Encore: The Power of Lifestyle Medicine with Susan Benigas of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine

In this special encore, we revisit a conversation with Susan Benigas, the Executive Director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Susan shares the powerful work of the ACLM, and its focus on lifestyle medicine, a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine – a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections – also provides effective prevention for these conditions. When asked about what drives her motivation at the ACLM, Susan shared this powerful perspective:  

 “We are on a mission to add years to life and life to years. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to benefit from what evidence so overwhelmingly supports. In that the power of what we eat each and every day, how we move, how we sleep, how we manage our stress, the power of our social connections; these pillars empower us to determine our health destiny.”