind them really feel it’s too late, and Stiegmann hopes that they may see the potential that’s in entrance of them simply by doing one thing so simple as “utilizing meals for medication.” Points similar to hypertension, pre-diabetes, and others are affecting servicemembers all through the nation, might be addressed in less complicated methods than pharmaceutical choices.
“Till there’s a extra uniform means of presenting this info to veterans, they’ll go to the American College of Lifestyle Medicine to seek out docs right here and overseas that know the best way to observe this sort of medication, and that may assist them get again to well being.”
Moreover, there’s a new technology getting into maturity, and plenty of of them will search to affix the service and serve their nation. Stiegmann hopes that they may apply those self same pillars sooner to allow them to spend money on their well being now and recognize the impression for a few years to come back, whether or not it’s throughout service or after their profession is over. They don’t must take her phrase for it, as a result of life-style medication has been put to the check by folks which can be thought of among the many greatest of their area, they usually received higher.
“I’ve spent the final half-decade on the Air Pressure Academy with particular operators, pilots, and world-class athletes who’ve come via the Way of life Medication Clinic, and all they did was work out and gauge for themselves what they needed to tweak about their meals decisions,” Stiegmann shared. She mirrored on one world class sprinter who was excited in regards to the adjustments he made.
“All he did was eat extra fiber, aiming for 30 grams a day, minimized inflammatory foods, drank beet juice earlier than he ran, and tart cherry juice after – mainly simply priming his cells to completely carry out. The anecdotal stuff is simply actually unimaginable.”
Whereas efficiency is essential, the prospect of sufferers placing Diabetes into remission or making hypertension a factor of the previous excites Stiegmann simply as a lot. She has traveled the nation and even visited different nations to teach others about life-style medication, and whereas there’s much more work to do, it’s a mission that she accepts and executes on proudly. She even calls again on her love for the Broncos as a method to emphasize what she does and why it may be so essential.
“I consult with myself because the quarterback in a medical sense with my sufferers. In case your quarterback isn’t supplying you with smarter routes to run to get to the endzone of well being, there’s no means you’re going so as to add factors to the board. I need to be a stellar quarterback, and I need to assist my receivers catch touchdowns.”
You will discover Main Stiegmann on Instagram: @dr.stieg.
