Reimagining Primary Care with Lifestyle Medicine

Welcome to another episode of *Flip Your Script*, a vodcast by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, hosted by ACLM President Dr. Padmaja Patel. In each episode, we explore five key takeaways on how lifestyle medicine is helping clinicians and leaders reimagine the future of healthcare. This episode, **"Reimagining Primary Care with Lifestyle Medicine,"** features Dr. Akshra Verma, Dr. Heidi Benavides, and Dr. Nikhila Gandrakota, leaders of ACLM's Lifestyle Medicine in Primary Care Member Interest Group. Together, they share how lifestyle medicine is transforming primary care by addressing the root causes of chronic disease, empowering patients through sustainable behavior change, and equipping clinicians with practical strategies to deliver whole-person care. The conversation explores how lifestyle medicine can be integrated into even the busiest primary care practices through team-based care, shared medical appointments, interdisciplinary collaboration, clinician education, and community partnerships. They discuss the importance of asking different questions, treating the person—not just their lab values—and creating systems that make healthy choices easier for both patients and clinicians. Together with Dr. Patel, they share actionable insights for overcoming time constraints, reducing provider burnout, and making lifestyle medicine the standard of care in primary care settings. If you're interested in lifestyle medicine, primary care, chronic disease prevention, team-based care, shared medical appointments, culinary medicine, physician well-being, value-based care, preventive medicine, patient-centered care, behavior change, whole-person health, healthcare innovation, or transforming clinical practice, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Explore ACLM's Patient Facing Handouts: https://connect.lifestylemedicine.org/resources/aclm-resource-landing/six-pillar-resources Join ACLM's Lifestyle Medicine in Primary Care Member Interest Group: https://connect.lifestylemedicine.org/groups/aclm-groups-communityhomepage?CommunityKey=72e5f524-ba2c-43b1-a7c3-01899832e7f4 Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.  Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such 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. Connect with ACLM Online! Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/