That’s the new name for the old concept of preventing disease by working on the factors that cause it. I hope it gets a solid foothold. It is the answer to practically all the problems that plague or health care system, including its runaway cost. The public and doctors were not ready for it when I graduated from medical school in 1984. Then I had a mom threaten to turn me in for telling her candy was not good for her children.
The money we would save could be used to extend Medicare and Medicaid, and get rid of insurance companies. The savings there would also help finance health care for all: Insurance companies’ overhead is about ~30% of the cost. Medicare & Medicaid overhead is ~5%.
Reference
“Are we ready to practice lifestyle medicine?” Am J. of Med 2019;132:6.
“A substantial opportunity to enhance the value equation in medicine by improving outcomes for our patients and simultaneously controlling costs. The time has come to truly practice lifestyle medicine and encourage positive lifestyle decisions for our patients and adopt them in our lives. Our patients and our country should demand nothing less.”
