"...Because poor lifestyle choices have created a crisis of chronic disease, the medical community places people at harm if it ignores the root cause of disease and neglects to prioritize lifestyle measures for prevention and treatment."
St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) October 04, 2017
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) today announced its support of the just-published article in The Permanente Journal, “Lifestyle Medicine: A Brief Review of its Dramatic Impact on Health and Survival,” available at: http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2018/6536-lifestyle-medicine-a-brief-review-of-its-dramatic-impact-on-health-and-survival.html. The article, by Balazs Bodai, MD, and colleagues, describes “the practice of lifestyle medicine and its powerful effect on the modern instigators of premature disability and death, poor nutrition and physical inactivity.”
Chronic diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality and are responsible for the vast majority of our health care expenditures. More than 80 percent of chronic conditions could be avoided through the adoption of healthy lifestyle recommendations, and yet minimal information is provided to patients because of various factors, including lack of training in medical school in lifestyle therapies. The article calls for “vital changes to a disastrous course,” through interventions such as the adoption of whole-food, plant-based dietary lifestyle; a moderate level of exercise; and emotional resilience.
“For the past 30 plus years, I have had the privilege and honor of caring for thousands of women who have faced breast cancer,” said lead author Bodai. “Although we provide the best care possible, often the very basic issues regarding lifestyle and its influence on overall well-being are overlooked. Having realized this, especially since establishing the Breast Cancer Survivorship Institute, I have become much more focused on these issues. The literature on lifestyle is extensive, but it is often scattered and difficult to find. We, the authors, felt it was time to synthesize a simple but comprehensive review readily available to all who are concerned with good health. This was the motivation for preparing the manuscript.”
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine promotes an evidence-based, lifestyle medicine-first approach to healthcare, wherein lifestyle is used as a therapeutic intervention to prevent, treat and even reverse disease.
According to ACLM Executive Director Susan Benigas, “Lifestyle medicine is the fastest-growing field in medicine. Our physician-led professional association, representing clinicians from across the nation and around the world, advocates prescribing optimal lifestyle behaviors as the foundation of health and economic solvency. We applaud Kaiser Permanente for shining a bright light on what’s urgently needed to address the growing epidemic of non-communicable disease. It’s imperative that medical professionals become trained and skilled in therapeutic approaches of lifestyle medicine.”
ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE: ACLM is the physician-led professional medical association for clinicians dedicated to the advancement and clinical practice of Lifestyle Medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. More than a professional association, ACLM is a galvanizing force for change. ACLM addresses the need for quality education and certification, supporting its members in their individual practices and in their collective desire to domestically and globally promote Lifestyle Medicine as the first treatment option, as opposed to a first option of treating symptoms and consequences with expensive, ever increasing quantities of pills and procedures. ACLM members are united in their desire to identify and eradicate the cause of disease. Join today at http://www.LifestyleMedicine.org. Board certification in the field is available through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Visit http://www.ablm.co/ for details.