Lifestyle medicine, or LM, is a branch of medical science primarily focusing on self-care and preventative medicines against chronic diseases and diseases caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. These diseases may include obesity, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. The goal of LM is to improve the overall health of the patients. There are six basic pillars of lifestyle medicine, and they are:
- Nutrition
- Regular Physical Activity
- Restorative Sleep
- Stress Management
- Avoidance of Risky Substances
- Positive Social Connection
Our most common habits may ruin our health one day at a time, and we might not even know about them. Lifestyle medicine aims to educate patients about how changes in their lifestyle can help them prevent diseases they might need to take drastic measures to cure. To implement lifestyle medicine, there are six stages of change that an individual must bring into his mindset. These stages are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination.
Lifestyle vs Regular Medicine
As explained, lifestyle medicine is a set of changes you bring into your lifestyle to prevent chronic and lifestyle-induced diseases. At the same time, regular medicine entails prescribing medicines for a diagnosed disease. Regular medicines often come with some sort of side effects, and the most common among them are nausea, diarrhea, and headaches. Additionally, these medicines can adversely affect your health if you have any underlying conditions. Regular medicines can also be expensive to keep up with in the longer term.
Regular doctors advise LM to patients in addition to regular prescription drugs. In most cases, regular medicine works better if LM is also implemented. The basis of LM should be part of everyone’s life. Taking the steps of LM seriously will greatly benefit you and improve the quality of your life by many folds.
Lifestyle Medicine Professionals
A physician can become an expert in LM through certification from either the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM), the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM), or the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM). The Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance (LMGA) is an international forum where LM professionals worldwide share their research resources and collaborate on projects to improve human health.
You can always ask your doctor if they have certification in lifestyle medicine or how they feel about your suitability for it. Most doctors will also ask you to take some prescribed medicine and lifestyle changes according to your condition. If you want to stick completely to LM, you might want to start it as soon as possible because, as explained, it is not a cure but is preventative in nature.
Benefits of Lifestyle Medicine
There are many benefits to lifestyle medicine, and here we mention a few of the most important ones:
- A healthy, nutritious diet leads to weight loss, decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases, youthful skin, high energy, and longevity.
- Regular physical activity will help you maintain the elasticity in your body and benefit your joints and muscles in the long run.
- Restorative sleep is the basis of good health. A good night’s sleep gives your body time to recover and reenergize for the next day.
- Stress management helps the mind and the body in the most drastic way. It gives new meaning to your everyday life.
- Risky substances like alcohol can wreak havoc on the natural functioning of your body. Staying away from them all together will help you stay healthy and fit longer.
- Friendships and positive interactions are a cure for many psychological problems. Make sure to reach out to your loved ones regularly.
- Prevention is better than cure.
In conclusion, lifestyle medicine should be a top priority for everyone as a preventative measure against chronic diseases. Doctors must advise in favour of LM before they move on to regularly prescribed medicines. Talk to your doctor in great detail before taking up LM because they can guide you in the best way possible. Stay safe!
For more information on this topic, please reach out to us at RescueMD at 972-390-7667. We are an internal medicine, weight loss and women’s health practice. We serve Allen, Frisco, Mckinney, Plano, Dallas and surrounding areas. In addition to physicians, we also have registered dietitians and personal trainers on staff to treat and manage most cases.
