Frequently Asked Questions

15 chronic common conditions include: Type 2 diabetes, heart (coronary artery) disease, hypertension, back pain, obesity, cancer, asthma, arthritis, allergies, sinusitis, depression, congestive heart failure, Lung/ COPD, kidney disease, high cholesterol.

8 risky behaviors drive 15 chronic conditions which are responsible for 80% of the outpatient visits, hospitalizations, health costs.

8 risky behaviors include: Poor diet, Physical inactivity, Smoking, Lack of health screening, Poor stress management, Insufficient sleep, Poor standard of care, Excessive alcohol consumption. Ironically, poor diet is the number one leading cause of death and disability in United States but it is not lack of food but poor food choices! Surprisingly, less than 3% Americans follow healthy lifestyle.

Healthy lifestyle may imply a way of living and daily practices that result in freedom from diseases, good mental, physical and social health.

Yes. Lifestyle medicine is a newer medical specialty that promotes a healthy lifestyle based on scientific evidence to treat, reverse, and prevent common chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

After a comprehensive study of available data, Lifestyle medicine has described 6 major categories/ lifestyle factors (pillars) that directly impact 80% of the chronic diseases. A balanced diet with whole food plant-based items, regular physical activity, sufficient sleep, adequate stress management, avoiding toxins such as smoking, alcohol and other drugs and good social connectivity.

Root cause approach/ analysis refers to a systematic method to identify the fundamental reason for a problem. By identifying the reason for the problem, a solution can be implemented to fix the problem and prevent recurrence. In case of chronic diseases, evidence indicates that 80% of the issues can be fixed by modifying the 6 lifestyle factors/pillars mentioned above.

Interestingly, these interventions are very simple, can be applied at an individual level and can empower each one to take charge of their health. As individual health improves, community health will improve, productivity would improve leading to tremendous benefits in health care costs. Lifestyle medicine advocates recognizing the root cause problem, bringing changes (lifestyle interventions) accordingly as the first step once a new chronic disease is diagnosed.

We know that the Allopathic Medicine is symptom focused and treatment is drug focused and procedural. Lifestyle medicine considers symptom focused and drug treatment as the next steps after lifestyle interventions are made.

Preventive Medicine believes in early detection and screening for diseases but contrary to its name, does not prevent diseases!

Functional medicine focuses on multiple novel (new) diagnostic blood tests, and expensive supplements to treat diseases.

Integrative Medicine blends complimentary and conventional approach, however, does not address the root cause of diseases.

Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based medical specialty that applies therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat, reverse, and prevent chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

Lifestyle medicine is the only one that identifies the root cause problem and then makes recommendations based on the identified problem. It is based on scientific evidence that making those changes brings a positive change in the disease state. Genetics can even be trumped!

Important to know that lifestyle changes are number one recommendation by several official organizations such as American College of Cardiology, American Association of Endocrinologists, American Diabetic Association, American Institute of Cancer Research to treat respective chronic diseases.

Despite the evidence-based recommendations from authority organizations, it is less commonly prescribed by the general physicians and other specialists in the current times.

Epigenetics is the influence of behaviors and environment including diet, stress, use of toxins, on the heritable changes in gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself. These factors (behavioral/environmental) act like switches to turn genes “on” or “off” impacting the cell function and disease risk. Can you believe that our own personal experiences and behaviors/habits shape our genetic expression?