An Overview of Lifestyle Medicine and Its Role in Modern Healthcare

What is Lifestyle Medicine & How Does it Impact Health Outcomes?

Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty which uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as the primary modality of treatment to prevent and treat many chronic conditions which includes but is not limited to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Clinicians within the healthcare system are trained to provide evidence-based prescriptions of lifestyle changes to treat and when used intensively have shown to often reverse these conditions.

Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle medicine interventions are based on six pillars:

• Whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern,

• Physical activity,

• Restorative sleep,

• Stress management,

• Avoidance of risky substances,

• Positive social connections

In this article, we will discuss how lifestyle medicine can help reduce the burden of chronic diseases by providing positive health outcomes. We will also explore the various lifestyle interventions available for chronic disease management and their potential to improve patient outcomes.

How Lifestyle Medicine Can Help Reduce the Burden of Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality and are the major cause of our increasing healthcare expenditure. Majority of the chronic conditions can be prevented by adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle medicine has emerged as an effective way to reduce this burden with chronic disease management and positive health outcomes. Lifestyle interventions based on six pillars of nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections help to prevent the onset of chronic diseases. Furthermore, lifestyle interventions also improve the quality of life for those already suffering from chronic diseases. It has the potential to treat and even reverse these conditions if followed intensively.

The Benefits and Challenges of Implementing Lifestyle Medicine Within Healthcare Settings

Lifestyle medicine has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by shifting the focus from treatment to prevention. It is an evidence-based approach that uses the six pillars of lifestyle interventions to improve health outcomes. Unlike most non-lifestyle medical services, it can save huge costs.

There are certain barriers to implementing lifestyle medicine in clinical practice which must be addressed in order for it to become a mainstay in healthcare settings. Lifestyle medicine requires patient engagement and responsibility for treatment outcomes. Treatments are usually long-term. So, physician has to spend more time with the patient, which is challenging in busy out patient settings. Solution can be in the form of payment structures that reward clinicians based upon patients’ health behaviors and health outcomes.

How to promote healthy behaviors through Lifestyle Medicine?

Lifestyle medicine is an approach to health promotion that focuses on the whole person and their environment. Accumulating evidence shows that clinicians are well positioned to address the lifestyle practices of their patients. Primary care interventions to promote a healthful diet and regular physical activity has shown definitively to improve health behaviors and reduce the risk of chronic conditions especially cardiovascular risk factors. It encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own health by making positive lifestyle changes.

To promote healthy behavior, counseling within primary care setting and interventions referred through primary care are recommended. Lifestyle medicine physicians are trained to coach patients about healthy behaviors using 5 As within a primary care setting.

This involves:

• Assess: Assessment of patient’s dietary intake, physical activity, sleep quality, stress levels, substance abuse and positive social connections is done. Also, their intentions to change the behavior is assessed.

• Advise: Without being judgmental, patients’ health risk and benefits of behavior change are discussed along with offering of information to correct patients’ misunderstandings and gap in knowledge.

• Agree: SMART goals are set collaboratively for behavior change.

• Assist: Develop an action plan to address patients’ barriers and encourage patient selected solutions.

• Arrange: Provide referrals and access to resources based on patient references and to specify the next step which can be a visit, call or reminder.

In Summary: The role of Lifestyle Medicine in Transforming Healthcare System

Lifestyle medicine is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to transform the way we approach healthcare. Through lifestyle modifications addressing the six pillars of whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections, it focuses on the prevention, treatment and reversal of chronic medical conditions which includes but is not limited to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and obesity.

The United States is the highest spending country worldwide when it comes to health care. In 2020, total health expenditure in the U.S. exceeded four trillion dollars. Expenditure as a percentage of GDP is projected to increase to around 20 percent by the year 2028. India currently spends about Rs 8 lakh crore ($100 billion) or about 3.2 per cent of its GDP on health. In India, the burden of disease from non-communicable diseases accounts for more than half of the total burden of disease.

By emphasizing a holistic approach to health, lifestyle medicine can help individuals achieve better outcomes with fewer medical interventions. Furthermore, it can help reduce healthcare costs by preventing costly treatments for preventable conditions. As more research is being conducted into the efficacy of lifestyle medicine, its role in transforming modern healthcare will continue to grow.