What is Lifestyle Medicine?

Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat chronic conditions. Lifestyle Medicine certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse many conditions. The six pillars of lifestyle medicine are: a whole-food plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections.

6 Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine 
  • Nutrition: Evidence supports the use of a whole food, plant-predominant diet to prevent, treat and reverse chronic illness.
  • Physical Activity: Regular, consistent physical activity is an important part of overrall health and resiliency.
  • Stress Management: Managing negative stress can lessen anxiety, depression and immune dysfunction and leads to improved well-being.
  • Restorative Sleep: Improving sleep quality can improve attention span, mood, insulin resistance and can reduce hunger, sluggishness and more.
  • Social Connection: Positive social connections have beneficial affects on physical, mental and emotional health.
  • Avoidance of Risky Substances: Use of tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption have been shown to increase risk of chronic diseases and death.
Evidence overwhelmingly supports the efficacy of Llifestyle Medicine. Lifestyle Medicine can address up to 80% of chronic diseases. A Lifestyle Medicine approach to population care has the potential to arrest the decades-long rise in the prevalence of chronic conditions and their burdensome costs. Patient and provider satisfaction often results from a lifestyle medicine approach.

In addition to being board-certified in sports and family medicine, Dr. Hammonds is also board certified in Lifestyle Medicine. She views each patient through the lens of the Lifestyle Medicine mindset and will guide them through lifestyle changes when necessary, that will help address their concerns.