The Power of Lifestyle Medicine in Building Healthier Communities
Introduction: A Paradigm Shift in Healthcare
Blue Zones, an organization dedicated to studying regions where people lead longer and happier lives, has joined forces with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) to enhance the training and certification of health professionals. This collaboration aims to revolutionize healthcare by incorporating lifestyle medicine principles into clinical practice.
The Impact of Blue Zones Certification
Doctors and healthcare workers seeking Blue Zones certification will undergo additional training beyond ACLM certification, focusing on six key pillars: a whole-food, plant-rich diet; exercise; sleep; stress management; social connection; and substance abuse avoidance. This dual certification will equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and tools to implement evidence-based lifestyle interventions.
Building Healthier Communities
ACLM Executive Director, Susan Benigas, emphasizes the shared vision of ACLM and Blue Zones in creating healthier and more resilient communities. By integrating lifestyle medicine practices and blue zones research, healthcare professionals can have a profound impact on community wellness beyond clinical settings.
Expanding Wellness at a Population Level
Blue Zones CEO, Ben Leedle, highlights the successes of Blue Zones in improving community wellbeing and reducing healthcare costs. The partnership with ACLM signifies a shift towards community-driven wellness improvements by combining the strengths of lifestyle medicine and blue zones principles.
Looking Towards the Future: The Role of Lifestyle Medicine
Dr. Kerry Graff, a lifestyle medicine expert, praises the partnership between ACLM and Blue Zones for advancing the field and enhancing community health. The integration of lifestyle medicine practices at a broader community level can address systemic factors that influence individual health outcomes.
Empowering Healthcare Professionals through Certification
Studies underscore the profound impact of lifestyle choices on long-term health and disease prevention. The new certification program, scheduled for launch in 2025, will provide healthcare professionals with additional tools and insights to promote lifestyle interventions in their communities.
Center for Innovation in Lifestyle Medicine: A Path to Transformation
ACLM’s partnership with Blue Zones extends to the establishment of the Center for Innovation in Lifestyle Medicine, facilitating research, innovation, and knowledge exchange. Through practice consulting and community integration, healthcare systems can leverage lifestyle medicine practices to drive positive health outcomes.
Enhancing Community Health and Wellbeing
Physicians and healthcare professionals interested in lifestyle medicine certification can access resources on the ACLM website. The collaboration between ACLM and Blue Zones underscores a commitment to promoting high-value care through lifestyle medicine practices, leading to improved community health and wellness.
Additional Piece: Deepening the Understanding of Lifestyle Medicine
When examining the intersection of lifestyle medicine and community health, it is essential to recognize the interconnectedness of individual behaviors and environmental factors. Lifestyle interventions go beyond individual patient interactions to address social determinants of health and promote long-term wellness.
Summary
Blue Zones and ACLM’s partnership signifies a transformative approach to healthcare, emphasizing the integration of lifestyle medicine principles to build healthier communities. Through certification programs and research initiatives, healthcare professionals can enhance their practice and impact at a population level. By focusing on lifestyle interventions and community-driven initiatives, the partnership between ACLM and Blue Zones paves the way for a holistic and sustainable approach to healthcare.
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Blue Zones, an organization that studies regions around the world where people live longer and happier, has partnered with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) to help train and certify health professionals.
“Blue Zones certification” for physicians and healthcare workers will add another layer to ACLM certification, which already confers lifestyle medicine training around six pillars: a whole-food, plant-rich diet; exercise, sleep; stress management; social connection; and avoid substance abuse. The new designation will require prior certification from ACLM, the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM), or the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM), depending on the May 14 announcement.
“ACLM and Blue Zones have a shared vision of building healthier, stronger and more resilient communities,” ACLM Executive Director Susan Benigas said of the partnership.
That’s only possible, Benigas said, “if the doctors and medical professionals in those communities have been trained in evidence-based lifestyle medicine clinical interventions and truly understand the principles of blue zones.”
Blue Zones CEO Ben Leedle said Blue Zones has been at the forefront of creating significant improvements in wellbeing at a population level, resulting in healthier and happier communities, as well as millions in savings on medical care, greater productivity and regional economic impact.
“Meanwhile, ACLM has been advancing the field of lifestyle medicine for the past two decades, working to transform healthcare from within hospitals and clinics,” Leedle said in a statement. “This partnership represents a paradigm shift by combining the power of lifestyle medicine with community-driven wellness improvement.”
Kerry Graff, MD, a lifestyle medicine doctor and medical director of the Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute in New York, says she was “delighted” to learn about the partnership between ACLM and Blue Zones and plans to be among the first group of doctors to apply for the new certification.
“This is a really great and powerful combination,” Graff said. “I see this as really the next piece of what needs to happen to move forward.” [lifestyle medicine] forward.”
Doctors are often handicapped by knowing what makes patients healthier, but they face a community where factors align to promote bad habits instead of healthy ones, Graff said.
“It certainly makes a lot more sense to look at this at a broader, community level, and not just at the individual patient level,” he said.
Studies have long shown the positive impacts that lifestyle choices can have on long-term health and disease prevention. A recent analysis, for example, found that while genetic risk is linked to a 21% increased risk of death, an “unfavorable lifestyle” poses a 78% increased risk of death, regardless of genetic factors.
A “favorable lifestyle” based on things like sleep, diet and physical activity can offset genetic predispositions by up to 62%, according to the study. study found.
The curriculum for the new certification is still in development, but is scheduled to be available in 2025, according to Michelle Tollefson, MD, a lifestyle medicine doctor in Colorado and lead instructor for the Blue Zones training.
“The curriculum will be based on what our ACLM, ABLM, IBLM physicians and healthcare professionals already know and bring to their patients,” Tollefson said. “They already have that foundation, but then we add an additional layer of Blue Zones research and that deep community focus, which will allow our physicians and healthcare professionals in lifestyle medicine to have a broader impact on their communities beyond of the clinical environment. “
In addition to the new certification opportunity, Blue Zones will now be an exclusive founding partner of ACLM’s Center for Innovation in Lifestyle Medicine, a new center ACLM is establishing for research, innovation, thought leadership and exchange of knowledge. knowledge.
ACLM will provide practice advancement consulting to health systems by integrating lifestyle medicine into Blue Zone communities, leveraging clinical practice tools and university health systems resources. Since 2021, 108 health systems have joined the ACLM Health System Councila group of innovative health organizations from 37 states dedicated to providing high-value care through lifestyle medicine, according to ACLM.
Physicians and healthcare professionals interested in certification in lifestyle medicine can learn more at the ACLM website. Since 2017, the university has certified about 6,700 doctors, including 5,000 physicians and 1,700 health professionals.
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