Support "happiness" with NHS anti-pop-up pills and take a dose of social medicine

Doctors should be able to prescribe Spotify to patients with dementia rather than just dispensing drugs, said our new health secretary.

Matt Hancock is a supporter of "social prescriptions", which means that you could be sent to the gym or yoga class if your doctor thinks it would improve your well-being.

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And it's not just going to fitness clubs that could become doctors' orders.

Doctors can prepare you to play bingo or ask you to join a knitting club if it could improve your health.

Mr. Hancock wishes to create a National Prescription Arts Academy and states that this type of community intervention should be open to all patients by 2023.

Having worked as a cardiologist in the NHS for 17 years, I'm right behind him on this.

At present, modern medicine is the biggest threat to public health. Many doctors are too quick to distribute pills.

They often result in unpleasant side effects, increase the risk of premature death and reduce the quality of life. I have seen thousands of people taking statins when they had better cut junk food and walk 30 minutes a day.

By accepting a pill, they do not treat the root cause of their health problems. And they are unhappy.

These lifestyle measures and community-based prescriptions can not only help treat serious health problems, but will also make you happier and improve your quality of life.

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Music can dramatically reduce symptoms in patients with dementia, according to a report released earlier this year. So why not have Alzheimer patients listen to their favorite reading lists?

Exposure to arts and culture could improve a wide range of conditions, including mental health issues, aging and loneliness.

Going to the library can overcome stress, a disease related to a range of diseases, from obesity to depression and diabetes.

Reading a book is more relaxing than watching TV or checking your phone. It is a calm and soothing environment, conducive to mental health.

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Volunteering to help others or giving back to your community is a good thing for you.

Gardening is good for mental and physical health.

Writing or cooking classes can help you relax and fight loneliness.

Who would not prefer that to take a pill?

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I started to prescribe meditation to many of my patients.

People with chest pain or heart disease find it helps to relieve their symptoms. I advocate life medicine for many years.

This has been proven to reduce the risk of chronic disease, but it also makes you happier in the short term.

Maybe we should include a social media leave order. You may feel better if you meet a friend for a coffee, instead of spending hours talking to them over the Internet.

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I tell my patients to go out for two to three hours before going to bed. It helps sleep and a good night's sleep can reduce the risk of many diseases, including cancer and heart disease.

Acupuncture may not cure the cancer, but may be able to reduce the symptoms. An hour of yoga can change your ideas.

Owning a pet can help your physical and mental health, so do not be surprised if your doctor advocates buying a dog.

It may sound like an air fairy, but it really is not. There is good science behind that.

The town of Frome, Somerset, has seen a dramatic drop in the number of admissions to the hospital since the launch of a community-based project to combat loneliness.

Established by GP Helen Helen Kingston in 2013, the Compassionate Frome project used "health connectors" to help patients plan their care and "community connectors" to help them find support.

Sometimes it meant dealing with debt or housing problems, sometimes joining choirs or groups of exercises.

They found that it alleviated loneliness, which could worsen the disease.

Preliminary results from the region have shown that this could lead to reduced admissions to the hospital and savings for the health budget.

Diabetes costs the NHS £ 10 billion a year. However, research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes can go into remission by following a healthy diet and exercising.

If doctors prescribe this, rather than pills, the NHS would save hundreds of millions of dollars that are currently spent on drugs to treat the disease. And patients would not have the unpleasant side effects that they take while taking pills.

Lifestyle medicine should be at the forefront of the NHS.

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If we do this, I am confident that in a few years we will be able to make a real difference to the NHS crisis.

We will make the population healthier, happier and more productive from an economic point of view.

It is good to know that Matt Hancock is in full agreement for this to happen.

But there is a warning.

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Our environment and our social situation must also help to help people live healthier lives.

At the present time, we are seeing a difference that doctors can prescribe a social prescription, which involves going to the gym or slimming club, but then you leave the hallway of the hall. hospital to get to a vending machine filled with chocolate bars and soft drinks.

Simon Stevens, Executive Director of NHS England, has promised to address this problem, but the government needs to address it first so that patients can swim with the current rather than the tide.

If this is not the case, these wonderful changes advocated by Mr. Hancock will have only a limited impact.

• Dr. Malhotra is an NHS cardiologist and successful author of the Pioppi Diet.

What does phubbing mean that you prefer mobile phones to people and how does this affect your mental health?