Being diagnosed with an incurable disease may leave you feeling shocked, confused, and stressed. You’re now looking at big changes to your present lifestyle and, possibly, your future plans. You should take heart – while most such conditions aren’t easy to manage, they are by no means unmanageable. You will, doubtless, get better at it with time and even enjoy the same quality of life as before.

Here, Patient Talk offers advice on what you should do if you’ve been diagnosed with an incurable disease:

Remain hopeful

Bad news invariably leads to negativity, anxiety, and stress. You mustn’t ignore or otherwise tamp down on thoughts and emotions. Take time to process your diagnosis and its various implications. More importantly, try to inspire yourself: Give yourself a pep talk if you need to, and surround yourself with people who care about you. Read up on other people who are successfully navigating health conditions like yours and continue living life to the fullest.

Learn more about your conditions

When you’re unfamiliar with your condition, you may be beset by irrational fears and thoughts of worst-case scenarios. Learning more about your condition and understanding your diagnosis can help keep the fear at bay. More importantly, you’ll know what to expect and what you can do to stay on top of the condition. Pharmatutor lists 10 common incurable diseases with some background information about each one.

Have health-related goals or a self-care routine

Your doctor will offer advice and perhaps even design a care plan for you. You must take the advice to heart and follow the plan as well as you can – it’s how you will keep the problem under control long term. Following a self-care routine may also be a good idea. It can give you extra energy and enthusiasm, and it’s something you can incorporate into your everyday life. 

Below are examples of simple, actionable goals that will help you achieve better health:

• Drink more water and eat more greens.
• Get more sleep.
• Avoid alcohol and smoking.
• Walk 5,000 or more steps daily.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Start an exercise routine.

Manage stress and improve your mental health

Staying on top of your stress levels and paying attention to your mental health will stand you in good stead. Good mental health automatically gives you extra enthusiasm, makes your condition more manageable, and has a positive impact on your well-being. Some suggestions for improving your mental health are meditating, spending more time in nature, picking up a beneficial hobby like gardening, adopting a pet animal, exercising more, and letting in more natural sunlight into your home.

Keep your medical documents organized

You need to ensure your medical records and files are easy to access: You may need to get a second opinion, consult specialists, inform your insurance provider, and offer reassurances to concerned friends and family. You can digitize your records (or better organized digital records) in PDF. This format is preferred over Excel, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint (it’s easier to access and more secure). You can use this tool to convert existing files in other formats to PDFs. It’s as simple as dragging and dropping files into the tool and downloading the resulting file in PDF.

Stay in control of your finances

Your diagnosis may have financial implications. You may need to pay for expenses not covered by your insurance, for instance – the Jama Network can explain further. Additionally, your condition may cause you to lose some income or affect your employment. You must stay in control of your finances. Get an overview of your financial health, allocate enough for your needs, budget, make cutbacks, and consider creating an emergency fund. You may want to talk to a financial advisor for assistance. 

Conclusion

Incurable diseases negatively impact the quality of your life – at least until you learn how to live with them. Good food, exercise, and stress-busting can help you stay on top of your condition. Keep in mind that you’re never alone – you should ask for support from friends and family or join a dedicated support group for help managing your condition.

Finally, issues pertaining to emotional wellbeing and mental health are now being discussed regularly and are generally being afforded the respect, time, and media that they both need and deserve.

So, whether you have been struggling with feelings of low mood, high levels of stress, or anxiety for some time now, or else you are just passionate about and dedicated to ensuring you look after your mental health to the best of your ability, then you have definitely come to the right place.

Here are four ways to maintain a healthy level of emotional health and wellbeing.

1.    Surround Yourself with Positivity

Everyone will be able to identify with having one or more friends or members of their family who always seem to have a negative view of life and like to pass on such negative feelings to the people around them.

Obviously, no one would suggest completely cutting these people out of our life on a permanent basis, but it is certainly advisable to minimise the amount of time you spend in the presence of such people. Instead, choose to socialise with the people in your life who tend to usually have a much more positive outlook and incite motivation and provide energy, rather than taking what energy you do have away from you.

2.    Practise Meditation

Meditation still tends to hold connotations of hippie vibes and soul-searching ideals, but contrary to popular belief, learning even the most basic of meditative techniques could make a huge difference to your levels of contentment.

