RIVERSIDE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The
American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM) today announced 1,124
physicians and other clinicians earned Lifestyle Medicine board
certification in the United States
in 2020 in the first virtual exam. The U.S. total for 2020 is a
record, representing 825 physicians, 234 professionals and 65
practitioners.
Since the exam was first given in 2017, certifications globally
now total 2,473 physicians, along with 564 professionals and 210
practitioners across 65 countries.
ABLM and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM)
grant certification to physicians; the American College of
Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and IBLM grant professional certification
to PhD- and Master's-level health professionals; and ACLM also
provides practitioner certification to Bachelor's-level
clinicians.
Lifestyle Medicine is defined by ACLM as the use of
evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a
whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical
activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky
substances, and positive social connection—as a primary modality,
delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to
prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease.
"The totals show that Lifestyle Medicine is one of the fastest
growing specialties in medicine," said ABLM Board Chair
Wayne Dysinger MD, MPH, FACLM,
DipABLM. "With the pandemic and racial unrest in the U.S.
highlighting the urgent need to address the root cause of the
lifestyle-related chronic disease that is so prevalent and so
disproportional among vulnerable populations, the time for
Lifestyle Medicine is now."
"What excites me the most is that under the leadership of the
U.S., Lifestyle Medicine has proliferated all around the globe,
with many national Lifestyle Medicine societies being brought to
life, and regular exams held on every continent and in a variety of
languages", said Stephan Herzog,
executive director of both the American and International Boards of
Lifestyle Medicine. "This translates to diplomates now being active
in 65 countries around the globe!"
"So many physicians understand the importance of lifestyle in
their patients with chronic disease and yet they receive little to
no education in the therapeutic use of evidence-based lifestyle
interventions," said ACLM President Cate Collings, MD, MS, FCC,
DipABLM. "It is very gratifying to see the interest in Lifestyle
Medicine certification growing because it sets a common practice
standard and indicates that the individual has mastered the science
of preventing, treating and reversing chronic disease in an
evidence-based manner."
Learn more about certification and its requirements here.
ABOUT ABLM: The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM) sets
and maintains standards for assessment and credentialing of
physicians in Lifestyle Medicine. Certification as an ABLM
diplomate signifies specialized knowledge in the practice of
Lifestyle Medicine and distinguishes a physician as having achieved
competency in Lifestyle Medicine. Learn more at
http://www.ablm.co.
ABOUT IBLM: The International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM)
is the global peak certification body, licensing the lifestyle
medicine board exam across the world, co-issuing all certifications
together with the national bodies and maintaining certification
standards globally. Learn more at http://www.iblm.co
ABOUT ACLM: The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is
the medical professional society for those dedicated to the
advancement and clinical practice of Lifestyle Medicine as the
foundation of a transformed and sustainable health care system.
Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle
therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant
eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep,
stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive
social connection—as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians
trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and
often reverse chronic disease. Learn more at
http://www.lifestylemedicine.org.
Media Contact
Jean Tips, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 9719835383 x
119, jtips@lifestylemedicine.org
SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine