Ask the Pros Q&A
What is Lifestyle Medicine and Why is it Important?
This is a question that as a Nurse Practitioner practicing Lifestyle Medicine (LM) I get all of the time. Before we get to what LM is, it is important to discuss why it is important and I will discuss briefly 3 of these reasons.
- Chronic diseases are at epidemic levels in the US. In looking at this image you can see that six out of 10 people are sick with one or more chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Additionally, as many as 4/10 have two or more chronic diseases. We also know that nearly 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and about half have CV The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (2016) determined that of 17 risk factors for disease, diet was number ONE.
The second reason is that life expectancy is falling due to these conditions. For many decades, the US life expectancy had gradually increased but the National Health Center for Health Statistics now shows downward trends for successive years. And the primary reason for this is due to cardiovascular disease which is the number one killer of men and women in this country, killing more than 500,000 people each year.- The third reason is the unsustainable economics. The solvency of the United States is at stake. The US spends $3.3 trillion each year on medical care, which equates to over $10,000 per person. We cannot continue to support the broken system we have. We know the answer is to reduce demand for care delivery, to offer solutions at a better cost, and to reduce chronic disease.
The second reason is that life expectancy is falling due to these conditions. For many decades, the US life expectancy had gradually increased but the National Health Center for Health Statistics now shows downward trends for successive years. And the primary reason for this is due to cardiovascular disease which is the number one killer of men and women in this country, killing more than 500,000 people each year.For all of these reasons, Lifestyle Medicine is more important now than ever. As defined by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine are: a whole food, plant-predominant dietary lifestyle, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection. I will discuss each of these in detail in future Q&A’s
References:
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (2021). https://www.lifestylemedicine.org/
The State of US Health, 1990-2010. Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors.
JAMA. (2013); 310(6):591-606. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.13805;
CDC FastStats on overweight and obesity, (2017); CDC National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2017; Zipongo Analysis
