Blue Zones, an organization that studies regions around the world where people live longer, happier lives, has partnered with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) to support the training and certification of medical professionals. I am.
“Blue Zone Certification” for physicians and healthcare professionals will add a new layer to ACLM certification. The ACLM certification already provides training in lifestyle medicine along six pillars. Exercise, sleep. stress management; social connections; Avoid misuse of substances. The new designation will require prior certification from ACLM, the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM), or the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM). Announcement on May 14th.
“ACLM and Blue Zones have a shared vision of building healthier, stronger and more resilient communities,” ACLM Executive Director Susan Benigas said of the partnership.
That’s only if “physicians and health care professionals in these regions are trained both in evidence-based lifestyle medicine clinical interventions and in truly understanding the blue zone principles.” It’s possible,” Benigas said.
Blue Zones CEO Ben Riedl said Blue Zones is at the forefront of creating meaningful population-level well-being improvements, resulting in not only healthier and happier communities, but also He said it has saved millions of people in health care costs, increased productivity and impacted local economies.
“Meanwhile, for the past 20 years, ACLM has been working to advance the field of lifestyle medicine and transform health care from within the walls of hospitals and clinics,” Riedl said in a statement. “This partnership represents a paradigm shift by combining the power of lifestyle medicine with community-driven wellbeing improvements.”
Kelly Graf, M.D., a lifestyle medicine physician and medical director of the Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute in New York, said she was “very excited” to learn about the ACLM-Blue Zones partnership and is among the first group of physicians to apply. He said he intended to be alone. For new certification.
“This is a really nice, powerful combo,” Graf said. “I think this is the next part of what needs to happen to move.” [lifestyle medicine] forward. ”
Physicians are often handicapped by the fact that they know what will make their patients healthier, but they are faced with a society where the factors are aligned to promote bad habits rather than healthy ones. Graf says.
“It certainly makes a lot more sense to look at this not just at the individual patient level, but at a broader level, at the community level,” she says.
Research has long shown that lifestyle choices can have a positive impact on long-term health and disease prevention. For example, a recent analysis found that genetic risk was associated with a 21% increased risk of death, while an “unfavorable lifestyle” was associated with a 78% increased risk of death, independent of genetic factors. Did.
A “favorable lifestyle” based on sleep, diet, physical activity, etc. can offset genetic predisposition by up to 62%. research found.
The curriculum for the new certification is still in development, but is expected to be available in 2025, said Michelle Tollefson, M.D., a Colorado lifestyle physician and lead instructor for Blue Zones Training.
“The curriculum will build on what ACLM, ABLM and IBM physicians and medical professionals already know and provide to their patients,” Tollefson said. “They already had that foundation, but then they added Blue Zones research and a deep focus on the community, which allows lifestyle medicine physicians and health care professionals to go beyond the clinical setting and do more in the community. It allows us to have a far-reaching impact.”
In addition to the new certification opportunity, Blue Zone will be the exclusive founding partner of ACLM’s Lifestyle Medicine Innovation Center. The Center is a new hub that ACLM is establishing for research, innovation, thought leadership, and knowledge sharing.
ACLM leverages the university’s clinical practice tools and health system resources to provide practice advancement consulting to health systems that integrate lifestyle medicine in blue zone communities. Starting in 2021, 108 health systems have joined ACLM. Health System CouncilACLM is a group of innovative healthcare organizations in 37 states dedicated to providing high-value care through lifestyle medicine.
Physicians and medical professionals interested in lifestyle medicine certification should ACLM website. Since 2017, the university has certified approximately 6,700 clinicians, including 5,000 physicians and 1,700 medical professionals.
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