What is Lifestyle Medicine?

When we think of medicine our brains often go to images of pills and capsules and sticky-sweet liquids that manage to still taste offensive. But did you know that Hancock Health has a Lifestyle Medicine Program that goes far beyond prescriptions? 

Hancock Health’s Lifestyle Medicine Program is designed to help you improve your health by addressing six major predictors of vitality and longevity: stress, diet, physical activity, sleep, substance use, and supportive relationships. While a pill can usually help with physical pain, oftentimes there are underlying factors that need to be addressed to experience deep and thorough healing. 

There are certain tenets of each of these six components that are universally true – for example, experts generally agree that eating a diet filled with fresh produce is a healthy choice – there are often unique circumstances that must be considered. For example, if someone doesn’t have regular access to the grocery store then simply being told to “eat more veggies” isn’t going to have an impact. If someone struggles with the disease of addiction, then it may be a challenge to maintain supportive relationships.  

The Lifestyle Medicine Program at Hancock Health is multidisciplinary and designed to take a broader look at the challenges our patients face and provide a more comprehensive support structure than what one might receive from seeing one provider alone. Over the course of a nine month period, the program provides tools and strategies designed to support patients on their journey to more optimal health. Taking home and community environments into account, our professionals (a physician, registered dietitian, licensed counselor and a health coach) encourage patients to build healthier habits that last and make positive lifestyle choices that allow their bodies to protect and heal themselves. 

If you are interested, please reach out to the Hancock Health Lifestyle Medicine Program for more details including pricing, insurance coverage, scheduling, and registration for the program. You can start the process by emailing lifestylemedicine@hancockregional.org or calling 317-468-4774.