Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based approach shown to prevent and treat disease. It treats the underlying cause of disease rather than its symptoms that are too often addressed with ever-increasing quantities of pills and procedures.
Lifestyle medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connection—as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat and often reverse chronic disease.
Lifestyle medicine is actually the foundation of conventional medicine. Clinical practice guidelines for the top lifestyle-related chronic diseases support lifestyle medicine as the first line of treatment, before medications. Lifestyle medicine has six aspects that it encompasses:
- Nutrition – Food is medicine. Choose predominantly whole, plant-based foods that are rich in fibre and nutrient dense. Vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds
- Exercise – regular and consistent physical activity that can be maintained on a daily basis throughout life – walking, gardening, push ups and lunges – is an essential piece of the optimal health equation.
- Stress – Stress can lead to anxiety, depression, obesity, immune system dysfunction and more. Helping patients recognize negative stress responses, identify coping mechanisms and reduction techniques leads to improved wellbeing.
- Substance Abuse – The well-documented dangers of any addictive substance use can increase risk for many cancers and heart disease. Positive behaviours that improve health include cessation of tobacco use and limiting the intake of alcohol.
- Sleep – Lack of, or poor quality sleep can lead to a strained immune system. Identify dietary, environmental, and coping behaviours to improve sleep health.
Relationships – Social connectedness is essential to emotional resilience. Studies show that isolation is associated
