50% of premature deaths in the United States are associated with lifestyle-related behavioral risk factors, such as smoking, poor nutrition, and sedentary habits. This highlights the critical importance of interventions targeting lifestyle choices to effectively prevent and manage chronic disease. As a result, lifestyle medicine has emerged as a key innovation in healthcare.
Lifestyle medicine aims to empower individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing through six fundamental pillars: healthy eating, regular exercise, avoiding harmful substances like opioids and alcohol, managing stress, prioritizing restorative sleep, and nurturing meaningful relationships.
Rather than treating only the symptoms, Lifestyle Medicine addresses the underlying causes by promoting comprehensive lifestyle modifications. This integrative approach not only extends lifespan but also enhances an individual’s overall quality of life.
This patient-centered approach to medicine considers each individual’s unique circumstances, preferences, and challenges. Healthcare providers can customize interventions that are realistic, sustainable, and effective. Whether it’s designing personalized nutrition plans, prescribing customized exercise regimens, or implementing stress-reduction techniques, lifestyle medicine emphasizes the importance of individualized care to achieve long-term success.
The philosophy of lifestyle medicine is rooted in the health of the community and has been practiced for many years by various health care providers at Barton Health. Lifestyle programs such as Vitamin (N) health promotion, fitness and nutrition counseling are some of the strategies health care providers use to promote and maintain healthy lifestyles with their patients.
With access to quality health care, our communities are more likely to achieve their health goals and live active, fulfilling lives.
Dr. Erin Jones is a Certified Primary Care Provider at Barton Primary Care in Stateline, Nevada. She is also Certified in Lifestyle Medicine and provides patient-centered care with an emphasis on chronic disease prevention to the Lake Tahoe community. For more information or to set up a primary care provider, please visit: Barton Health.
