American College of Lifestyle Medicine Designates the Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program of Hong Kong as a Certified Program
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine today announced Hong Kong-based Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program has earned Certified Lifestyle Medicine Program designation. The new designation recognizes evidence-based programs that meet rigorous requirements and standards for offering lifestyle modification as a therapeutic intervention for chronic disease treatment and reversal.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) today announced that Hong Kong-based Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program has earned Certified Lifestyle Medicine Program designation. The designation recognizes, supports and encourages adoption of evidence-based health intervention programs that meet rigorous review requirements and standards for offering lifestyle modification for chronic disease treatment and reversal.
Lifestyle Medicine is defined as the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection—as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease.
According to a United Nations report in 2007, up to 1 billion people, nearly one in six of the world's population, suffer from neurological disorders, from Alzheimer and Parkinson disease, strokes, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy to migraine, brain injuries and neuroinfections.
Those patients suffer from various kinds of cognitive and emotional problems such as memory loss, decision making, language problems, depression and anxiety that significantly affect their daily living. However, most of the cognitive disorders cannot be treated efficiently with Western medicine. The purpose of the Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine is to develop an intervention to improve this major, worldwide health issue.
Professor Agnes Chan, PhD, a professor at the Department of Psychology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Director of the Neuropsychological Laboratory of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, developed the Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program (CLMP) in 2007 to integrate the Western concept of Lifestyle Medicine and Chinese medical concepts. The aim is to help patients cultivate a lifestyle that can positively impact their brain, as well as their physical and psychological health.
The program recommends: the intake of vegetables, fruits, whole-grains and plant-based proteins in each meal; avoidance of trans-fats, sugar, processed foods and risky substances such as smoking and alcohol; and remaining physically active in daily living such as increasing the time of walking and household chores. The participants are advised to practice Chinese deep breathing and meditation practices as a mean of stress management, and to cultivate gratitude and positive thinking. The treatment is provided in both group format and individual sessions.
"The Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being has been researching Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine activities since 2007," said Chan. "We have tested our program on children with autism, older adults with memory problems, and patients with depression. So far, the results are very encouraging, and different cohorts showed various levels of improvement in cognitive function, emotional status and physical health."
The ACLM program certification designation is offered at three different levels based upon evaluation scores—Honorable Mention, Certified and Gold Certified. The levels are based on factors including years in operation, number of participants, number of organizations using the program, inclusion of all Lifestyle Medicine pillars, intervention trials, duration of active treatment, amount of staff contact and follow-up, positive health metrics achieved and participant testimonials.
"ACLM is proud to recognize the Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program as a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Program," said ACLM President Cate Collings, MD, MS, FACC, DipABLM. "We celebrate the impact and outcomes Dr. Chan has been able to document."
Learn more about the Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program at https://chanwuyilifestyle.psy.cuhk.edu.hk.
For more information about ACLM's certified program certification and requirements, see https://lmeconomicresearch.org/certified-programs/.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE: ACLM is the medical professional society for those dedicated to the advancement and clinical practice of Lifestyle Medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable health care system. Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection—as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease.
More than a professional association, ACLM is a galvanized force for change. ACLM addresses the need for quality education and certification, supporting its members in their individual practices and in their collective mission 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 root cause of disease. Learn more at http://www.LifestyleMedicine.org.
ABOUT THE CHANWUYI LIFESTYLE MEDICINE PROGRAM: The Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program provides lifestyle therapies for individuals with cognitive disorders such as children with autism, older adults with memory problems, and individuals with psychological problems such as depression. CLMP has evidence to support its effect as a neuropsychological intervention for improving cognitive and psychological functions for people of all ages. Learn more about the Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program at https://chanwuyilifestyle.psy.cuhk.edu.hk.
Media Contact
Jean Tips, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 19719835383 x 119, [email protected]
SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine
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