What is Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle Medicine is a branch of medicine that focuses on the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases caused by lifestyle factors. These factors include poor diet, physical inactivity, chronic stress, lack of quality sleep, social disconnection, and self-destructive behaviors such as tobacco or alcohol use.

Is Lifestyle Medicine a different practice from conventional medicine?

No, Lifestyle Medicine is actually the foundation of conventional medicine. Guidelines for lifestyle-related chronic diseases support Lifestyle Medicine as the first-line treatment before medications.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, obesity, and strokes are linked to conditions rooted in unhealthy lifestyle choices. Lifestyle Medicine addresses the underlying causes by primarily focusing on lifestyle choices that contribute to these diseases, rather than treating the symptoms, which are often managed with increasing amounts of medication and interventions.

When Lifestyle Medicine is implemented, it can prevent, treat, and even reverse these conditions.

The 6 pillars of Lifestyle Medicine

1. Nutrition

Food is medicine. Choosing unprocessed foods and a vegetarian-based diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fiber and nutrients, helps the body to function much more efficiently.

2. Exercise

Daily exercise such as walking, running, gardening, cycling - is an essential part of optimal health. It significantly strengthens the body and the mind.

3. Sleep

Lack or poor quality of sleep can lead to a lowered immune system or weight gain. Sleep is crucial to help the body function properly.

4. Stress managment

Stress can have diverse effects on individuals' well-being and performance. While it can enhance health and productivity in some cases, it can also contribute to negative outcomes such as nervousness, depression, obesity, immune dysfunction, and more. These effects are independent of the intensity of stress experienced.

5. Substance Abuse

The well-documented risks of using any addictive substance can increase the risk of many cancers and heart disease. Positive health-enhancing behaviors include stopping smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

6. Healthy Relationships

Developing and maintaining healthy and meaningful relationships and increasing sociability is essential for emotional balance, reducing stress and promoting both physical and mental health. Studies show that isolation is associated with increased mortality. Examining a patient's environment, home and community improves overall health.

A multidisciplinary approach.

To be effective in addressing the problem of chronic disease, lifestyle medicine requires a multidisciplinary approach, clinicians, health coaches, nutritionists and fitness instructors need to work together to achieve change and transition to a new healthier lifestyle.

Supporting individuals to make positive behavioral changes.

The Lifestyle Medicine approach seeks to support individuals to make positive behavioral changes. He does not accuse or lecture people. It supports people who want to change their lives to have a better everyday life, because according to the World Health Organization, "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not just the absence of disease or disability"