What is Lifestyle Medicine?

And how can Lifestyle Medicine consultation & coaching optimize my physical & mental health?

Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that uses gradual but sustained lifestyle changes to prevent, reverse, and treat certain chronic diseases. It’s an evidence-based, scientifically supported approach that emphasizes healthy behaviors over mainstream health care, which we would probably all agree is overly focused on medications. In addition to being board-certified in both Psychiatry and Preventive Medicine, I am board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine.

Dr. Michael Compton

Lifestyle Medicine consultation and coaching can help with a variety of chronic conditions, including overweight, obesity, pre-diabetes, diabetes, pre-hypertension, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. It’s also a proven approach for prevention, before the onset of any of these conditions—as a way to promote health, prevent these diseases to the largest extent possible, and extend one’s lifespan. That’s right, I believe that Lifestyle Medicine consultation and coaching can help you live longer!

Lifestyle Medicine practices include healthy eating that is focused on a whole-foods and plant-predominant (but not exclusive or overly strict) eating pattern, physical activity and exercise, successful and healthy stress management, healthy relationships and social connections, restful and restorative sleep, and avoiding the over-use of risky substances. I can help you with one or more of these areas. Without the need for medications, even though I’m a medical doctor.

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Lifestyle Medicine also considers how personal lifestyle is influenced by factors like culture, environment, socioeconomics, policies, and politics, and access to health care, which are other areas of expertise of mine, falling within the broad category of “the social determinants of health.”

Although some Lifestyle Medicine consultation and coaching takes place within the healthcare system, I offer one-on-one advice and coaching sessions provided completely outside of the medical or healthcare system. Ideally, in your living room or on your back porch! That is, I don’t accept insurance, and I’m not affiliated with a clinic, medical practice, or hospital system for our consultation and coaching sessions. I also don’t prescribe medications or order tests; your primary care provider and other doctors can do those things. Our sessions—ranging from 3 to 12 in number depending on your needs and wishes—will focus on understanding the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine and working toward YOUR health goals in a highly personalized way. Our main focus will likely be a healthy eating pattern (nutrition) and a healthy level of physical activity (including exercise), though we will also address several other areas of healthy lifestyle. Our goal is for you to feel good about yourself while promoting both physical and mental health. And longevity.

Lifestyle Medicine consultation and coaching is more about a journey toward optimized physical health, mental health, and longevity rather than a type of medical treatment. Join me, and let’s see what the future can hold for your health and happiness!

LIFESTYLE MEDICINE SERVICES