Lifestyle Medicine and Vasomotor Symptoms: An Analytic Review.

This paper is an literature evaluation of the treatments based on the 6 pillars of Lifestyle Medicine (nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connection, and avoidance of risky substances) to improve vasomotor symptoms. Main findings were: (1) the Mediterranean diet and other plant-forward approaches may effectively reduce vasomotor symptoms; (2) stress can directly impact menopausal symptoms by increasing the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and other symptoms; (3) the incidence of sleep disturbances are high during the menopause transition; (4) evidence on the impact of physical activity and exercise on vasomotor symptoms is mixed, although moderate activity and strength training may be better for vasomotor symptom optimization than vigorous exercise and part of a healthy aging process; (5) evidence on the impact of social support on VMS is mixed with some studies suggesting benefit; and (6) evidence on the impact of risky substances is mixed but appears stronger for the effects of tobacco cessation than for alcohol cessation. In summary, while there is a variety of quality of evidence depending on the pillar, lifestyle medicine may be generally considered to improve vasomotor symptoms for patients that cannot use or decline hormone therapy.

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Lifestyle Medicine Health Behavior Scale.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure health behavior across the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: sleep, social connectedness, physical activity, nutrition, substance use, and stress management. A pilot study (n = 94) investigated the construct, convergent, and content validity and reliability of the Lifestyle Medicine Health Behavior (LMHB) scale. Based on the pilot study results and literature, the scale was revised for further psychometric evaluation.

Restoring Well-Being for Physicians Through Lifestyle Medicine.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, physician burnout is a more relevant concern than ever. Pre-existing stressors in health care, such as poor work-life balance, perfectionism, and inadequate social support, have been exacerbated by uncertainty, increased risk exposure, and general anxiety. Burnout places not only physicians, but also patients, systems, and communities at risk.

Living Your Best Life: Lifestyle Medicine for All Women.

In an era of ever-increasing healthcare expenditures, yet simultaneously worsening outcomes, many of our patients choose between traditional medical care or often unproven alternative therapies. While the recognition of lifestyle change in addressing cardiovascular and metabolic disease grows, there is less understanding of the impact of lifestyle change on issues facing women every day. Millions of women around the globe struggle with infertility, cancer, sexual dysfunction, and dermatologic needs.

Lifestyle Medicine Reimbursement: A Proposal for Policy Priorities Informed by a Cross-Sectional Survey of Lifestyle Medicine Practitioners.

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is a rapidly emerging clinical discipline that focuses on intensive therapeutic lifestyle changes to treat chronic disease, often producing dramatic health benefits. In spite of these well-documented benefits of LM approaches to provide evidence-based care that follows current clinical guidelines, LM practitioners have found reimbursement challenging. The objectives of this paper are to present the results of a cross-sectional survey of LM practitioners regarding lifestyle medicine reimbursement and to propose policy priorities related to the ability of practitioners to implement and achieve reimbursement for these necessary services.

Dietary Approaches to Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Over the course of the reproductive life span, it is common for women to experience one or more of the most common gynecologic conditions, including sexual dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, fibroids, endometriosis, and infertility. Although current management guidelines often turn to the established pharmaceutical approaches for each of these diagnoses, the scientific literature also supports an evidence-based approach rooted in the paradigm of food as medicine. Achieving healthy dietary patterns is a core goal of lifestyle medicine, and a plant-forward approach akin to the Mediterranean diet holds great promise for improving many chronic gynecologic diseases.

Lifestyle Medicine for Women: The Time Is Now!

As the founders of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Women's Health Member Interest Group, we welcome this issue focused on the important issues facing women, their providers, and researchers in this field. Women's health extends beyond sex-specific reproductive health issues, by also encompassing the medical conditions that are more prevalent in women as well as conditions that are expressed differently in women. Inadequate representation of women in clinical research has contributed to poorer outcomes.

PAVING the Path to Wellness for Breast Cancer Survivors: Lifestyle Medicine Education and Group Interventions.

There are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States. Key elements of breast cancer survivorship care include monitoring for disease recurrence, addressing medical and psychosocial consequences of treatment, and educating about lifestyle interventions which decrease risk of recurrence, improve quality of life, and improve outcome.

Laying an Early Foundation: Lifestyle Medicine Pre-Professional Education (LMPP) Member Interest Group.

Just as lifestyle medicine is the necessary foundation for true health care reform, lifestyle medicine competencies should be the foundation for health education. Although lifestyle medicine education may benefit a health professional at any stage in their education or career, evidence-based undergraduate lifestyle medicine education for future health professionals shifts the perspective of health and health care delivery. Educating health preprofessionals in associate, bachelor's, master's, and other preprofessional healthcare training programs is of paramount importance due to the interdisciplinary nature of lifestyle medicine.

A Call to Action for Intermediate and Secondary School Lifestyle Medicine Education: Instating Healthy Teen Behaviors.

Chronic diseases, previously thought to require decades of risk factors, have become increasingly prevalent in America's youth. National Health Education Standards have been published since 1995, and yet nearly a fifth of schools fail to follow any state or national health education guidelines. Utilizing the phrase "lifestyle medicine" in childhood would elevate the importance and standardization of the core health guidelines.

Integrative Healthcare: An Exploration of Students Who Choose This Undergraduate Major.

Objective: Given the dearth of literature on this topic, the aim of this study was to understand who chooses to study integrative healthcare at an academic institution and why they choose to do so, the demographic characteristics of the student population, their background, and postgraduate plans.

Design: A cross-sectional survey design.

Setting: Data were collected at a large, urban, public university with a well-established undergraduate bachelor of science program in integrative healthcare.