Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, a medical professional specializing in intensive care and founder of the Resource Optimization Network, never thought much about prevention. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit — and he couldn’t help but notice the patients coming through his ICU had some key things in common.
“We saw more and more of a link with people with metabolic syndrome, people with obesity, Type 2 diabetes, people with dyslipidemia, or high cholesterol,” Kyeremanteng says in a talk given at the CrossFit for Health Summit on Feb. 3, 2024, in Austin, Texas. “I’ve worked in three hospitals seeing COVID for the last close to four years — I still haven’t taken care of somebody that was completely healthy.”
The effects of the pandemic — physical, social, and economic — have been devastating and costly. And the lesson?
“Prevention — that is the prescription,” Kyeremanteng says. “You’re not gonna be using the sick-care system if you are healthy; if you are getting to the gym, eating well, creating a sense of community, and reducing your stress. That’s where the money’s at.”
CHAPTERS
0:00-3:21 – The shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3:22-5:36 – Metabolic syndrome and COVID-19: an unrecognized link.
5:39-7:22 – How the response to COVID-19 exacerbated the problems.
7:25-9:45 – The answers are out there, but nobody’s listening: the lack of nutrition education in medicine.
9:50-13:11 – The harsh realities of the intensive-care unit.
13:14-15:56 – The life-saving power of fitness.
15:57-17:02 – Good prehab makes for better rehab.
17:40-18:39 – Great people doing great work in their communities.
18:41-24:13 – The cost of hospital admissions and prevention as the prescription.
24:22-25:49 – A missed opportunity in patient nutrition.
25:51-28:00 – The socioeconomic inequality of the COVID-19 pandemic.
28:40-30:39 – A call to action: Spread the word.
LECTURE SERIES PLAYLIST
Episode 1: Own Your Health, With Nicole Carroll
Episode 2: Exercise for Longevity and Healthspan, With Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Episode 3: CrossFit for Health: Muscle-centric Medicine, With Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
Episode 4: From Obesity to Opioids, How CrossFit Can Save the World, With Dr. Tom McCoy
Episode 5: Simple, Not Easy, Ways To Improve Your Health
Episode 6: Training for Fitness vs. Performance
Episode 7: The Role of Lifestyle in Chronic Disease, With Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Episode 8: Metabolic Health Is Mental Health, With Dr. Chris Palmer
Episode 9: The Relationship Between Connection, CrossFit, and Health
Episode 10: Future-Proof Your Brain, With Dr. Tommy Wood
About the CrossFit for Health Summit Spring Lunchtime Series
On Feb. 3, 2024, hundreds of CrossFit affiliate owners, coaches, and healthcare professionals gathered in Austin, Texas, and online for the CrossFit for Health Summit, presented by GORUCK.
CrossFit thought leaders led panel discussions on fitness, performance, and the hard work of health, while renowned experts shared cutting-edge research on longevity, mental and metabolic health, and chronic disease — and how the CrossFit community has the power to transform the landscape of it all.
“It is a wonderful comprehensive strategy to address some of the biggest challenges that we face as a nation right now in regards to healthcare,” Dr. McCoy says. “Being there for each other, connecting on a human level, is something that we do that no other fitness modality does. And this differentiates us and it gives us a power to impact brain physiology in a way that no other fitness modality can.”
CrossFit for Health: The Role of Lifestyle in Chronic Disease, With Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng