Understanding the Difference Between Lifestyle Medicine and other fields of Medicine

What is Lifestyle Medicine and How Does it Differ from Conventional Medical Practices?

American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) defines lifestyle medicine as the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic interventions including a whole food plant-based eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease.

By focusing on the root causes of illness rather than just treating symptoms, lifestyle medicine practitioners strive to empower individuals to take control of their own health and wellbeing.

Difference between Lifestyle and other fields of Medicine by Dr Silja Sudhir

Conventional medicine, also known as Western medicine or Modern medicine is a system where healthcare professionals (including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation or surgery.

While it’s a new discipline lifestyle medicine does not claim to be an alternative to conventional medicine but rather a complimentary strategy. It will help to deal better with the challenges modern lifestyle changes presents.

The Benefits of Lifestyle Medicine for Patients

Lifestyle interventions include but are not limited to smoking cessation, balanced diet, weight management, stress management, adequate sleep and rest; and increased emotional and mental well-being.

Lifestyle medicine takes a tailored approach to each patient, considering their unique needs, environment and lifestyle. This type of medicine has been proven to be effective in improving overall health, reducing the risk of chronic conditions, and promoting long-term wellness. In addition to reducing the risk and thus preventing illness, lifestyle medicine also focuses on therapeutic management in a more cost-effective way than conventional method of disease management with surgery and drugs.

How is Lifestyle Medicine Different from Other Fields of Medicine?

1. Lifestyle medicine: Lifestyle Medicine is an emerging field of healthcare that focuses on prevention and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. It is a holistic approach to health that seeks to address the underlying causes of illness, rather than just treating the symptoms.Intervention modalities include:

   1. Predominantly whole food plant-based diet

   2. Physical activity

   3. Stress management and emotional wellness

   4. Sleep

   5. Smoking cessation and avoiding risky substance abuse

   6. Positive psychology and connectedness

2. Complementary and Alternative medicine: This approach to medical care is currently not considered part of conventional medicine. It uses complementary (along with conventional medicine) and/or alternative therapy (in place of conventional medicine). Evidence based complimentary modalities should be utilized excluding the non- evidence based alternative treatments.

3. Integrative medicine: This field of medicine is the combination of conventional, complimentary and alternative medicine which addresses the physical, social, emotional, mental, environmental and spiritual needs of a person as a whole. Some see this as strength, some feel it weakens the evidence-based practice of conventional medicine.

4. Functional medicine: This field of medicine focuses on the physiological and biochemical functions of the body; and investigates balance and processes of oxidative stress, cellular metabolism, digestive function and detoxification. Emphasis is on testing various metabolites and hormones, which are controversial and not well accepted in evidence based medicine.

5. Mind body medicine: This field investigates the interactions between mind and body. It treats with modalities like hypnosis, visual imagery, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, spirituality, and tai chi among others. Some aspects of mind body medicine are solidly evidence based while some are not yet proven.

6. Preventive medicine: This field includes prevention of all aspects related to morbidity and mortality prevention. It emphasizes population-based interventions like vaccination, screening and protection from bioterrorism.

7. Conventional medicine: In conventional medicine medications and surgeries are the highest level of care and ‘end’ of the treatment. It has a disease focused approach where patients have to comply with treatment and not make significant changes. Providers are held responsible for the care and outcome, and patient is a passive receiver of the medical services.

The Role of the Medical Professional in Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle medicine consultant is a healthcare physician, nurse practitioner or other healthcare practitioner who is specifically trained to provide preventive healthcare. He/ she helps the patient understand that most of the chronic illnesses are related to unhealthy lifestyle and how lifestyle changes help to prevent, treat and even reverse the condition. Apart from the trained provider, a lifestyle medicine team may also include a dietician, exercise specialist, sleep specialist, psychological counsellor or other healthcare providers who can help address the root cause of the disease. They are responsible for providing patient-centered care and developing personalized health plans tailored to each individual’s needs.

Lifestyle as a Foundation for Disease Prevention & Management

By making healthy choices, you can reduce your risk for a chronic illness and thus have an improved quality of life.

1. Quit smoking: Stopping smoking (or never smoking) lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, lung disease and premature death. This is applicable for even long-time smokers.

2. Eat healthy: Eating balanced meals helps prevent, delay and manage heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Healthy eating includes whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and limits saturated fat intake along with refined and processed foods.

3. Get regular physical activity: Regular physical activity helps to prevent, manage and reverse chronic diseases. Moderate intensity physical activity like walking, jogging or cycling is recommended for 150 min a week along with muscle strengthening exercises twice a week.

4. Avoid drinking too much alcohol: Excessive drinking over time can lead to heart disease, various cancers, high blood pressure, stroke and liver disease. By limiting alcohol intake, you can reduce the risks of these diseases.

5. Get enough sleep: Adults should get at least seven hours of good quality sleep daily. Insufficient sleep has been linked to development and poor management of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and depression.

6. Increased emotional and mental well-being: Managing stress levels and positive social connections are important for the overall well being and prevention of chronic diseases.

The Power and Potential Benefits of Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle medicine has the potential to be a powerful tool in improving the health of individuals and populations around the world. By focusing on preventative measures such as healthy eating, physical activity, stress management and adequate sleep, individuals can reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases. Additionally, lifestyle medicine has been shown to be cost-effective in reducing healthcare costs while improving health outcomes. With its potential to improve quality of life, lifestyle medicine is an important part of any comprehensive healthcare strategy.