Lifestyle medicine has evolved and developed during the last decade concurrently with the dramatic rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases that can be avoided or managed with the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.
Lifestyle medicine relies on behavioral modifications in physical activity, healthy nutrition and obesity treatment, smoking cessation, stress management and other domains related to general health.
It emphasizes the empowerment of FP/GPs and health care providers with theoretical knowledge and practical tools to enable practical approach in diagnosing and treatment in in this fields.
We have recently established WONCA Europe Lifestyle Medicine special interest group-SIG with delegates from UK, Turkey, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, Irland and Israel.
We received an invitation to cooperate with the European Lifestyle Medicine Council and are happily connected to promote our shared mission and ideas.
(ELMC) is a coalition of like-minded, non-profit, European country-based Lifestyle Medicine societies which promote evidence-informed approaches to prevention, management and even reversal of non-communicable diseases.
The ELMC promotes Advocacy, Education and Research into the field of Lifestyle Medicine by providing support and a networking platform for appropriately constituted National Lifestyle Medicine Organisations. The ELMC funds members to attend international conferences to ensure Lifestyle Medicine achieves as wide an audience as possible.
The ELMC believes in shared decision-making, supported behavioural change and tackling upstream causes of lifestyle-related disease. Our vision is of a Europe with the best possible health outcomes for its diverse citizens.
To achieve these aims and objectives, ELMC aligns with like minded organisations across Europe and the World, such as WONCA and the European Public Health Alliance. We currently have 7 full and 9 associate members and expect to grow to 20 Lifestyle Medicine Societies in 2023.
We invite every WONCA member who is interested in Lifestyle Medicine to join this initiative and work together to develop LM throughout the family medicine physician's network in Europe.
We believe that the future of medicine must include lifestyle medicine to avoid or improve outcomes of chronic diseases caused or exacerbated due to unhealthy lifestyle customary in the Western world.
For further information and joining the SIG activity, please contact lilach.malatskey@gmail.com