Does my GP not already know about lifestyle medicine ?

Sadly most medical students and doctors are not taught adequately and in detail about the evidence on lifestyle medicine in causing and treating most chronic illnesses. This is an emerging specialty in medicine and requires further training.

Who is a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional? And what is the BSLM?

The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine was set up by 2 GPs and a surgeon in 2016 and now has more than 1000 professional members. The aim of BSLM is to promote evidence-informed Lifestyle medicine as an integral part in improving people’s health and wellbeing.

To become a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional you are required to demonstrate your expertise in the subject by successfully completing the diploma exam set by BSLM.

Why is Lifestyle medicine important?

The leading causes for death in the western world including the UK are chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Most of these chronic illnesses can be prevented or even reversed with achieving not only longevity but also an improved quality in life years. Conservative Medicine largely focuses on managing the symptoms of diseases, whereas Lifestyle medicine aims to look at and treat the cause instead.

Is a plant based diet essentially the same as a vegan diet?

A plant based diet promotes whole food plat based nutrition for prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Vegan diet emphasises eliminating all animal products. A plant based diet however emphasises the importance of whole foods and diversity with most of your food being based around grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits rather than processed foods and also aims to avoid added oils and sugars.