Meditation really comes down to being much more aware of the physical space your body takes up and moreover, the emotional space within your mind and working to conjoin the two together for a more peaceful state of being.

3.    Speak to the Doctor

Hopefully, you will hardly ever, or else not at all, experience prolonged periods of sadness and low mood, but if you do start to notice that you are finding it substantially more difficult to go about your daily life, you should do something about it before it gets worse.

Mental health issues are now becoming much more readily discussed, and so more and more can talk freely about how they feel. Of course, not everyone is able to offer the right advice in response, which is why it is important to remember that there are still professionals out there, and they are the best people to talk to if you think you may be experiencing depression or another emotional health issue. You should book an appointment with a doctor or nurse through tapgp.co.uk without delay. 

4.    Spend Time on Your Own

Even though human beings, just as any other animal, are essentially social entities and need to be with others for both their physical health and protection, as well as their emotional wellbeing, it is still important to be comfortable and content in your own company.

Furthermore, if you are serious about maintaining a strong level of mental health and worth, you should schedule at least a couple of hours a week to spend entirely on your own. You could enjoy your favourite solo hobbies or activities or else simply relax, rest, and recuperate in the peace and quiet.

If your loved one has fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or any other type of chronic illness, it’s safe to say that they deal with some difficult days. And as a caregiver, it may not always be clear how you can best help them through challenges.

While the most important thing is that you simply make yourself available and remain a consistent source of love and strength, it’s also important to have some practical strategies in place so that you can help your loved one maintain quality of life on the road ahead. Below, author Paul J. Travers shares a few tips to get you started.

Learn About their Condition  

No matter what condition your loved one is living with, you will be a more effective caregiver if you learn as much as you can about it. You may not be able to change the diagnosis, but you can arm yourself with information that can help you be there for your loved one. Look into the different stages of their ailment, symptoms of progression, treatment options, and other relevant information.

Help Around the House    

The pain that comes from chronic illness keeps many people from accomplishing everyday tasks around the house. You can make a significant impact on their life if you help your loved one keep a well-maintained home. For example, you can help straighten up their office and buy them some ergonomic furniture. Plan a weekend to declutter and deep clean the home, and evaluate the property for any modifications that could accommodate the needs of your loved one.

Then, figure out which projects you can DIY, and find local professionals who can do the more extensive repairs and modifications. For instance, if your loved one’s home has seen better days, you could hire a local handyman to repair such things as windows, the deck, walls, flooring, and doors. Search online for professional contractors in your community. Be sure to read online reviews and compare costs as you compare candidates.

Exercise Together

Another practical way that you can help a loved one who is living with a chronic health condition is to exercise with them. The condition may limit the types of movements your loved one can engage in, but there are many online resources that can help you choose the types of exercises that both of you can do each day. Getting into a regular fitness routine will do wonders in helping your loved one maintain their quality of life.

Even an activity as simple as walking through their neighborhood can be a great way to build strength and get their blood moving. If they live in an area with a high walk score, you can even walk over to pick up a few healthy groceries, a latte, or even for the occasional meal. Your being present can help to encourage your loved one to get out, and if they have any mobility limitations, your presence will likely provide peace of mind in case they trip or fall.

Talk About It

Any relationship requires good communication in order to flourish. If your loved one has a chronic illness, that same rule applies! Pain Scale advises not to avoid talking to your loved one because you feel like you cannot relate to the pain and struggle they deal with every day. Encourage them to be honest with you and tell you how best to support them. Always keep the discussion about their health condition open so that your loved one knows they can turn to you to vent their thoughts and emotions or work out solutions.

Support Your Health

It’s easy to become so focused on your loved one that you deprioritize your own health and well-being. You can’t be a good partner or caregiver when you are running on fumes. Instead, give yourself time every day – even if it’s only 15 minutes – for self-care. Do something that makes you happy, like read a book, go for a jog, play a game, or strum your guitar.

Keep your body healthy, too, by taking vitamins and eating well-balanced meals and snacks. Don’t fall into a rut of fast food simply to reduce stress and free up time. These practices are quick fixes, but they will make you feel sluggish over time. Whole foods and produce are great ways to give your body the nutrients it needs, and to help you feel healthy throughout your days.

