Can you name the single factor that in most cases determines whether or not you are healthy? If you answered something like "genes" you are wrong. The correct answer is your choices. So wouldn't it be great if your doctor could tell you which choices would help you most, and which to avoid?

Doctor visits used to work that way. But as medical technology advanced medicine became more specialized, and primary care doctors had to focus on learning the latest diagnostic methods and the latest drugs. Consequently, they mostly stopped learning about and almost entirely stopped teaching their patients about the current scientific knowledge of how our choices affect our health.

 Lifestyle medicine is a relatively new medical speciality that focuses less on prescribing medications to patients and more on reducing or eliminating the need for medications through long-term lifestyle changes. It concentrates on six main factors contributing to your overall health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, substance control, and social relationships.