For a new and at the same time ancient field of science, his medical lifestyle, the doctor Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Popi Kalaitzis.
“What we call a medical lifestyle today is something that Hippocrates has already described,” Dr. Popi Kalaitzis said in an interview with Health Talks at iatropedia.gr and explains:
‘Hippocrates, separated medicine into 3 areas: Pathology, surgery and “diet” – not in the present sense, but in the sense of lifestyle. “
In today, Popi Kalaitzis has devoted her career to holistic approach to healthgiving emphasis on 6 Basic Axesto which man should make radical changes.
They are: the dietthe exercisethe sleepthe detoxification from addictions (smoking, alcohol), the Mental health and human relationships.
“Lifestyle changes are no longer complementary, it is a prerequisite for the treatment of chronic and non -contagious diseases,” he points out, adding that sleep is an unrecognized pillar, but very essential to human health.
“THE sleep It is a pillar we have underestimated. I have a lot of patients with cancer, autoimmune, multiple sclerosis, brain or heart attacks suffering from sleep problems, “he explains.
“My patients’ victories are also wins for me”
Popi Kalaitzi, is founder of First Clinic Lifestyle Medicine in Greecewhile also serving as an academic fellow at the Second Educational Pathology Clinic of the NCSR at Atticon Hospital.
Where for two years, the same as the rest of the scientific team created one Standard Cancer Survivor Medical Center In collaboration with the EKPA, a pioneering For Greek data, efforts are expected to be a role model for other NHS hospitals.
‘It’s a clinic that has nothing to envy from what we see in Great Medical Schools abroad »notes and states’proud»For the changes that her patients have had cancer.
And he explains how the change starts mainly from within us:
“I am very proud of many of my cancer patients, very proud. And I have to tell you, that this pride is not for something I have done. It’s for something my patients have done. Certainly with my own encouragement of my team, but what I am telling them is that, “unfortunately I can’t just surgery you. I can’t just write a medicine. I have to convince you to make changes and I be your companion, “he says.
See her interview Dr. Popis Kalaitzis, at Health Talks of iatropedia.gr:
Holistic care helps cancer treatments: “Treatment starts from the first day”
Popi Kalaitzi explains that the patient’s holistic care should start from the day of diagnosis, especially in the cancer.
“Part of the treatment is in the hands of the patient. The his own habits They can enhance or weaken the effect of therapies, ”he says.
He even draws an example from a study by 2020, published in a valid scientific journal, according to which:
‘Patients with melanoma following Mediterranean respond twice in immunotherapy compared to those who have a western diet. The key is the microbiome, which directly affects the effectiveness of treatment. “
The same applies to exercise:
‘Exercise is the only’ medicine ‘we have for the fatigue of chemotherapyneurotoxicity or lymphedema After breast cancer interventions. And yet, it is often not prescribed, “the doctor points out.
Popi Kalaitzis: “I was taught to prescribe lifestyle in Germany”
Her personal course is just as indicative of her passion:
“I wanted to be a doctor as a child, even though we didn’t have any doctor in the family. In Thessaloniki, where I studied, from the second year I volunteered in the surgeries. I liked to sew, to be intubated, to be in the urgency. In the summers I volunteered at EKAB, “he says.
Although he loved emergency surgery, he then ended up discovering a new mission:
‘Growing up, I discovered that I want to help people Not only to save their lives, but also to make it from the beginning. Lifestyle medicine is the vehicle for it, “she says, narrating her personal journey and adds:
“In Germany, where I specialized in his medical lifestyle, since 2013 I was prescribing lifestyle changes. This knowledge is now brought to Greece too, ”
She applies the same philosophy to her patients and to the private clinic she maintains in Kolonaki, a small multi -scientific clinic, with doctors of many specialties and a common goal: the holistic approach to the prevention and treatment of diseases.