Avoid Burnout

Finally, it is critical that you, the caregiver, take care of your health and well-being along the way. This can be one of the hardest things to do when you are busy caring for someone else. But you have to remember that in order to be a great caregiver, you must have the energy, patience, and ability to do it. Try to cover the three pillars; eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and the CDC recommends getting at least seven hours of sleep.

Make some changes to create a more balanced and low-stress environment at home. Caregivers often work from home on top of their caregiving responsibilities, which makes this positive environment even more important. Start by allowing natural light in whenever possible (with the understanding that too much light can be difficult for sufferers of migraine and other chronic pain). Invest in some ergonomic furniture that will be supportive, but also relaxing, as you work between care sessions. And get yourself organized, whether it’s through a good filing system, digitizing your documents, or using a project management program.

Caring for Yourself and Your Loved One

You don’t have to be a medical professional to help a loved one who has a chronic health condition. Take the time to be there and really listen. Take calming walks together, and bolster your body with healthy, immunity-building foods. These acts will go a long way in helping you become the rock of support that your loved one needs. Above all, however, just make sure that your loved one knows that you are there for them no matter what. And you will learn a lot on your journey together, so try to enjoy as many moments as you can.

 A new set of meta-analyses clarifies the often complex and contradictory health guidance linking certain diets, behaviors, and conditions to illness. The analyses, conducted by researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, were published today in Nature Medicine. IHME analyzed the strength of the evidence for 180 pairs of risk factors and health outcomes – such as smoking and lung cancer, diet low in vegetables and type 2 diabetes, and high systolic blood pressure and ischemic heart disease. The findings are presented in an easy-to-understand star rating system showing the strength of evidence for each link. The new star rating system aims to help people make personal health decisions, inform health policy, and guide future research.

“There has been extensive research on the links between various risks and health outcomes, but findings are often very different across studies,” explained Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and a lead author of the study. “One of the goals of this new star rating system is to clear up confusion and help consumers make informed decisions about diet, exercise, and other activities that can affect their long-term health.”

In many areas, IHME found that the link between a risk factor and a health outcome was weaker than some might believe. Nearly two-thirds of the risk-outcome pairs investigated – 112 out of 180 – received only a one- or two-star rating. These include widely publicized pairings such as diet high in unprocessed red meat and ischemic stroke (one star). In other cases, IHME’s analysis confirmed widely held consensus. Eight risk-outcome pairs received a five-star rating, including smoking and lung cancer and high systolic blood pressure and ischemic heart disease. A list of the star ratings, including a data visualization tool, can be found on IHME’s website. Additional star ratings will be added in the near future.

The analysis takes into account both the magnitude of risk shown by studies to date, as well as the consistency of findings between those studies. The star ratings are based on the most conservative interpretation of the available evidence, to limit the impact of error or bias in the underlying data. A one-star rating indicates that there may be no true association between the behavior or condition and the health outcome. Two stars indicates the behavior or condition is at least associated with a 0-15% change in the likelihood of a health outcome, while three stars indicates at least a 15-50% change, four stars indicates at least a 50-85% change, and five stars indicates a more than 85% change.

For example, the five-star rating for smoking and lung cancer means that smoking increases the likelihood of developing or dying of lung cancer by more than 85%. At the other end of the scale, the one-star rating for red meat and ischemic stroke means that there may not be an association – in this case, because studies of this link have produced inconsistent results.

Notable ratings from the study include:
 

Risk-outcome pair	Star rating	Strength of evidence	Average change in likelihood of health outcome
Smoking and lung cancer	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	Very strong evidence of association	106%
High systolic blood pressure and ischemic heart disease	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	Very strong evidence of association	108%
Low vegetable consumption and ischemic heart disease	⭐️⭐️	Weak evidence of association	20.3%
Unprocesed red meat consumption and ischemic stroke	⭐️	No association	Potentially no change

“In addition to helping consumers, our analysis can guide policymakers in developing health and wellness education programs, so that they focus on the risk factors with the greatest impact on health,” said Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and a lead author of the study. “Health researchers can also use this analysis to identify areas where current evidence is weak and more definitive studies are needed.” The IHME researchers also note that while the meta-analytical approach employed by this study should not replace expert deliberation, it can provide useful input for expert committees and advisory groups making formal health policy recommendations.

