It’s Lifestyle Medicine Awareness Week #LM25
And, oh boy, we do need more awareness of what this is.
Despite being practised in Australia for twenty years and growing fast as a medical speciality around the planet, there’s a great deal of ignorance and lack of understanding about what lifestyle medicine is all about, even within the health profession.
When people ask my occupation and I say, “I’m a lifestyle medicine physician”, the response is one of three things.
A question.
“Is that the same as functional or integrative medicine?”
A raised eyebrow.
“Oh, you’re one of those woo-woo doctors, are you?”
A beaming smile.
“Fantastic! I always said the legalisation of medicinal cannabis was long overdue. Tell me, what are your thoughts about the use of psilocin for mental health issues?”
Or most commonly, a nod of disinterest and a change of subject in the conversation.
It matters that lifestyle medicine is better understood, because we as LM practitioners recognise this to be the path to better and more equitable health for all.
I’m passionate about lifestyle medicine because I not only believe it is the future of healthcare, but because it’s person-centred, holistic, focused on prevention and mitigating the impact of chronic disease, grounded in scientific evidence, is interdisciplinary and best of all, it works.
We’re constantly reminded about the need to eat more healthily, to stay physically active, to get enough quality uninterrupted sleep, to develop effective strategies to manage our stress, to maintain our social networks and avoid risky behaviours such as smoking or drinking alcohol to excess.
It’s great to have the reminders and I’m sure you’ve heard these before.
Not to be obsessive or perfect, but because these things are the foundation of better health and well-being.
But there’s more to health than this.
If we ask ourselves the hard, curly questions about what really matters, is it really about how many times you get to the gym each week or choosing to go dairy-free?
Rather, is it about,
Choosing to unplug from our technology, to switch off and spend time going for a walk in nature, learning a new creative skill or volunteering to help a person in need?
Is it about prioritising what we need to feel safe, secure and happy?
Every week I meet many wonderful people.
They work hard.
They are passionate about their work.
But too many are exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed and sick.
They’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, type-two diabetes, heart disease or an auto-immune disease.
In medical school, I was taught how to take a history, perform an examination, come up with the most likely diagnosis and if appropriate prescribe a medication.
I learnt to do this well, but I was missing the critical piece.
In lifestyle medicine, we start by asking,
➡️ Who are you (as a person)?
➡️ What’s worrying you? (rather than assuming that we know)
➡️ What matters to you? (because only they have the answer to that)
➡️ How can I best support you? (because telling people what to do, doesn’t change anything)
In lifestyle medicine, we utilise additional skillsets such as health coaching, motivational interviewing, brief interventions and shared medical appointments.
We write prescriptions for diet and exercise, sleep, stress management, and smoking cessation.
We also write social and green prescriptions to assist in combatting loneliness and in the recovery from mental and physical illness.
We don’t abandon traditional prescriptions or the use of medications but seek to utilise lifestyle principles to enhance healing and maintain health.
Because what if,
✅ You were able to reduce the amount of medication you require to control your blood pressure or type-two diabetes by changing your diet or adding in some exercise.
✅ You regained your self-confidence and made new friends, by being encouraged to join a local community project.
✅ You learnt what works best for you, to maintain a healthy weight and reclaim your energy.
According to the WHO, our best-intentioned medical interventions only account for 10-20% of an individual’s health. It’s the social determinants of health, the socio-economic factors, health behaviours and environment that play the greater role.
That’s why I’m sharing the idea – we all deserve better health, which starts by being aware of what lifestyle medicine can do for you.
▪️ It’s good for us as individuals because we feel heard and cared about
▪️ It’s great for practitioners who witness the positive outcomes in their patients, because we want to be of service
▪️ It’s wonderful for our societies as a whole. Who doesn’t want to be part of a healthy community?
As a lifestyle medicine practitioner, the question I have for you is,
“What matters to you to strengthen your own health and well-being, and how can I help you with this?”
