Lifestyle Medicine: Revolutionizing Health Care for Better Living

What is lifestyle medicine?
Lifestyle medicine stands as a distinct medical specialty utilizing evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary way to treat the chronic cycle of lifestyle-related disease including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Treatment typically includes lifestyle course corrections such as eating a healthier diet, adding physical activity, stress management and improving sleep, rather than starting treatment with medication. Astonishingly, this approach can address up to 80% of chronic diseases and, when used intensively, can even reverse such conditions per the American College of Lifestyle Medicine .

Physicians, clinicians and coaches in this field are board-certified and extensively trained to apply these prescriptive lifestyle changes, often enlisting the expertise of other lifestyle medicine practitioners including registered dietitian nutritionists, personal trainers, sleep experts and mental health professionals who work in a coordinated effort to prevent or reverse lifestyle-related disease.

The six pillars of lifestyle medicine
Through this therapeutic approach, lifestyle medicine professionals customize programs to individual needs and teach them how to incorporate them into their daily lives. This comprehensive approach integrates the six “vital pillars” of lifestyle medicine.

1. Nutrition : Evidence supports using a whole food, plant-predominant diet to prevent, treat and reverse chronic illness.
2. Physical Activity : Regular, consistent physical activity is an important part of overall health and resiliency.
3. Stress Management : Managing negative stress can lessen anxiety, depression and immune dysfunction and lead to improved well-being.
4. Restorative Sleep : Improving sleep quality can improve attention span, mood and insulin resistance and can reduce hunger, sluggishness and more.
5. Social Connection : Positive social connections have beneficial effects on physical, mental and emotional health.
6. Avoidance of Risky Substances : The use of tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption have been shown to increase the risk of chronic diseases and death.

How is lifestyle medicine different from preventive medicine?
While there may be some overlap, lifestyle medicine is unique in its approach, prioritizing lifestyle changes as first-line treatment. While conventional interventions such as medications or procedures may be utilized, they are considered supplementary to lifestyle interventions.

Because of its dedicated focus on lifestyle behaviors, lifestyle medicine means getting out in front of disease before it occurs.

“I chose to get board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine, because it dovetails very well with our Get Cooperized™ philosophy and focus on disease prevention,” said Riva Rahl, MD , Cooper Clinic Platinum Medical Director. “When talking with patients, we emphasize the importance of lifestyle changes: good nutrition, physical activity, stress management and sleep as opposed to simply prescribing medications. Lifestyle medicine focuses on things we can do as individuals to prioritize and optimize our health. It’s what we have been practicing and preaching at Cooper Clinic for more than 50 years.”

Angela Horner, MS , Professional Fitness Trainer at Cooper Fitness Center , has a master’s in Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching and has applied for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine coaching certification.

“My passion has always been the holistic approach to wellness. I believe this movement toward integrating lifestyle medicine into the traditional health care system is the most important health care advancement in years, and I want to be a part of it moving forward. I have been waiting for this opportunity for 20 years!”

A revolutionary shift in health care
Our traditional health care culture is being challenged like never before. The need for change is clear: according to the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 80% or more of all health care spending in the U.S. is tied to treating conditions rooted in unhealthy lifestyle choices. Lifestyle medicine focuses on the lifestyle choices that give rise to these diseases in the first place. While lifestyle medicine is not intended as a cure-all disease approach, or to replace certain medications or procedures, it can dramatically affect our overall health, allowing us to live longer, in better health, with fewer disabilities and with an improved quality of life.

To learn more about preventive care and your overall health, schedule a comprehensive preventive health exam at Cooper Clinic by visiting cooper-clinic.com or call 866.906.2667 .