IHME’s analysis, which draws from the landmark Global Burden of Disease study, which marks 30 years this year, will be updated on a regular basis. As a result of constantly evolving research, the star ratings may change as more data becomes available. This is particularly the case for pairings with low star ratings due to limited or contradictory research. On the other hand, high star ratings are unlikely to change significantly because the evidence is already strong.

From left: David Picone, Kyle O’Neill, Pam Taub, Emily Manoogian, and Satchidananda Panda. CREDIT UC San Diego Health

Firefighters are the heroes of our society, protecting us around the clock. But those 24-hour shifts are hard on the body and increase the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as cancer. In collaboration with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, scientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego Health conducted a clinical trial and found that time-restricted eating improved measures of health and wellbeing in firefighters. The lifestyle intervention only required the firefighters to eat during a 10-hour window and did not involve skipping meals.

The new findings, published in Cell Metabolism on October 4, 2022, may also have implications for shift workers, such as military personnel; health care, food service, and transportation professionals; telecommunications staff; and new parents, whose schedules often mimic shift work when caring for a new baby.

“Doctors and researchers are always thinking about the magic pill that can cure or reduce disease. Our study showed that shift workers with high blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol can benefit from a simple lifestyle intervention called time-restricted eating,” says Salk Professor Satchidananda Panda, co-corresponding author of the study and holder of the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair. “It’s not a pill, but a healthy habit that can significantly reduce these three risks of disease without any adverse side effects.”

Almost every cell in the body has a 24-hour biological clock that produces circadian (daily) rhythms. These rhythms regulate behavior (e.g., when to be active and when to rest) and physiology (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar, muscle function). Circadian rhythms coordinate with the environment in part by regular, timed cycles of light and dark and eating and fasting. Disruptions to these cycles, which can occur with shift work, can impact health, leading to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Nearly 30 percent of Americans are considered shift workers, in which the individual must stay awake for two to three hours between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. for at least 50 days a year. Increasing sleep and reducing calorie intake are often difficult, but previous studies have suggested that time-restricted eating (eating within a certain window of time) may offer a simple behavioral change to improve health.

“We were excited to participate in this clinical trial because our department is always looking for innovative ways to improve the health of our firefighters,” says San Diego Fire-Rescue Health and Safety Battalion Chief David Picone.

In this clinical trial, 150 firefighters from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department used the myCircadianClock app on their phones to track their eating for three months. Half the group ate within a 10-hour window, while the other half (the control group) changed nothing and ate within a 14-hour window. Both groups were encouraged to follow a Mediterranean diet, which is known to have health benefits. The study included both individuals who were healthy and those who were overweight or who had health conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and/or blood glucose.  

“Most clinical trials exclude shift workers, but these are the individuals at the highest risk of disease. So, it was imperative for us to test our lifestyle intervention in shift workers with a continuum of disease risks,” says first author Emily Manoogian, a staff scientist in Panda’s lab at Salk. “Since shift workers are incredibly busy, using an app to track their habits, and being monitored at their stations instead of the clinic, when possible, enabled these individuals to participate more readily in the trial.”  

The researchers found that time-restricted eating within a 10-hour eating window was feasible without adverse effects and helped the firefighters significantly decrease their VLDL (“bad”) cholesterol size by 1.34 nanometers (small VLDL is less likely to block arteries), improve their mental health, and reduce their alcohol intake by roughly three drinks per week. Time-restricted eating also significantly improved blood sugar and blood pressure in firefighters who had elevated levels at the start of the study. The researchers concluded that time-restricted eating may provide even greater benefit for those at risk for cardiometabolic disease and other chronic diseases.

“We’ve shown that time-restricted eating is a feasible way for shift workers, such as firefighters, to improve their cardiovascular health and wellbeing,” says Pam Taub, co-corresponding author and professor of medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and a cardiologist at UC San Diego Health. “These findings can likely be extended to a wider population, including health care workers like nurses and others who experience abnormal sleep-wake patterns.”

“Participating in this study was an eye-opening experience that provided valuable information we can use to make better choices to improve our health,” says San Diego Fire-Rescue Captain Mark Dombrosky.

In the future, the authors plan to expand the use of time-restricted eating to multiple fire districts to help more firefighters improve their health.