When it comes to living longer and living better, there are two questions you have to ask yourself.
What can you do?
What can your doctor do?
During a joint lecture April 22, Dr. Holly Andersen, assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, the Ida and Theo Rossi Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Medical College, answered both questions and more in discussing the principles of healthy living.
During their presentation, "Live Healthy, Live Happy: Productive Ways to Maintain Your Health," the two accomplished and esteemed physicians discussed the habits and practices that will not only lead to a longer life, but a healthier, happier one as well.
The lecture is part of Weill Cornell's bi-annual Health and Wellness Seminar Series, which provides free health and medical information to the surrounding community in the fall and spring.
Dr. Andersen's "six pearls of wisdom" outlined the proactive steps people can take to ensure their own quality of life.
The first, quitting smoking, is also the most critical, she said, as smoking is the leading avoidable cause of death in the United States It is linked to 15 different types of cancer and responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths.
Exercise is another key to better living.
"Physical activity is the fountain of youth," Dr. Andersen said.
Dr. Andersen, who has been selected as one of America's "Best Doctors" every year since 2001, said a healthy diet, good sleep habits, reducing stress and paying attention to potential safety hazards also contribute a better quality of life.
"If you embrace this you can live better, and I believe, longer," she said.
And while both doctors stressed the importance of a strong physician-patient relationship, Dr. Rosenfeld, the founder and president of the Rosenfeld Heart Foundation and a presidential appointee to the Advisory Council to the White House Conference on Aging, lamented that in this country's "broken health care system," it can be difficult for a doctor to take even a few extra minutes for each patient.
"The doctor used to see five, 10, 15 patients a day," Dr. Rosenfeld said. "Now, they have to see so many more just to be able to stay in practice."
Medicine has also seen a shift in focus from diagnosis to prevention, Dr. Rosenfeld said. Whereas patients' primary concerns were once in treating disease, they are now much more interested in preventing disease from striking.
"There are a whole lot of people in this country who invite illness and premature death because they aren't taught about prevention," Dr. Rosenfeld said.
Prevention lies in making good diet, exercise and lifestyle choices, not demanding unnecessary and potentially dangerous scans and tests.
Ultimately, the key to a long, healthy life is access — access to good doctors and good insurance, Dr. Rosenfeld said. And while it is critical to make good choices in what you eat and what you do, it is just as important to make good choices when it comes to elected officials.
"On the positive side, people are living better and longer," Dr. Rosenfeld said. "We are doing better and I believe we will continue to do so if we push our elected officials to come up with a health care system that permits affordable medical care for everyone."