What is lifestyle medicine?

Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on behavioral changes to promote healthy lifestyles. It also addresses factors that contribute to chronic disease, with the goal of preventing illness and effectively managing existing conditions through sustainable lifestyle changes.

The lifestyle medicine approach is built on six key pillars:

• Healthy eating habits
• Increased physical activity
• Effective stress management
• Supportive social connections
• Adequate sleep
• Avoiding risky substance abuse

Do lifestyle medicine providers prescribe medications?

Lifestyle medicine focuses on addressing the common daily factors that can contribute to disease. Medications are typically used as a supplement to therapeutic lifestyle changes, rather than as a primary treatment.

In addition to traditional medical care, Lifestyle Medicine may incorporate complementary therapies to support healing and overall well-being.

Acupuncture and Osteopathic Manual Therapy 

Acupuncture and osteopathic manual therapy provide unique, non invasive treatment options for patients experiencing chronic pain. Using a combination of Eastern and Western perspectives, these therapies can be personalized to each patient’s unique situation to help reduce pain, restore function and support the body’s natural healing process. 

These therapies may be combined with other lifestyle medicine approaches—such as movement, stress reduction, and sleep improvement—to optimize outcomes and promote whole person health.

With this comprehensive approach, we educate, guide and support positive behavior changes that allow the body to protect and heal itself. We encourage patients to be active participants in their own care.

How is lifestyle medicine different from functional medicine?

Lifestyle medicine and functional medicine are both holistic approaches that focus on the underlying causes of disease. Lifestyle medicine places a greater emphasis on daily habits and behaviors, using the six pillars of lifestyle health as a preventative framework to support long‑term wellness.

Who would benefit from lifestyle medicine?

Lifestyle medicine may be a good fit for individuals age 12 and older who want to:

• Develop an active lifestyle
• Improve nutrition habits
• Reduce medication use when appropriate
• Prevent or improve chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke or cancer
• Feel better and enjoy a higher quality of life

Wellness Resources

• Diabetes Prevention Program
• Nutrition Counseling
• InBalance Diabetes Education Program
• Smoking Cessation
• Metabolic Testing

Videos