Medicine has existed for as long as humans have been diseased. Some healing techniques have been utilized worldwide among various cultures and diverse groups to restore their health. Here, we will look at lifestyle medicine, one of the numerous medical methods practiced by thousands of individuals.
What is Lifestyle Medicine?
Lifestyle medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention, such as a plant-based eating pattern, whole-food, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connection, and avoidance of risky substances as a primary modality delivered by clinicians certified and trained in this specialty, to prevent, treat and often reverse chronic disease.
What is a Lifestyle Medicine Doctor?
A lifestyle medicine physician is a medical practitioner who has received additional training in healthy lifestyle variables such as diet, sleep, exercise, stress management, drug addiction, and relationship development. They educate and empower patients by providing them with tools to help them modify their behaviors and take charge of their health.
Is Lifestyle Medicine a Different Practice from Conventional Medicine?
No, rather lifestyle medicine is a therapeutic approach to prevent, treat and reverse lifestyle-related chronic diseases and is the foundation of conventional medicine.
Practically all clinical practice guidelines for the most common chronic disorders recommend lifestyle medicine as first-line therapy.
Why Is Lifestyle Medicine Essential for Good Health and Healthcare?
Almost 80 percent or more of all healthcare spending in the United States is associated with treating diseases resulting from bad lifestyle choices. It may be addressed to some extent by adopting a better lifestyle. Chronic illnesses and disorders such as hypertension, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, and many forms of cancer are among the most frequent, expensive, and avoidable health problems.
Important Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle medicines may assist you in making the necessary adjustments to improve your health, manage or eliminate chronic illnesses, reduce your reliance on medications, and feel your best.
The six pillars of lifestyle medicine are:
- Take up a plant-predominate and nutrient-dense eating pattern
- Individualizing and optimizing your physical activity plans
- Getting quality sleep
- Using healthy coping strategies to manage stress
- Forming and maintaining positive relationships
- Stopping the usage of tobacco use, alcohol, and other unhealthy habits
Lifestyle Vs. Functional Medicine: What’s the Difference?
Practitioners of lifestyle medicine concentrate on the common underlying lifestyle variables that cause disease and treat their patients by implementing positive behavioral adjustments into their patients’ lives.
On the other hand, functional medicine practitioners strive to discover how and why the disease arises, and they restore health by treating the root cause of the disease.
Who Can Benefit from Lifestyle Medicine?
Everyone may benefit from adopting a healthy lifestyle, especially those suffering from chronic conditions such as:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
- Crohn’s disease
- High cholesterol
- Ulcerative colitis
- Autoimmune diseases
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
If you are looking for a lifestyle medicine doctor or lifestyle medicine clinic near you, the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine can help you. Call us at 843-572-1600 or schedule an appointment today.
Dr. William J. Weirs is a board-certified expert in the field of Emergency Medicine. He has been practicing for over 10 years, expanding his knowledge about various types of patients and clinical problems. Dr. Weirs is currently involved with fulltime consultation in integrative, functional, and environmental medicine. He is an expert in many types of allergy-related disorders and various kinds of autoimmune diseases.