Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based medical specialty that applies therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat, reverse, and prevent chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
By empowering patients to make lifestyle behavior changes in six interconnected pillars—optimal nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, connectedness, and risky substance avoidance —lifestyle medicine aims to eliminate the root cause of a disease. And it works: studies have shown that lifestyle medicine can impact up to 80% of chronic diseases.
6 pillars of lifestyle medicine
Optimal Nutrition
Poor overall diet quality is the leading single cause of premature death in America. Optimal nutrition is essential to the root-cause treatment of chronic conditions. The ACLM recommends an eating pattern based predominantly on a variety of minimally processed vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is essential to offset a sedentary lifestyle, manage chronic conditions, and support overall health. Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity per week to help prevent issues like osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
Restorative Sleep
Unhealthy sleep is associated with the most common causes of premature death and disability, and it can lead to an increased risk of impaired memory, dementia, and cardiovascular disease. Quality sleep powerfully supports chronic disease treatment and overall well-being. Adults should strive to create the right conditions to get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep every night to allow the body to rest and repair.
Stress Management
Chronic stress can exacerbate health issues like cardiovascular disease, depression, insulin resistance, and many others. Stress management strategies are crucial for overall health as well as in the treatment of chronic disease.
Connectedness
Meaningful interactions are a key factor in human happiness, longevity and the treatment of chronic diseases. Strong social connections, as well as having a sense of purpose and meaning, affect physical, mental, and emotional health, and can even reduce the risk of depression and dementia.
Risky Substance Avoidance
Risky substances like alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs dramatically increase the risk of death and chronic disease, and exacerbate the ill effects of disease. Other risky behaviors and exposures can negatively impact mental and physical health. Addressing these behaviors with evidence-based approaches is an essential element of health restoration.
Source: (ACLM) https://lifestylemedicine.org