Table 1 Examples of How Changing the Narrative Might Effect Practice: Therapeutic Options Derived From Various Narratives; Note: The Evidence Base on Agent Narrative Based Practices Is Small Due to a Lack of Interest
From: Patients and agents – or why we need a different narrative: a philosophical analysis
Disease | Patient Narrative | Agent Narrative |
|---|---|---|
Cardiovascular disease | Take drugs, avoid saturated fat and salt; surgery to prevent stenosis | Reconsider lifestyle choices [18], individualized nutrition program [52,53,54], stress-reduction, meditation and mindfulness, exercise [55, 56], consider psychosocial aspects and personal relationships [57, 58] |
Rheumatoid arthritis | Control inflammation, use disease modifying agents | Check on nutritional antigens, consider fasting and an individually adapted vegetarian diet [59,60,61]; consider checking omega-3 to omega-6 ratio and supplementing, if low to reduce inflammatory propensity [62, 63] |
Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder | Give dopamine agonists like ritalin | Check out social environment, nutritional and lifestyle patterns like overstimulation (caffeine, TV, media); [64] consider mindfulness practice; [65] check on omega-3 to omega-6 balance and consider supplementing (to improve neuroplasticity and learning) [66] |
Mild Cognitive Impairment | Watchful waiting, consider cholinesterase inhibitors, if deterioration is obvious | Prevent medicalisation [30], consider changing dietary pattern towards more ketogenic intake avoiding sugars and simple carbohydrates [37, 38, 53], seek out cognitive stimulation [67], exercise [33], going into the sun and/or supplementing vitamin D [44, 45, 68], enhance social participation, contacts and volunteer work in the community, accept aging as a natural process [30, 46] |