Chronic diseases can rack up healthcare bills and totally mess with your life, causing physical, mental, and money problems. Stuff like heart disease and diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and chronic fatigue.
But don’t lose hope!
The good news is that many chronic diseases are preventable or can be managed with early detection, lifestyle changes, and medical care.
My job is to keep you to steer clear of the debilitating effects of chronic disease. Tweaking your lifestyle is a way more effective way to get better or even reverse these conditions.
Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle medicine can play a significant role in helping you achieve better health and overall happiness. Because, let’s be honest, it is impossible to really be happy when you feel crappy and unwell. Lifestyle Medicine is a holistic approach to healthcare that focuses on preventing and treating diseases by making lifestyle changes instead of just taking pills or relying on medical procedures alone. That said, there are times when medication and surgery are necessary.
“Lifestyle,” is about choices you make every day that affects your health, like what you eat, how much you move, how you manage stress, and how connected you are to others.
Lifestyle medicine teaches you how to modify these things in ways that can promote health, prevent disease, and even help treat chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The six areas Lifestyle Medicine focuses on include eating a plant-based diet, moving your body regularly, getting good sleep, finding social connections, and managing stress. By focusing on these things, you’re improving your body’s natural ability to heal itself and stay healthy.
Many physicians, of all disciplines, have incorporated Lifestyle Medicine into their practice. Along with nutritionists and coaches, we provide resources and are able to guide you on your journey to better health and a happier you!
Community of Wellness
Minnesota is one of the first states to adopt Lifestyle Medicine and in a town dominated by Mayo Clinic, Rochester residents are fortunate that their Mayor, Kim Norton, is an advocate. Additionally, the nonprofit, Lotus Health Foundation is hosting the fifth Community of Wellness Event focused on Lifestyle Medicine on April 21-22.
Mei Liu, Director of Lotus Health Foundation, and I discussed the upcoming event on the Healthy Living, Happy Life Show.
The event is open to anyone who is interested in learning from experts in the lifestyle medicine field, who’ll teach you how to take care of yourself right. You’ll learn about eating plant-based, moving often, sleeping well, being social, de-stressing, and finding your passion. All this helps you break free from chronic disease, so you can live a healthy, happy life that you love!
The event begins on Friday, April 21 from 4-8 pm where you can connect with some of the presenters, and local resources like Living Healthy List and enjoy delicious plant-based refreshments.
The Symposium on Saturday, April 22 starts at 8 am and goes until 4 pm at St. Mary’s Campus in Rochester, MN. Refreshments and lunch is provided.
The event comes to a close with a Gala Dinner at Rochester Gold and Country Club with a gourmet plant-based meal.
Tickets are available at: https://lotushealthfoundation.org/community-of-wellness/
Click here to download the brochure.
Please call Rochester Clinic with any questions at 507-218-3095.
Don’t wait another year to get your health under control. Lifestyle Medicine could be the answer you have been searching for.
Image Credit: University of Alberta Health