Lifestyle medicine is the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by lifestyle factors. Our ultimate goal is the reversal of the disease, which can and does happen. 

Our lifestyle medicine doctor focuses on educating and motivating patients to improve personal habits and behaviors, such as:

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

Because we focus on treating the underlying, behavior-related causes of disease, lifestyle medicine providers usually use medications as a supplement to therapeutic lifestyle changes rather than a primary treatment.

With this approach, we educate, guide, and support positive behavior changes that allow your 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? 

This approach may sound similar to functional medicine, and it is. Both are holistic methods that focus on underlying causes of disease, but functional medicine zooms in more on diagnosis and root causes - it’s better suited for complex and chronic cases. 

Lifestyle medicine, on the other hand, spends more time on how you live your daily life. It’s a more preventative approach, focusing on the six pillars, or healthy habits, mentioned above.

Who would benefit from lifestyle medicine?

Lifestyle medicine works well for anyone age 12 and older who would like to:

• Develop an active lifestyle 
• Improve their nutrition habits 
• Reduce their medication burden 
• Improve chronic medical conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer)
• Feel better and find more enjoyment in life 

Wellness Resources

• Diabetes Prevention Program
• Nutrition Counseling
• InBalance Diabetes Education Program
• Smoking Cessation
• Metabolic Testing
• Lifesteps® Weight Management