Lifestyle Medicine 101

Presented by ACLM Professionals in Training Executive Board 2014

Thomas Edison once said...

What is Lifestyle Medicine?

• Lifestyle Medicine (LM) is the use of lifestyle interventions in the treatment and management of disease.

• Such interventions:

• nutrition

• exercise

• stress management

• smoking cessation

• a variety of other non-drug modalities

Hippocrates once

said...

When can I use LM?• LM is becoming the preferred modality for not only the

prevention but also the treatment of most chronic diseases, including:

• Type 2 diabetes

• Coronary heart disease

• Hypertension

• Obesity

• Insulin resistance syndrome

• Osteoporosis

• and many types of cancer

Why Lifestyle Medicine?

• “Today, 7 in 10 deaths in the U.S. are related to preventable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Another striking fact is that 75% of our health care dollars are spent treating such diseases. However, only 3% of our health care dollars go toward prevention.” - American Public Health Association

Value StatementFrom the ACLM:

Lifestyle practices and health habits are among the nation’s most important health determinants.

Changing unhealthy behaviors is foundational to medical care, disease prevention, and health promotion.

The physician’s trusted relationship with the patient, with the support of the family, an interdisciplinary team and the community is the key to improving health behaviors and outcomes.

How Can We Get Started?

Start a Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group!

Lifestylemedicine.org