BONTOC, Mountain Province — A more holistic and preventive approach to healthcare has been introduced in the province with the official launch of the Lifestyle Medicine (LM) Unit at Bontoc General Hospital (BoGH).
According to Steven Pasayan, Medical Officer III at the hospital, the LM Unit uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions to help treat, prevent, and even reverse chronic diseases.
The program is built around six key pillars: whole-food plant-dominant nutrition, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of harmful substances, and maintaining positive social relationships.
“The main purpose of the Lifestyle Medicine Unit is to collaborate with other healthcare departments to help reduce the burden of chronic diseases,” Pasayan said.
He emphasized that lifestyle changes play a crucial role in preventing conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as avoiding their complications. He also clarified that lifestyle medicine complements the use of medications by addressing the root causes of non-communicable diseases.
“A lot of patients come to the hospital due to diabetes and hypertension that already have complications. For diabetes, we can actually reverse the condition through lifestyle interventions while also using medications when needed,” he said.
“In lifestyle intervention, we need to understand why a patient’s blood pressure or blood sugar is not controlled. We should look at the root causes, not just give medications and stop there. Lifestyle medicine focuses on identifying and addressing those causes,” he explained.
The program aims to provide a wide range of services including lifestyle risk assessments, nutrition counseling, physical activity programs, mental health evaluation and stress management, smoking and alcohol cessation programs, and education workshops.
It will also include sleep assessment and management, as well as programs focused on disease prevention, reversal, and control.
The LM Unit will be composed of lifestyle medicine specialists and allied health professionals such as trained nurses, psychologists, physical therapists, nutritionists and dietitians, and health coaches.
Initially, doctors at BoGH introduced lifestyle medicine through a weight-loss program. Over time, the initiative expanded to serve hospital employees, patients, and clients.
Future activities such as Zumba sessions and structured weight-loss programs are also being planned to match the schedules and needs of different groups.
Pasayan also reminded the public to prioritize healthy living and stay informed about the different causes of health problems.
NPO News Team | PIA Philippine Information Agency - PR
