Lifestyle Medicine and Social Prescribing

Lifestyle medicine is a field of evidence-based and preventive care focused on how lifestyle factors—such as nutrition, physical activity, and overall well-being—impact health and prevent and treat chronic illness. In the healthcare setting, lifestyle medicine practitioners consider lifestyle changes along with medications and other treatments. Social prescribing is an emerging concept in lifestyle medicine. It involves linking individuals with research-based, community-based activities to help improve their health and well-being. The origins of lifestyle medicine can be traced back to traditional medicine, which often included the use of lifestyle and social prescribing in its practice. Traditional medicine was highly concerned with community and spiritual elements of well-being, suggesting that the lifestyle behaviours of individuals play a key role in determining their health and promoting greater physical and mental well-being. In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, lifestyle assessment is an important part of the consultation process. When their patients develop chronic illness, practitioners urge patients to change their dietary and lifestyle habits. It is believed that diet and lifestyle alterations help to prevent and reduce the consequences of the illness. Traditional Chinese medicine also promotes the importance of self-regulation through physical activities, such as Qi Gong and Tai Chi, and encourages social activities, such as volunteering or participating in community events. These activities aim to protect and restore mental and physical balance. Another example of traditional medicine includes Ayurveda. Ayurveda emphasises the importance of environmental and mental influences on health. It encourages the use of dietary modifications and herbal remedies to support physical and mental health. Ayurveda also focuses on balanced living that takes into account physical health, mental health, and spiritual well-being. As part of their treatment for mental health issues, Ayurveda practitioners will typically recommend lifestyle changes, such as yoga, meditation, and stress management. Lifestyle medicine is growing in popularity due to its ability to improve health outcomes through lifestyle and social prescribing. By looking beyond medications and focusing on lifestyle factors that influence health, practitioners can help individuals make healthier choices and modify their behaviour to improve overall quality of life. In addition, lifestyle and social prescriptions incorporate traditional medicine’s holistic approach to health, which helps to strengthen connections between individuals and their communities. Through lifestyle medicine, patients can gain improved access to services and activities that support well-being.